A World of Constant Strangers: The Neil Young Results Thread

Regret not voting for "Birds", though it too was a late cut, but "Long May You Run" was always a pleasant but minor song for me.

OK. I'm not sure what to do when Will To Love places higher than Lookout Joe.

Another one I'm sort of surprised to see here. I do love this recording, if not the actual song all that much.

Threw me way back when, but it came up on another Neil thread, and when I went back for another listen it sounded strange and good.

I might just be remembering it wrong, but can't you just make out a campfire crackling on the recording?

Will To Love is amazing, one of my favorites. Such a cool recording. He's never played it live, right?
Yeah, there's a campfire in the background. Love all the odd instrumental overdubs.

"Will to Love" is one of those that I've found both a masterpiece and a bore....in the end I think I'd love it unreservedly if it were half as long.

OK. I'm not sure what to do when Will To Love places higher than Lookout Joe.

smoke pot by a fireplace, obv

Christgau's dismissal (which I wouldn't have read till two or three years after the record came out, but I think it implanted itself in my brain): "The second (side) is a journey through the past that perhaps should have stayed in the outtake can. On one tune, Neil turns into a salmon while masturbating in front of the fireplace..."

ha i almost wrote "jerk off in front of a fireplace" for that reason but i like the song too much

You know, I really wish the guy would put out a "Decade II."

Yeah, there's a campfire in the background.

I had a used vinyl copy of ASnB, and thought whoever owned it before me must've really liked "Will To Love"; it had so many more cracks and pops than the other songs.

So far:

75. “Ordinary People” (7 votes/68 points)
74. “Don’t Cry” (7/71)
73. “Cocaine Eyes” (8/71)
72. “Sample and Hold” (8/77)
71. “Transformer Man” (7/78)
70. “Words (Between the Lines of Age)” (9/78)
69. “The Old Laughing Lady” (8/84)
68. “Love in Mind” (11/89)
67. “Philadelphia” (9/93)
66. “Fuckin’ Up” (12/93)
65. “Southern Man” (10/95)
64. “Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I)” (10/96)
63. “Broken Arrow” (11/96)
62. “Harvest” (11/97)
61. “Lotta Love” (13/97)
60. “I Am a Child” (12/99)
59. “Lookout Joe” (11/104)
58. “Look Out for My Love” (12/104)
57. “Unknown Legend” (11/108)
56. “Come on Baby Let’s Go Downtown” (11/110)
55. “On the Way Home” (9/115)
54. “Birds” (12/117)
53. “Motion Pictures” (13/126)
52. “Long May You Run” (13/129)
51. “Will to Love” (13/132)

Fresh air, food, etc.

i like all of these songs! neil young rules!

so most of my ballot made the bottom third then, I see

Just getting around to looking at this -- awesome pix, nice selection of stuff (including lots of things I felt bad about leaving off, like "Sample and Hold," "Philadelphia," "Fuckin Up").

In defense of "Southern Man," I would just like to say that I had every intention of leaving it off my ballot -- for most of the thematic reasons noted above -- until I actually listened to the thing again and remembered what a jam it is. It could be called "Fryin' Pan" or "Cowboy Stan" and it still would've made my ballot.

"Fryin' Pan" prolly would have been awesome, a la "T-Bone" from RE AC TOR!

So far just 6 i voted for, but an equal number i strongly considered but didn't vote for.

okay well, a quarter of my ballot has posted so far:

Transformer Man
Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I)
Lookout Joe
Long May You Run
Look Out for My Love

Only four of mine have placed so far (Downtown, Cocaine Eyes, Don't Cry, Crime). I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that neither "Arc" nor anything from Dead Man will place.

here are the ones that i voted for so far

The Old Laughing Lady
Birds
Motion Pictures
Crime In The City
Transformer Man
Cocaine Eyes
Will To Love

worried that "surfer joe and moe the sleaze" is not going to place!!!!

Three songs for me: "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown," "Philadelphia" and "I Am a Child." Tho I suspect my love of Live Rust will end up skewing results more toward the obvious.

I'm drawing a complete blank on Suede, nobody seems to know where that's come from. They did a couple of excellent covers for charity records in the early 90s (Shipbuilding and Brass In Pocket) but I've got no idea if this was similar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As1cNwlby-8

But my research did lead me to this marvellous footage of Neil busking in Glasgow in 1976, which I'd seen once years ago but had never been able to find again. It's kind of grim, but I think very charming. Full backstory here, featuring a stoned, then fireraising, and finally contrite, entourage.

only 4 from my top 40 but a bunch would have made my top 75, plus there's two rarities i should know better and some album tracks i've heard a million times but never considered as spotlight tracks. awesome poll so far!

Enjoying the rollout! I think 6 of my 30 have shown up so far. Good image choices.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that neither "Arc" nor anything from Dead Man will place.

I voted for a Dead Man track

I did as well, and I think they might be grouped together for tallying purposes too?

want to make a jpg of Game-era Freddie Mercury for a whaaaa? fake top 10 placing for "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" but I'll describe it instead to keep myself from being That Guy later on.

A Dead Man track was my final cut -- ALMOST snuck in at #30.

"Motion Pictures" crept up on me as one of his greats; if you've ever felt "I'm deep inside myself, but I'll get out somehow" then you've felt one deep core of Neil's animus.

the two Trans tracks to place so far are great (voted for "Sample & Hold" but love both) & I reckon that's all that'll place; but Sonic Youth's take on "Computer Love" is tres epic & what helped me "get" Sonic Youth.

I did as well, and I think they might be grouped together for tallying purposes too?

"organ solo" ftw

Only three songs for me ("Ordinary People", "Unknown Legend", and "Fuckin' Up").

"Will to Love" was tied with 2 other songs for my #1. Such an amazing song. the part where he sings "I'm like a singer on the stage - With the golden lights - and liquid rage" and the other instruments briefly fade in and then out, swinging, gives me chills every time.

Placed six so far, a bunch that made my first cut but not my last one. Really pleased with the list so far.

funny, "Organ Solo" was my pick too.

3/30 for me (Sample and Hold, Transformer Man, Broken Arrow). I assume everyone's hit rate will improve as the results continue.

Seconding Sonic Youth's take on "Computer Age" as well as Neil's fairly rockin' take of it on the Live In Berlin video.

did someone already post this? crazy horse version of "computer age" from 87
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfzZYLQM_lI

6/40 thus far (Don't Cry, Love In Mind, OTWH, Fuckin' Up, Will To Love, Lookout Joe) Kind of worried about the epics from Ragged Glory not placing--they were my most pleasant rediscoveries.

Ok I hiked for 7.5 hours and pried like two dozen gnats out of my eyes but I'm finally reading this! Nice work so far!
Some thoughts:
1) lotta love was my #2 and I'm so glad it placed! So beautiful.
2) is it possible to include the song in text as well as the image? I can figure it out from comments/wait for rundown but I'm in the woods and on my phone and surely I'm not the only NY fan in this situation.
3) I'm genuinely glad NY love songs have encouraged more love in the universe. That's what they're there for. If I had to guess, my husband tolerates Neil Young because he likes me, fwiw. He's def not a fan (of Neil -- of me, yes)
4) Cortez is obvs winner, no?!?!?

Powderfinger?

Also I LOVE "downtown" but didn't vote for it because I had already voted for so many songs from that album. I love the "aw huh huh huh they don't tell no lies" part so much.

thought motion pictures and long may you run would be top 25 at least

yeah i did kinda think that the second side of OTB was a lock for top 25

everytime someone itt refers to "Downtown" i have to remind myself that they're not speaking glowingly of the mediocre Mirror Ball single

and its glowing slap bass part

yeah i did kinda think that the second side of OTB was a lock for top 25

lol 2nd side is the side I skip

get outta town. think [you should] get outta town.

happy I'm the ocean hasn't placed yet, rooting for top 25