Quote:
Originally Posted by Trollheart
I only know Neil Young's "Harvest" (which bored me) and his hit singles, plus some vague memories of "Rust never sleeps" when I was 17 or so.
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Well god almighty you're definitely in the wrong ballpark. I don't think a whole lot of people like Harvest, except for fans that were around when it came out (i.e. my grandparents), but it's essentially After the Gold Rush's overproduced little brother, only truly notable as anything else for being the only album to contain a #1 hit by him ("Heart of Gold") and a couple of really great folky tracks (aforementioned song, "Needle and the Damage Done," maybe another one i can't remember). It also did great because his Folk side is the most popular, and while it's great, it's not all there is and doesn't contain his best work.
You might want to give Rust Never Sleeps another try, it's got some great tracks and shows his Folk and Rock tendencies (the latter as Crazy Horse sloppy ditties), though I still need to give it a proper listen myself; it also represents a big turning point in his career, coming just before the 80s where he'd start to really experiment with noisy, metallic textures and genre hopping (including the infamous Trans), so it's cool to look at it in that way too. After the Gold Rush is among his best, especially considering his folk side, and includes ornate arrangements that aren't nearly as overbearing/melodramatic as Harvest; his overall songwriting skill is really on display without the possible aversion someone might feel to his later era noisy shi
t. Speaking of which, Weld has some really great performances of some of his best songs AND gives you an idea of how it feels to get obliterated at one of his Crazy Horse hoedowns. Tonight's the Night is probably one of his best full on Rock records (with bluesy/country sounds thrown in as well) from his peak period as well, it took me awhile to get into, but it's one of his most cohesive and interesting works in his career, a really unique one in his catalog for how bleak his outlook is amongst records that usually expound on hope and love even in the darkest patches.
Anyway, i could go on and on, but these are probably some of the best examples of his diversity and talent. Other greats include:
Zuma (probably my favorite, comes just after his "ditch trilogy" which included Tonight's the Night)
On the Beach (the technically second ditch trilogy record, very sporadic and contemplative)
Everybody Knows this is Nowhere (really great folky/country rock with some great solos and catchy tunes)
Psychedelic Pill (you saw me write on this I believe, I think it's a pretty concise statement on the record)
I want five by I think I spent all my favorites.
hopefully this sheds a little light though.
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