A World of Constant Strangers: The Neil Young Results Thread

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.

Steve Jordan on drums and Charley Drayton on bass (X-Pensive Winos rhythm section, both producers/multi-instrumentalists now), and Frank.

xpost

Agreed on the guitar playing on "Needle" -- really awesome stuff, and just the right length IMHO.

http://phildellio.tripod.com/neil20.jpg

That seems about right. Not on my list, but it'd be weird if it were absent from the Top 20.

catching up, in reverse order
heart of gold - cool tune! fun to play around a campfire
needle and damage done -- good song, but don't need to hear it again. unless he does an electric arrangement w/ crazy horse
don't let it bring you down -- didn't vote for it, but classic, love that it's an acoustic song that still sounds heavy.
hey hey my my - that high note he hits in the guitar solo, holy shit, like tectonic plates shifting
rockin in the free world - the first song i ever learned to play on guitar
pocahontas - one of my all time faves, just a perfect set of lyrics, perfect melody. this song runs through my head daily.

Yeah, glad lots of songs will place higher than Heart of Gold, but cannot deny its status as a Neil bonafide, just not the version I turn to these days. I do admire the moment when the backup singers really let go on the very last chorus though. Gets me through the whole song every time. Like the drumming a lot to, cool hi-hat work.

good tunes! glad to see "rockin" made the list after all - i get why people might be sick, but i still think it's the best thing he's done post-Rust.

Solo on hey hey my my gets me through that song, find it to be a slog most of the time.

oh of course "Rockin" was always gonna make the list

funny to see so many of the big hits cleared out in quick succession, i wonder if any will be left by the time we get to the top 10

Compare Heart of Gold to the other radio shit in 1972 and it kills it DEAD. STILL.

That said, I had it at 18, so I guess 20 isn't far off from that.

oh of course "Rockin" was always gonna make the list

(very) early on in the ballot collection period, clemenza implied nothing post-rust had broke the top 30 yet, and also suggested a key later track might get slighted

Like the drumming a lot to, cool hi-hat work.

agreed about the hi-hats! i doubt many people notice it, but it subtly helps to defines the feel of the verses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSAz1Vc4U34

Still alot of my picks that haven't placed yet despite being either canonical or big fan faves (or so I thought), but there's also a few I was sure would not place, so who knows?

Heart of Gold didn't make my list.

I've been mishearing a lyric for 40 years: always thought it was "I've been in my mind/It's such a fine mind..."

For what it's worth, when I made that post-Rust comment, I think just over half the ballots had come in.

I've been listening to the Bronco Bowl boot (1/14/89) and the Restless are doing a great job. Love the versions of "Don't Cry" and "Mr. Soul".

http://phildellio.tripod.com/neil19.jpg