A World of Constant Strangers: The Neil Young Results Thread

http://phildellio.tripod.com/neil24.jpg

That picture is great.

Very tired of this one. I liked it when it came out, though not as much as "Hey Hey, My My"--some of the lyrics seemed clunky. Now it gets played to death on the classic-rock station here.

Thanks, I love that picture. A lot of the images I found just by googling the song title.

I never hear "Rockin'" anymore, but it was overplayed for a long, long time. The SNL performance is still transcendent.

i've always liked "pocahontas", but mainly in a breezy, passive-smile kind of way. it never quite got under my skin like so many of his other songs have.

I'll have to look up the SNL, which I think I did see at the time.

lyrics to 'rockin in the free world' are a bit clunky but it was the first neil track i ever heard (video shown on a sunday morning music show, whats up with neil's hair in that video btw?) and a school band i was in attempted to cover it (badly i might add). so sentimental fave and all that.

Did not specify on my ballot, but it's the Unplugged Pocahontas for me.

I always assume Rockin' In The Free World gets misinterpreted, Born In The USA style.

It totally does.

the SNL clip:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5lwon_neil-young-keep-on-rockin-in-the-fr_music

Doing a sarcastic patriots' anthem looks like a pretty good career move, tbh.

I'm sure a lot of its staying power is that people do focus on the title/catch-phrase; it's actually the song's irony I find a little heavy-handed.

http://phildellio.tripod.com/neil23.jpg

This sounds totally hokey because it is, but I really loved hearing "Rockin' in the Free World" over the end credits to Fahrenheit 9/11. It felt like a gutpunch.

I love "Rockin' in the Free World" and haven't tired of it yet (which isn't to say that won't happen). I listened to the version from Seattle '89 this morning, the first time anyone other than Neil had heard the song (including his band)...and it's absolutely chilling. It starts a little clunky and you think, "Oh, this is kinda fun," and then it just keeps building and building and the guy in the car next to you is wondering if you're having a seizure or what.

"Hey Hey, My My" is my first one today. It's such a perfect closer.

This sounds totally hokey because it is, but I really loved hearing "Rockin' in the Free World" over the end credits to /Fahrenheit 9/11/. It felt like a gutpunch.

It was supposed to be "Won't Get Fooled Again," but Townshend wasn't a fan of Moore and wouldn't allow the song to be used.

Okay: if I'd combined "Hey Hey" and "My My" together, they would have totalled 42 voters/422 points. Happily, that would have only placed it/them fifth. If they'd won, I might have had the same situation as Sight & Sound with the two Godfathers. Again, I think it makes much more sense to count them as separate entities.

Pocahontus = my #4.
Hey Hey = my #11.
Rockin' = not on my list, but I agree - I could watch that SNL clip all day. Totally savage.

Townshend wasn't a fan of Moore and wouldn't allow the song to be used

still a pretty smart guy that Pete

I agree with separate counting fwiw. I voted for the one without the 'Johnny Rotten/Rotten Johnny' bit.

"Rockin" was my #4, will absolutely never tire of that song. It was the first Neil song I ever got obsessed with. Its definitely overplayed, but I'll never tire of it.

"Hey Hey My My" -- What tipped me to voting this over "My My Hey Hey" is just the joy of that monstrous guttural riff.

Thanks for the clip, that's great--helps me re-connect to the song. I love how everyone skulks around all hunched over. Extra points for mentioning "shuffling" years before LMFAO.

http://phildellio.tripod.com/neil22.jpg

haha anyone remember Annie Lennox's cover, used during the Spacey seduction scene in American Beauty?

"It's only castles burning"

<3

a kid that'll never get to be cool as the ultimate tragedy is such a neil young sentiment

Should be all killer, no filler from here on out, but this is the sort of list both Neil nuts and contrarians could easily subvert.

I think of it as the Mena Suvari seduction scene, but yes, remember it well. I don't think I realized it was Annie Lennox the first time I saw the film.

Strangest song on Gold Rush, the one that best captures the album cover.

yeah it's an unsettling one

it and "Tell Me Why" the oddest

Weird that Neil wrote about "lorries"--thought that was only a British term. Maybe it was just that "trucks" didn't have enough syllables.

Coming in late here, but wanna say that the delivery of "Marlon Brando, Pocahontas and me" following the preceding lines still gets me every time. I mean, it is like a life affirmation for me: yeah, Neil's a cool fuckin guy and life is OK with shit like this around. Not sure why, but it works.

Unrelated, for the longest time I though Rust Never Sleeps was just a live album and, as I had heard all of the songs separately before on bootlegs and stuff, never bothered checking it out. Was really surprised when I actually listened to the whole thing. Way more essential than I ever gave it credit for.

SNL clip the rare occasion when Neil is in crazy mode and neither the funkiest nor the best musician on stage. A shame ego clashes made that band impossible.

https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR4fxKeRUgSBpF5Ekgo_dgBMmybBHYOuYnQ2Fches8UcK-ZZVKcNg

Marlon Brando/Pocahontas

I almost used Ms. Littlefeather for the image, but the Marlon photos kicking around on the internet tend to be a bit more evocative.

I was watching that night! You never knew what would happen on the Academy Awards for a few years there...

http://phildellio.tripod.com/neil21.jpg

This is what convinced me to put "Pocahontas" on my list:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2wmDfRJn0M

^^^ a wonderful song that I never want to hear again (c/o John Lennon about "Yesterday")

xpost

I was surprised "Needle" finished so high; another overplay casualty up here.

who was in the rockin' in the free world/snl band, anyway?

Don't Let it Bring You Down = my #39. The solo acoustic takes on this one are stronger and stranger to me than the band version on ATGR, I think.

Needle/Damage = kind of surprised to see it this low myself, I had it at #9. Probably the most beautiful anti-drug song I've ever heard.

I think that was Oscar Gamble in the "Keep on Rockin'" clip.

I think "Needle" works for me still cause it is so short. And I really love the guitar playing on it, but that is a muso thing. Cool turnarounds etc.