A World of Constant Strangers: The Neil Young Results Thread

xpost It's beautiful?

xp it's pretty? beautiful, heartfelt lyrics that i can only imagine neil young pulling off? the pet shop boys do it?

sold!

There's a number of blistering live takes on "Southern Man" that are great, and I love the treatment that Neil puts on his voice for that last verse, but it still missed my ballot -- didn't even make the shortlist. It is just too heavy handed for me, along with "Alabama."

I think "Southern Man" is a hamfisted snooze.

"Cocaine Eyes" I only discovered about 18 months ago. I'm a sucker for the late eighties Niko Bolas sound.

Alfred, I'm surprised you didn't stan for Philadelphia -- it's such a fantastic weepy ballad. Just listen to it and put Tom Hanks out of your mind.

i'm a big fan of the insane southern mans on the crazy horse 1976 tour -- the band seems barely able to figure out the tempo changes, neil is skronking up a storm, and the whole thing just lurches.

"Southern Man" is exactly what kept me away from Young for years. I've held my nose so long that I think I'm ready for another shot.

tom hanks never left my mind

I was a little too young, but I think "Southern Man" probably benefited from the immediacy of the moment.

I think "Southern Man" is a hamfisted snooze.

Have you heard "Alabama"?

seriously "Southern Man" is so much better than "Southern Man II"

I agree. I really think "Ohio" is the only one of his Big Statements on the United States Wrongdoing songs that still holds up, but then again, I live here, have walked on that hill at Kent State, etc. so I'm massively biased.

the studio southern man is pretty interesting -- that scratchy vocal effect on the "crosses" verse, the oompah piano, the ultra minimalist guitar solo. as 70s guitar jamz go, it's kind of weird.

^^ the pi-anner is the best part

I hope Neil Young will remember

actually, "hamfisted snooze" sums up my thoughts on SM p neatly (though it's kind of like all of Kansas' career in pre=prog embryo tbh).

iirc I left off all of the first side of Gold Rush except for one song; the second side was an awesome surprise after first hearing it, and I still prefer it

"Southern Man" is Walking Tall, an effective cartoon you can appreciate the agit-prop craft of if you're not too turned off by the message. "Alabama" is Walking Tall Part II with Bo Svenson replacing Joe Don Baker.

Wow, that is a perfect metaphor, actually. Nice.

"Alabama" placed 76th; because it's played so less frequently on the hard-rock station here, I prefer it right now (but realize Neil's going over ground he already covered). Suddenly, I want to defend both songs...

http://phildellio.tripod.com/neil64.jpg

^^ a good song I always forget about

They're both pretty lame. "Crime int he City" is really cool, though. The bass on that is buried but nuts.

maybe the only successful song with non-trad Neil instrumental flourishes in his catalog.

WOAH! Guess I was wrong about "Ordinary People" being the preferred Blue Notes jam. Voted for this, totally didn't expect it to place.

too low! (even tho I coudnt afford it many points)

"Crime in the City" is one of the very few instances where I prefer the non-Crazy Horse version to the Crazy Horse version. And I looove the Crazy Horse version.

voted for that crime in the city. love the freedom version, love the weld version, but the best version is the 20-minute live version.

Great song, yet another that I just couldn't find room for. Agreed that the epic live take is the best too.

yeah I think I specified on my ballot that I was voting for one of the bootleg versions, and all my boots have come courtesy of doomandgloom

I immediately gravitated to the two ballads I love on Freedom, so except for the hit and "On Broadway," the truth is that I don't remember much else.

is it too late to add "Wish I never put the hose down...wish I never got POLLED" to the thread title?

I voted both Southern Man and Alabama highly - they rock imo. The intro riff on Alabama especially. I don't get the hate, but then I ain't from round these parts.

1. A++ for the images, clemenza

2. Hey, I made a difference: voted for 75, 74 and 73 (and three others so far)

3. Countdown's going by real fast. I think I'll come back tomorrow and do the comments thing then.

yeah the images are great, very neil

Thanks. I initially read that as "Hey, I made a difference: voted in 75, 74, and 73"...I thought you were re-living the Nixon meltdown.

http://phildellio.tripod.com/neil63.jpg

That's somebody who lives just down the road from Neil's Broken Arrow ranch. I don't know, I've just never been a big fan of this song...very arty.

My very last cut. Surpised it is this low, but I think we'll see more BS to come...

it's kind of hilarious he ended a bunch of shows with "A Day in The Life" when he had this in his bag

Meant in a good way, of course. (xpost)

xp it's pretty? beautiful, heartfelt lyrics that i can only imagine neil young pulling off? the pet shop boys do it?

I'd really love that to have happened. Could imagine that slotting nicely at the end of 'Behaviour'.

i love "Broken Arrow" - def arty as hell but beautiful and the non-song parts move pretty quickly

It really did happen--the PSB have done an excellent cover of "Philadelphia."

xp! the pet shop boys do it, for real

I have no use for Buffalo Springfield. Try and try and try and yuck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbamhAYwyJ4

woah way too low! Thought this would be more of a crowd-pleaser...

"Broken Arrow" is my first to place so far. Have always loved the cut-up nature. And its beauty.