50 Great Neil Young Covers

that GaGa version is terrible she can't even keep the melody together wtf

19. Yung Wu - Powderfinger
20. Wooden Shjips - Vampire Blues

not the one in Rachel Getting Married

21. Phish - Albuquerque

(apparently their 1998 Farm Aid version of "Down By the River" was something to behold too, but I've nev er heard it)

22. Gillian Welch - Pocahontas

xp: There is a youtube of it, but I can't watch right now

I found a used copy of Borrowed Tunes II last week, and a I've got a vinyl copy of Headed for the Ditch: a Michigan Tribute to Neil Young on order. It's something of an obsession: I think I'm up to 350-400 cover versions, approximately 25 hours' worth. Hard to know where to begin, but three of the best (and perhaps most surprising) would be 23. Psychic TV's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," 24. Francoise Hardy's "Till the Morning Comes," and 25. Bongwater's "Mr. Soul."

24. Francoise Hardy's "Till the Morning Comes" -- whoa, never heard this!

26. Byrds - See the Sky About To Rain

Emmylou Harris, "Wrecking Ball"

Francoise Hardy's "Till the Morning Comes"

i was gonna post that!

flaming lips - "after the goldrush"

"Everybody's Rockin" John Lee Hooker

"Mystery Train" Elvis Presley

"Oh Lonesome Me" Don Gibson

"Payola Blues" - ???

^^^ Albert Lee

The Isley Brothers - Ohio
Buddy Miles - Down By the River
Merry Clayton - Southern Man - righteous and mighty where the original is just pissy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4czTIjYwGlc

skullflower 'cortez the killer'

So weird - I was thinking of starting this exact thread yesterday when Walter Clevinger & The Dairy King's great cover of "Burned" came up on shuffle.

So that.

Radiohead did a nice "On the Beach:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQARzXtc2ik

Radiohead has also done "Down by the River" and 'Cinnamon Girl."

I've heard Golden Smog do a great "Revolution Blues" before. Uncle Tupelo did "Cortez."

Wedding Present did an OK "Don't Cry No Tears."

Nick Cave's "Helpless" is really good. So is Roxy Music's OTT Latin-disco-rock "Like a Hurricane."

Sort of a hard act to cover! Are we still counting?

Cowboy Junkies- "Tired Eyes"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQAcJzIhSJ8

(From above) I was at this show and fell asleep listening to this.

In a good way.

47. Jack Logan - On The Beach

damn that merry clayton cover is fantastic, thanks dorian

That Merry Clayton cover is indeed fantastic. Anyway, a few more, though not all great by any means...

Neil Young cover versions

48. "Love is a Rose" by Linda Ronstadt

"Love is a nose, but you'd better not pick it..."

Buddy Miles - Down By the River

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LH9eFMvhOw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5KRVtjgMkM

49. The Pooh Sticks: "The Rhythm of Love"

50. Waylon Jennings - "Are You Ready For the Country?"

^^ surprised Ian didn't list that one tbqh imo!

51. Killdozer -" Cinnamon Girl"

52. Royal Trux - "Lookout Joe"

53. Slint - "Cortez the Killer"

^^ live only as far as i know

54. Valerie Carter "After The Gold Rush"
A very nice cover too. Someone else did a cover of this song, but I can't put my finger on it right now.

55. jackie deshannon - only love can break your heart

I have a weak spot for Jackie Deshannon. Which album is that cover from?

jackie, reissued a few years back by rhino as jackie...plus

Can I rep for Pearl Jam's 'Rockin In The Free World'...

56. Q and Not U - "Don't Let it Bring You Down"

57. Bettye LeVette- Heart of Gold

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4ixBuhQGsw

more soul and funk covers please

58. the meters - 'birds'

we did this:
Neil Young cover versions

New Peter Gabriel covers album will feature a Neil Young cover

Scratch My Back is due out on February 16 in North America via Real World/Universal Records:
1. “Heroes” (David Bowie cover)
2. “The Boy in the Bubble” (Paul Simon cover)
3. “Mirrorball” (Elbow cover)
4. “Flume” (Bon Iver cover)
5. “Listening Wind” (Talking Heads cover)
6. “The Power of the Heart” (Lou Reed cover)
7. “My Body Is a Cage” (Arcade Fire cover)
8. “The Book of Love” (Magnetic Fields cover)
9. “I Think It's Going to Rain Today” (Randy Newman cover)
10. “Après Moi” (Regina Spektor cover)
11. “Philadelphia” (Neil Young cover)
12. “Street Spirit” (Radiohead cover)

Cassandra Wilson - "Harvest Moon"

Since it wasn't mentioned on the earlier thread,
Michael Hedges - After the Gold Rush

yow i gotta track down some of these!

do it

work is p quiet at the moment, I'll have a look tomorrow...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBVkKcQJu5A

nice. one cover the length of 4 tony molina songs

hehe Neil is probably the one note guitar solo king

Meters cover is great - why are there so many good soul covers of Neil? doesn't seem like he was too into that scene?

New ones appear all the time, but I thought I knew pretty much every big-name Neil cover done before The Bridge, at least. Somehow this one slipped by me until I bought the album at a record show today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7fxxJIm-A4

Not very good.

I think I actually prefer it to the original! An entire album of Neil songs in that style would get a bit much though.

Just Like Me, Nowadays Clancy Just Wants To Be (Close To You)

clemenza, have you heard this ?

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3366656313_10.jpg

https://anonymouschoir.com/album/anonymous-choir-sings-neil-youngs-after-the-gold-rush

The original's not a favourite, so that figures in. I actually really like their "Ticket to Ride" cover (same album--it was originally released as Offering, then re-released a few months later as Ticket to Ride when that became a minor hit).

No! Thanks--will order that for sure.

Clancy's such a weird-ass song to have inspired so many period covers (I think like three or four besides the Carpenters one).

Including--I could be wrong--the first Neil cover ever, Fever Tree's version of "Clancy" in 1968.

Clancy fucking sucks wtf

there's also joni mitchell's 1967 radio recording of "sugar mountain" which is cool

featured here, along with many other covers mentioned itt: https://www.mixcloud.com/aquariumdrunkard/hello-mr-soul-neil-young-covers-1967-1978/

67? Wow that’s early. Maybe Neil “gave” it to her?

Maybe Fever Tree's was the first one to make it onto a record. If anyone knows one earlier (March 28, 1968), please post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfeIk5XKnf8

The Sylvester links don't work upthread, so just adding. It's *so* good

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

A different take on After the Gold Rush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2XcBL6kWn8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2suWODDn08&pbjreload=10&fbclid=IwAR1RfJ5JeLNDGfFq0YWXGoGveJEX8B8pc5XQG3Hyry-WclgHQws3juZsOsU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2suWODDn08

(I was trying to post a Facebook link.)

very nice. the singer's voice reminds of lou reed.

not a cover per se and not a neil song but just saw this for the first time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIDzA0YDso8

Cover Me compiles a Harvest comp.

(yeah yeah, I know "compiles a comp." I'll shred my English degree now.)

my kids singing Emmylou Harris’s rendition of “Wrecking Ball”

i don't think we've had this yet, unless it's a broken youtube link upthread

John Morell - Old Man. I think it's awesome but it might not be for everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv8PJimST6g

the vocals are making me want to revisit the Anonymous Choir record and absolutely kicking myself for letting go of my copy

Shelia Hylton - Lot of Love. Single and Dub Version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziSzfxqog2o

John Muir Junior High- After the Gold Rush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJJNiYzu6AQ

Haven't updated my massive Neil Young Covers file in a while, so I thought I'd check today to see if I've missed anything the past five years. Came across this, upcoming:

https://www.stereogum.com/2296121/fiona-apple-eddie-vedder-brandi-carlile-more-contribute-to-new-neil-young-tribute-album/music/

Kristin Hersh "Like A Hurricane"

Recent ex-SNL cast member Chloe Troast working in a verse from "Borrowed Tune" into a piano cover of "Walking After Midnight" on a insta New Year's video.

https://www.instagram.com/chloe_troast/reel/DETMg5SSMzq/?hl=en