A World of Constant Strangers: The Neil Young Results Thread

Many thanks to Clemenza and his brilliant images. There will always be a place for this poll in the Deep Forbidden Lake of my heart.

When the first shot hit the dock, I saw it comin'

hmm always heard this as DOG, not dock - which seems more tragic somehow

Also, I don't think I would consider "Powderfinger" one of NY's "epics" -- I mean, it's under 6 minutes and doesn't have a giant-ass solo section or anything. "Cortez" is in that epic style, as are the obvious "Cowgirl" and "DBTR" but I think of "Powderfinger" as a story song more than anything else.

Neither "Cortez" nor "Powderfinger" ever did much for me, didn't vote for either, but someone must like them and evidently Neil does since those are concert staples. OTOH am I the only vote for "You and Me"? (that was "our song" for, well, someone I really liked and me).

Thx for the great poll and great images Clemenza!

And yes, awesome job all around, Clemenza!

Exemplary roll-out, clemenza. Bar raised.

fabulous job!

Seriously, I didn't "get" "Powderfinger" for the LONGEST time, but it crept up on me over time and once it hit me, it revealed itself to be just the perfect song. It really is SO simple that it could sneak by if you let it.

xposts to Ismael

Powderfinger is 6 minutes that feel like 10. Great lyrics, but slog, slog, slog.

Powderfinger would have been a fantastic Skynyrd song.

That was the idea; supposedly Van Zant was up for recording it.

The line goes on to mean something else, but "think of me as one you'd never figured" is pretty definitive as a career statement.

That's why it's the epigraph to Shakey! :)

Clemenza, this entire thing, from your original post to the screencaps to the post-mortems which haven't even happened yet, has been welcoming, challenging, informative and fun. Not enough superlatives. Thanks.

Neil has routinely stretched that song over the 6 minute mark live - I totally consider it in the same class as Like a Hurricane, Down by the River, Cowgirl, Cortez, etc.

xp

Yeah, high fives Clemenza, great poll.

Thanks. I sat down this morning and checked point totals for 16 albums. These were the Top 10:

1. After the Gold Rush (1970) -- 11 songs/1,861 points
2. On the Beach (1974) -- 8/1,729
3. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969) -- 7/1,607
4. Rust Never Sleeps (1979) -- 9/1,598
5. Tonight's the Night (1975) -- 11/1,414
6. Harvest (1972) -- 9/1,390
7. Zuma (1975) -- 9/1,155
8. Time Fades Away (1973) -- 8/766
9. American Stars 'n Bars (1977) -- 7/699
10. Freedom (1989) -- 10/652

Really impressive: from Everybody through Zuma, the only song not get a vote was "There's a World."

ah, I'd often wondered about Skynyrd/"Powderfinger"......they might have been too funky to play it right, though!

I had 'Powderfinger' at #20 - as with cwkiii it was one that suddenly hit me as being great relatively recently, wouldn't ever have guessed it would be #1 but it's a fine choice.

The poll overall has been great, thanks so much clemenza.

Fun poll, not surprised by the winner, mine was unranked but powder finger is about everything good about neil in one song

I should get away from this chair for a bit...Feel free to start posting your own lists; here's mine. I'll post a summary of the Top 75 later on.

1. “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” – 25
2. “Cinnamon Girl” – 23
3. “Cowgirl in the Sand” – 21
4. “Ambulance Blues” – 20
5. “Country Girl” – 20
6. “Tell Me Why” – 20
7. “Cortez the Killer” – 17
8. “Sugar Mountain” – 15
9. “Till the Morning Comes” – 15
10. “Ocean Girl” – 15
11. “Barstool Blues” – 12
12. “After the Gold Rush” – 9
13. “Bad Fog of Loneliness” – 9
14. “Cripple Creek Fairy” – 9
15. “Journey Through the Past” – 9
16. “Helpless” – 8
17. “Roll Another Number” – 7
18. “Love in Mind” – 6
19. “Over and Over” – 6
20. “The Emperor of Wyoming” – 6
21. “Albuquerque” – 6
22. “Ohio” – 6
23. “Tired Eyes” – 6
24. “Scenery” – 5
25. “A Man Needs a Maid” – 5
26. “Sea of Madness” – 5
27. “Are You Ready for Country” – 5
28. “The Loner” – 5
29. “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” (Saint Etienne) – 5
30. “Wonderin’” – 5
31. “Comes a Time” – 5
32. “Down by the River” – 5
33. “Soldier” – 5
34. “Prisoners of Rock ‘N’ Roll” – 5
35. “Slowly Burning” – 5
36. “There Goes My Babe” – 5
37. “Hangin’ On a Limb” – 5
38. “It’s My Time” – 5
39. “Out of My Mind” – 5
40. “Pocahontas” – 5

1. Stringman – 30 pts
2. Homegrown – 26 pts
3. Transformer Man – 23 pts
4. Too Far Gone – 19 pts
5. Rockin’ in the Free World – 17 pts
6. Long May You Run – 16 pts
7. This Note’s For You – 15 pts
8. Yonder Stands the Sinner – 14 pts
9. L.A. – 13 pts
10. Lookout Joe -12 pts
11. White Line – 11 pts
12. Crime in the City – 10 pts
13. Bite the Bullet – 9 pts
14. Roll Another Number (For the Road) – 8pts
15. Come Along and Say You Will – 7 pts
16. Dead Man soundtrack – organ solo – 6 pts
17. Oh, Lonesome Me – 5 pts
18. I Believe in You – 4 pts
19. The Loner – 3 pts
20. Lookin’ for a Love – 2 pts

Really pissed my number 1 didn't place at all. FUCK YOU GUYS

"Stringman"! I forgot about it!

Great poll, great rollout -- thanks, clemenza!

Late cut for me shakey....btw your ballot really goes against the canon!

hm! i actually cut powderfinger at the last minute. didn't think it'd be the winner, though!
this is great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTV6QB3btQs

here's my unranked ballot

Helpless
Razor Love
Down by the River
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Cortez the Killer
Expecting to Fly
The Old Laughing Lady
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Birds
Time Fades Away

Don't Be Denied
See The Sky About To Rain
Motion Pictures
Ambulance Blues
Tired Eyes
Albuquerque
Don't Cry No Tears
Barstool Blues
Will To Love
Pocahontas

Sedan Delivery
Surfer Joe And Moe The Sleaze
Transformer Man
Cocaine Eyes
Country Home
Crime In The City
Give Me Strength
Harvest Moon
Pushed It Over The End
Danger Bird

Cowgirl in the Sand
Too Far Gone
Little Wing
Speakin’ Out
Revolution Blues
Mellow My Mind
Old Man
Through My Sails
Safeway Cart
No One Seems To Know

Here is mine, recommend everyone check out a live "Pushed It Over The End" if you can.

1. Down By The River
2. After The Gold Rush
3. Revolution Blues
4. Ambulance Blues
5. Don’t Cry No Tears
6. Walk On
7. Out On The Weekend
8. Pushed It Over The End
9. Star of Bethlehem
10. Cinnamon Girl
11. Only Love Can Break Your Heart
12. Danger Bird
13. Barstool Blues
14. Harvest
15. Harvest Moon
16. The Needle And The Damage Done
17. Round And Round
18. Pardon My Heart
19. Comes A Time
20. Sugar Mountain
21. Tell Me Why
22. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
23. Don’t Let It Bring You Down
24. Mellow My Mind
25. Powderfinger
26. Pocahontas
27. For The Turnstiles
28. Don’t Be Denied
29. Lotta Love
30. Sedan Delivery
31. Bad Fog Of Loneliness
32. Broken Arrow
33. Cortez The Killer
34. Motion Pictures
35. A Man Needs A Maid
36. Give Me Strength
37. Old Man
38. Down To The Wire
39. War Song
40. Home On The Range

Surprised only one song from Ragged Glory made it...anyway...

1. When You Dance I Can Really Love
2. Don't Cry
3. Barstool Blues
4. After the Gold Rush
5. Mr. Soul
6. Everybody Knows this is Nowhere
7. Come On Baby, Let's Go Downtown
8. Tonight's the Night part 1
9. Cinnamon Girl
10. Down By the River
11. Country Home
12. Ohio
13. Guitar Solo No. 5
14. Eldorado
15. Cortez the Killer
16. Don't Let it Bring you Down
17. Mellow My Mind
18. Over and Over
19. Cocaine Eyes
20. Arc
21. Love and Only Love
22. Pocahontas
23. Lookout Joe
24. Heavy Love
25. Time Fades Away
26. Borrowed Tune
27. Rockin' in the Free World
28. Thrasher
29. Down to the Wire
30. Big Time
31. Don't Cry No Tears
32. Thrasher
33. Lookin' for a Love
34. Last Dance
35. Love and War
36. Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero part 1)
37. Walk On
38. Sedan Delivery
39. Powderfinger
40. Hangin' on a Limb

I had Stringman!

1. Winterlong

2. Love Art Blues

3. Ambulance Blues

4. Pocahontas

5. Powderfinger

6. Cinnamon Girl

7. Barstool Blues

8. I’m The Ocean

9. The Needle and the Damage Done

10. Revolution Blues

11. Hey Hey My My (Into the Black)

12. Thrasher

13. On The Way Home

14. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

15. I Believe in You

16. Traces

17. Harvest

18. Heart of Gold

19. Soldier

20. Sleeps With Angels

21. Tired Eyes

22. On The Beach

23. Like a Hurricane

24. Stringman

25. Burned

26. Cocaine Eyes

27. Philadelphia

28. Time Fades Away

29. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

30. Love In Mind

31. Cripple Creek Ferry

32. Down By The River

33. Birds

34. Cowgirl in the Sand

35. Pushed It Over the End

36. Albuquerque

37. See the Sky About to Rain

38. I’ve Been Waiting for You

39. Don’t Let It Bring You Down

40. Deep Forbidden Lake

and my next 10, which didn't count for the poll, but what the hell:

41. Love Is a Rose

42. Don’t Be Denied

43. Ohio

44. Cortez the Killer

45. My Heart

46. Expecting to Fly

47. Shots

48. Old Ways (specifically the live version from the Shocking Pinks tour with the awesome backing vocals and just Neil on guitar -- SHIT SMOKES!!!)

49. Kinda Fonda Wanda (same as above...)

50. Journey Through the Past

1. Welfare Mothers
2. Sedan Delivery
3. Winterlong
4. Ambulance Blues
5. Cocaine Eyes
6. When You Dance I Can Really Love
7. I’m The Ocean
8. Like an Inca
9. Lookin’ for a Love
10 Over and Over
11. Drive Back
12. Round and Round
13. Thrasher
14. Fuckin’ Up
15. Drive By
16. Don’t Cry
17. Hippie Dream
18. Love in Mind
19. Comes A Time
20. Wrecking Ball
21. Don’t Be Denied
22. Everyone Knows This is Nowhere
23. Barstool Blues
24. Powderfinger
25. Campaigner
26. Goin’ Back
27. Safeway Cart
28. No More
29. Don’t Cry No Tears
30. On The Beach

Late cut for me shakey....btw your ballot really goes against the canon!

well I figured this was going to be a poll that got a LOT of votes, and the canonical stuff was gonna get covered no matter what - so I went the strategic voting route and voted for stuff I thought would be underrepresented or could use additional points. just to make things innaresting

although I could totally make an argument that Stringman is genuinely his best/my favorite song - structurally, melodically and lyrically it's a real beauty

All unranked. Made the list:

Ambulance Blues
Don't Be Denied
Don't Cry No Tears
I Believe in You
Look Out for My Love
Lookout Joe
Powderfinger
Sedan Delivery
Tell Me Why

missed out:

Beautiful Bluebird
Change Your Mind
Down to the Wire
Flying On the Ground Is Wrong
Little Wing
One of These Days
Organ Solo (Dead Man)
Razor Love
Roger and Out
Southern Pacific
Wonderin'

yeahhh, so nothing from sleeps with angels made it?

I had two unreleased cuts on mine... who else voted for anything that isn't out officially anywhere?

*raises hand*

Come Along And Say You Will

yeah i had No One Seems To Know, Give Me Strength and Pushed It Over The End

I debated long and hard about which outtake to include from yr Sad Movies comp, tyler

Down by the River -- 30
Walk On -- 25
Only Love Can Break Your Heart -- 20
Burned -- 15
Cowgirl in the Sand -- 15
Ohio -- 15
Like a Hurricane -- 15
Rockin in the Free World -- 10
After the Gold Rush --10
Powderfinger -- 10
The Needle and the Damage Done -- 10
Winterlong -- 10
Cinnamon Girl -- 10
Hey Hey My My (Into the Black) -- 10
Sedan Delivery -- 10
On the Beach -- 10
Southern Man -- 10
Mr. Soul -- 5
Thrasher -- 5
Moving Pictures -- 5
Welfare Mothers -- 5
Don't Let It Bring You Down -- 5
Long May You Run --5
Heart of Gold --5
Sugar Mountain -- 5
The Loner -- 5
Helpless -- 5
Wrecking Ball -- 5
See the Sky About to Rain -- 5
Revolution Blues -- 5

Pushed It Over The End is actually released though, on a 12" single (!)

haha, yeah i guess so -- like an italian only CSNY thing?

My points were as follows:

25. On The Beach
21. I'm The Ocean
19. Time Fades Away
17. Song X
15. Natural Beauty
12. Will To Love
12. Silver & Gold
12. Through My Sails
11. Revolution Blues
10. Words - Between The Lines Of Age
10. Alabama
 9. Love And War
 9. Southern Man
 9. Cowgirl In The Sand
 8. Last Dance
 8. My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)
 8. Crime In The City
 7. Ohio
 7. Rockin' In The Free World
 7. Love In Mind
 6. Like A Hurricane
 6. Fontainebleau
 6. Tell Me Why
 5. Goin' Back
 5. Midnight On The Bay
 5. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
 4. Human Highway
 4. Sample & Hold
 4. Don't Let It Bring You Down
 4. Computer Age
 4. Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)
 4. A Man Needs A Maid
 4. New Mama
 4. Surfer Joe & Moe the Sleazebag
 4. Hawks & Doves
 4. Weight Of The World
 4. When I Hold You In My Arms
 4. Bandit
 4. Southern Pacific
 4. High-Flying Bird

Bold didn't place, though I can't remember exactly and may have made an error or two.

Alfred I'm glad that despite our differences on the ax epics, we can agree on "Wrecking Ball."

haha, yeah i guess so -- like an italian only CSNY thing?

― tylerw

Yep, on a one-sided 12" in an Italian box set. I'd bet it's gonna turn up on Archives II though, or the long-rumored live CSNY 1974 set.

1. Powderfinger 30
The Needle and the Damage Done 25
Tonight’s The Night 18
I’m The Ocean 17
Down By The River 15
Walk On 10
Tell Me Why 10
Pocahontas 10
Barstool Blues 10
Ordinary People 10
Ambulance Blues 8
Heart Of Gold 8
My My, Hey Hey (Out Of the Blue) 8
Thrasher 8
Tired Eyes 8
After The Gold Rush 8
Sugar Mountain 8
Helpless 8
Lookout Joe 8
Lookin’ For A Love 8
Look Out For My Love 8
Come On Baby Let’s Go Downtown 8
Big Time 8
Goin’ Home 8
Rockin’ In The Free World 8
Sedan Delivery 5
Cinnamon Girl 5
Don’t Be Denied 5
Too Far Gone 5
30. Trans Am 5

Thanks clemenza!

30 - Will to Love
30 - Ambulance Blues
30 - On the Beach
15 - Powderfinger
15 - Pocahontas
10 - Expecting to Fly
10 - Sugar Mountain
10 - Cortez the Killer
10 - Tired Eyes
10 - Albuquerque
10 - Old Man
10 - Heart of Gold
10 - Down by the River
10 - Tell Me Why
10 - Look Out for my love
10 - I Believe in You
5 - I Am a Child
5 - Ohio
5 - Peaceful Valley Boulevard
5 - Revolution Blues
5 - After the Gold Rush
5 - Barstool Blues
5 - Don't Cry No Tears
5 - From Hank to Hendrix
5 - Natural Beauty
5 - Words
5 - Out on the Weekend
5 - Like a Hurricane
5 - Cinnamon Girl
5 - Everybody Knows this is Nowhere

^ a good ballot

14 each for the first 10, 8 for the next 20.

Crime and the City
After the Goldrush (kd Lang)
Heart of Gold
Transformer Man
My Heart
My My, Hey Hey
Ambulance Blues
Only Love Can Break Your Heart (St Etienne)
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Philadelphia

Out on the Weekend
Helpless
After The Goldrush
Needle and the Damage Done
Harvest Moon
Pocahontas
Sleeps With Angels
Birds
This Note's For You
Wrecking Ball (Emmylou Harris)
Unknown Legend
Walk With Me
Like a Hurricane
Will to Love
A Man Needs A Maid (with the LSO)
Harvest
It's A Dream
When I Hold You In My Arms
Mr Soul
Rockin' In The Free World

Must admit to feeling a little bit guilty about voting for St Etienne, but it's such a perfect cover version and personally is indelibly tied to the Freedom/Ragged Glory era when I first got into NY.

all of these ballots are good