Neil Young Part III: Best of the Rest
Posted on February 26, 2008
by: Big Jar
If you’ve read the first two lists and are checking into this one, that hopefully means you’re somewhat interested in Neil Young’s career. Perhaps you’ve even had time to check out some of the essential selections, and maybe even one or two of the cataclysms. This list is for those of you who are familiar with the essentials, enjoyed them, and are hungry for more.
These lists are not comprehensive. In other words, there are a number of studio albums that I’ve left off for various reasons. Some of the omissions are repetitive of other Young material, and fail to capture the interesting elements of their forebears. Others are still pretty good in their own way, but fail to distinguish themselves as being worth the bother.
I want to make that distinction, because the albums below aren’t the “average” albums. Instead, they’re all really great albums for people who like Neil Young, are familiar with some or most of the essentials, and are looking to check out some of his other stuff. These aren’t the best albums to begin with, but they are great if you want to continue your appreciation of Young.
Zuma, 1975.
Released shortly after Tonight’s the Night, Zuma is more carefree and clearheaded than its predecessor. This album exemplifies the classic Crazy Horse sound: screeching, heavy freeform guitars that jump to life and work their way through the songs with little structure. This music verges on the edge of chaos, but Young has the sense to reign it in at the final moment to give the compositions composure. There is some really wonderful guitar work on this album, and when you hear it with a contemporary ear, you can really witness the punk/grunge/alternative influences that made Neil Young the godfather of that music.
The highlight of this album is “Cortez the Killer”, which is probably my favorite Neil Young song. It begins with a hazy dreamlike guitar solo that lasts for over three minutes. The guitar makes you feel like you’re being transported back in time to the sixteenth century, where Young tells us “hate was just a legend” and “war was never known” before Cortez came “dancing across the water”. OK, so that’s not exactly true, but it’s still an awesome song.
Comes a Time, 1978.
This is actually my favorite Neil Young album after Harvest. Comes a Time is the best example of Young’s rootsy/Americana side, and is also one of his most consistent releases. There isn’t a bad song from start to finish, and each tune has a melodic connection that gives the whole album a strong thematic feel. Nicolett Larson provides lush harmonic vocals, which adds great volume and vibrance to fiddles and acoustic guitars.
The nostalgia level is really high on this one, but it never becomes overbearing or maudlin. From the kickoff song “Goin’ back”, Young transports the listener to a simpler and happier time. The album’s title track is unforgettable, especially during Young’s spare performance on Live Rust, a live album that Young released two or three years after this one. The album closes with “Four Strong Winds”, an intimately familiar and warm hearted folk ballad that will leave you lamenting its closure.
On the Beach, 1975.
Young’s initial attempt to release Tonight’s the Night (see Part I) was rejected by Reprise, who felt the material was too rough edged and rambunctious for a commercial release. Young hastily recorded this set of songs instead, and continued to play the spurned material in concert. Like its ill fated (though ultimately more successful) companion, On the Beach is a gloomy and wicked album. But, whereas Tonight’s the Night sounded like Young had downed a bottle of tequila in ten minutes and jumped on top of his guitar, On the Beach sounds like Young had huffed some ether and jumped in a vat of jello.
The truth is actually not that far off; apparently Young and his band mates frequently consumed a concoction of hash and honey during this recording. The sluggish state that sort of material is bound to induce really comes through on many of the tracks, especially “Motion Pictures (for Carrie)” and “Ambulance Blues”, which both amble on contentedly. Nevertheless, this is one of Young’s most complicated and difficult recordings, though an investment in it pays off big dividends. “For the Turnstiles” has a great banjo hook, and “Walk On” is a one great exuberant middle finger to all the critics and naysayers.
Greendale, 2003.
This album is certainly one of the most unique and ambitious releases in Young’s catalogue. It is actually worth purchasing, as opposed to obtaining through “other means”, for the fascinating liner notes that help flesh out the album’s concept with additional pictures and a hand scrawled narrative. The story is this: an elderly couple run a small prosperous ranch. Suddenly, Satan intervenes in their lives and things take a tragic turn for the worst. They receive redemption in the final acts through their crusading granddaughter, a mother-earth-saving motherfucker armed with a conscience and a voice amplifier.
Yes, this is all conveyed to the listener through the lyrics within the songs themselves. It takes a few listen throughs to really get a sense of the story’s arc, but it’s well executed and a welcome return to greatness. Highlights include the quiet ballad “Bandit” and the anthemic “Be the Rain”, in which Young chants “We’ve got to save mother earth!” This is a great concept album and one of the most unexpected inclusions in Young’s recording career.
Harvest Moon, 1992.
Harvest Moon wound up being the only worthwhile album Neil Young released in the nineties. If its title seems familiar, that’s no accident: this was intended to be a sequel of sorts to the immortal Harvest (the first album on the essentials list). Young ended up making this series a trilogy with Prairie Wind in 2005, and although this release certainly doesn’t match the greatness or complexity of its antecedent, it is a charming album that can rightfully stand on its own. Prairie Wind doesn’t appear on any of the lists, but it is also an album worth checking out if you enjoyed the first two in the trilogy.
The music on this album is decidedly one note, and that note is the country/folk aesthetic so essential to Young’s success. Even though it’s supposedly a continuance of Harvest, this music is much more closely aligned with Comes a Time in its simplistic structure and rustic lyrical content. James Taylor and Linda Rondstat both supply harmonic vocals on some of the tracks, and Young breaks out the banjo again on “Old King” and “Dreamin’ Man”. The mellow melodious tone of this album is perfect for drifting off to sleep on an autumn evening with the windows open and the breeze blowing in on your face.
Living with War, 2006.
In the spring of 2006, Young recorded this album in a frenzy. Some of these tracks were actually recorded on the same day they were written, and Young released the whole album on his website before offering it up for purchase in stores. The reason for the rush? Young wants the Iraq War over now (now being two years ago.) Just as he passionately personified the malaise of the sixties with his Kent State anthem “Ohio” and his civil rights suites “Southern Man” and “Alabama”, Young once again vocalizes the frustration and anxiety of a nation through his music.
You can hear the anger and despair in Young’s voice as he declares, “Let’s impeach the president for telling a bunch of lies!” and it reminds you again of why this country is worth anything. Oh, the irony! It took a drug addled Canadian living on the fringes of the mainstream for thirty years to remind us again of the ways in which we supposedly define ourselves and our nation. The music itself is well produced and catchy, but the power is in the connection it makes to you, when you realize that there are people out there who feel the same way you do about the madness of this decade. When the cathartic “America the Beautiful” brings the album to a close, you might actually want to go out and buy a flag t-shirt.
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