JOESEDDIT’S CRATES FULL OF VINYL – NEIL YOUNG (1968–1974)

I’ve got a couple of crates full of old vinyl albums that I haven’t listened to in years due to lack of equipment to play them. Over a period of about a year and a half I revisited each album on the internet or bought the CD and ranked the songs. I also recorded some brief thoughts, rated the album, and posted the results on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists comment section. I’m recycling and categorizing/grouping the posts on this website.

After The Gold Rush

Classic Neil Young. Not a bad song on the album.

Scale of 1 to 10:  A +

1-Tell Me Why

2-Don’t Let It Bring You Down

3-When You Dance

4-Southern Man

5- Oh Lonesome Me

6-Cripple Creek

7-Till the Morning Comes

8-After the Gold Rush

9-Birds

10-Only Love Can Break Your Heart

11-I Believe in You

On The Beach

I had a hard time separating these songs for ranking purposes. C-94 had this album ranked higher than I did so I already reviewed this one about a year ago and discovered that I liked it much more than I remembered. Still feel the same after revisiting again. That having been said, I don’t think there’s a song on this album that I would rank in the top ten or maybe even twenty Neil Young songs if I were to compile such a list. Still a very good album, though.

Scale of 1 to 10:  B

1- For the Turnstiles

2- Revolution Blues

3- Ambulance Blues

4- See the Sky About to Rain

5- Walk On

6- Motion Pictures

7- Vampire Blues

8- On the Beach

Time Fades Away

This is a live album, but none of the songs were previously released and have never been released as a studio version as far as I know. I’ve always stated my opposition to the inclusion of live albums on RS’ list, but I think live albums under these conditions are worthy of consideration. But as much as I like Neil Young and much of this album, I have no arguments against it not making the cut. It has some very weak spots, but somehow still worth a listen. I really like “L.A.”

Scale of 1 to 10:  C –

1- L.A.

2- Time Fades Away

3- Love in Mind

4- Last Dance

5- The Bridge

6- Yonder Stands the Sinner

7- Journey Through the Past

8- Don’t be Denied

Neil Young

Neil Young’s first solo album. I put it somewhere in the “OK” to “Good” category. It sounds a little dated in spots, but still has a couple of excellent songs on it and some others that are good. A precursor of things to come.

Scale of 1 to 10:  C +

1- The Old Laughing Lady

2- The Emperor of Wyoming

3- I’ve Been Waiting for You

4- The Loner

5- What Did You Do to My Life?

6- Here We Are in the Years

7- String Quartet from Whiskey Boot Hill

8- If I Could Have Her Tonight

9- I’ve Loved Her So Long

10- The Last Trip to Tulsa

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

My second favorite Neil Young album – one of the best in the crate. Quintessential “electric” Neil, quintessential Crazy Horse.

Scale of 1 to 10:  A+

1- Down by the River

2- Cowgirl in the Sand

3- The Losing End (When You’re On)

4- Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

5- Cinnamon Girl

6- Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)

7- Round and Round (It Won’t Be Long)

Harvest

I envy a young man listening to this album for the first time if he likes this type of music. No matter how long I shelve this album, I couldn’t possibly get back to the level of enjoyment I got from listening to it back in the “vinyl” days.  My favorite Neil Young album; I played it often. The first four on this list would easily be in the top 20 of my all- time favorite Neil songs; maybe top ten. In fact, “Out on the Weekend” would be #1.

Scale of 1 to 10:  A+

1- Out on the Weekend

2- Old Man

3- Alabama

4- Heart of Gold

5- Words (Between the Lines of Age)

6- Harvest

7- A Man Needs a Maid

8- The Needle and the Damage Done

9- Are You Ready for the Country

10- There’s a World