Wow, that was amazing. I grew up on Neil Young and I've never heard anyone comb through a catalogue as vast as his with such pointed accuracy. In fact, every video that I've seen of yours has been deep and remarkably thorough . I don't know how you do it but please keep on keepin' on.
i love "angry world" off of "fork in the road" but have never heard the whole record. "captain kennedy" IS good. i didn't know it. i enjoyed "a letter home" but haven't reached for it since the 2nd listen. @@classicalbum
My Top 10: 1. On the Beach 2. Zuma 3. Rust Never Sleeps 4. After the Gold Rush 5. Comes a Time 6. Harvest 7. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere 8. Sleeps with Angels 9. Neil Young 1st Album 10. Tonight’s the Night
It was pretty depressing to realize how many of these albums I purchased, played once or twice, shelved, and have never listened to again. David Briggs is definitely missed.
That may be because Neil has not produced a decent album in roughly 25 years, so anything more recent is a POS, no matter what slavish fans and delusional critics might say.
I'm glad to see Ragged Glory so high. That's a great album. Only time I saw Neil Young and Crazy Horse live. Personally I think Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere should be top 3 but that's mho.
As a fan of Gold Rush and Harvest, and a much lesser fan of the rest, I think you did a remarkable analysis. The terms "churning them out" and "lo-fi" was spot on for the majority of his catalog, IMHO. The fact that you put yourself through this ordeal is very impressive. Nice job.
Monumental task to rate Uncle Neils catalogue...bravo! great job. I definitely would have Mirror Ball in his top 10 and agree that Psychedelic Pill is a latter day masterpiece.
That's a lot of listening! Another American channel, Tastes Like Music, (formerly known as Listogrophy) did a survey of Young's albums and one of the three guys said basically that after that experience he didn't want to hear another Neil Young album for probably another couple of years. Your listing is a fair and balanced one. I've loved Neil Young's writing since Buffalo Springfield, but I agree that in the last couple of decades, he really needed an edit function - and then a buff and a polish. Instead of 20 mediocre to bad albums he could have ten amazing ones. I think you're also correct that losing David Briggs as another set of ears he trusted was a big loss for Young. Excellent survey!
I love your reviews, always engaging and with a great sense of subtle humour. Easy to enjoy chilling with one of your long discography retrospectives. This one I was looking forward to and it delivered! Great work!
Did I miss "Time Fades Away"? Or was that not included because it was live? I'd have included it since it was all new material. Even though Neil apparently doesn't like it I think it's top 10.
I love Time Fades Away . What a punk move by Neil to spit on his extraordinary commercial success of Harvest by releasing a ragged , soulful , all new songs live album . Don't Be Denied , indeed !!
Excellent work. Neil is so frustrating but is truly one of the best of all when he is on form. What a mammoth task. I will be checking out some of the more recent ones on the back of this. Your top ten was pretty much perfect. Keep up the amazing work.
Your a brave man to take on that discography. .... well done 👏 Only comment from my side is that I would rank Trans a lot higher. It's certainly intriguing, risk-taking and has more than a few gems!
I never agreed with a commentator more. Brief as the assessments were he was articulate & accurate. I was never a huge Neil Young fan but I listened to his material & for me, the majority of his best material was early on. As time went by the first listen to new stuff dwindled. Neil saturates his output & seems oblivious to good marketing. These reviews were thorough, fair & well done. One suggestion for Neil from a former entertainment PR person -- don't alienate your audience if they pay for tickets & CDs. That's your livelihood & you're getting older. Play the music & leave the politics at home. You are a musician first, not a lecturer or a pundit. It's really rather simple.
This is an extremely difficult task to accomplish - well done! I'm surprised "Are You Passionate" ended up so low and the debut within the top 10. I remember, I liked "Are you Passionate" pretty much when it came out, but I must confess - didn't listen to it for some years. Some of my favorites are: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Zuma, On the Beach and from the later ones - Psychedelic Pill.
Well done sir ! A daunting task indeed. The run that he had from his debut album up to and including Zuma was remarkable. He had a lot of undeserved bad reviews for the post Harvest releases of Time Fades Away, On The Beach and Tonight's The Night. They were and still are right up there as some of his best.
Great list, I agree with most of it. It is interesting that some of the newer records that I haven't heard come up high. But one thing I strongly disagree with, "Are You Passionate" is actually a very good album. I've never understood why this gets dragged down the drain, it's in my top fifteen albums for sure.
I enjoyed your reviews of the albums, some I agree with, some I don't, but all in all I think you have a pretty good understanding of the artist and this was an enjoyable listen.
Funny thing: Neil Young is absolutely one of my favorite artists ever, but I’m pretty unfamiliar with a good chunk of his catalog. I’ve listened to some of it, but it it doesn’t stick in my head. I’m talking about a lot of the 80’s and newer stuff, I just don’t have the patience to weed through all the mediocre stuff to get to the good stuff. Now 60’s and 70’s Neil, that’s a whole other story…some of the greatest albums of all time, barely a misstep with any of those. His first album and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere are way higher for me than the rankings here…Nowhere is easily my #1, the debut might be my #2. Last Trip Tulsa is easily one of the greatest songs he ever wrote, look deeply into those (at face value) cryptic lyrics for the devastating meaning.
This review/analysis is better than about 2/3 of Neil Young's catalog. I own 7 of his records (2 are live), play them often, and think he's a genius. I have completely forgotten that most of these records exist (I'm 72) but loved listening to you dissect them. Bravo!
Great video/review, as always. Even with the misses and medicorities, Neil Young's catalogue and prolific output is astounding. Not even including the massive high quality material that was unreleased at the time.
Churns out a album in less time than it does us mere mortals to crimp out a turd ! Absolutely spot on . Great undertaking to tackle all his albums …..Well done 😎👍Cheers
The first Rutles album was recorded in 20 minutes; the second took even longer. On the Beach for me, an album I don’t think I will ever tire of revisiting.
I thought this was a great half hour run-down of Neil's exceptional career. I particularly enjoyed seeing the love given to Ragged Glory, which on certain days is my favorite NY album.
An excellent breakdown and ranking of Neil’s discography. Not an easy task considering the depth of it. And there are several of those I’m unfamiliar with but I’ve really grown to love that “ Mirrorball “ piece of 1995. A perfectly fitting collaboration with PJ. However like most, I do prefer his older material. So your top is tough to argue with. Thanks for the awesome review of this walking, living legend.
Yes, Mirror Ball with Pearl Jam was dope, what a killer album! Scenery is a devastating tune, Peace and Love & Through Your Hatred Down are also bangers.
Thank you for so much work! To put Trans over Landing on Water and This Notes for You is a suprise to say the least. The lovely Homegrown, the biographically important A journey through the past, the hypnotic Dead Man and the great Eldorado are missing. Time fades away is not a mere livealbum, for all the songs on it were new (similar to Rust never sleeps). In my opinion his best record, that has grown a lot over the years.
Brilliant work, Barry, with spot on descriptions, some very funny. Neil Young is my favourite artist and I found this very enjoyable and entertaining, thank you!
Awesome job, he was all over the map in a stellar career, but I so loved him with Crazy Horse, saw that combo a bunch of times, amongst the best jamming hard rock shows I ever saw. Great stuff and very nice list, about halfway through all those albums are worth a listen and many classic works. Another forever musician, Peace! 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
This was awesome! Thanks for taking on such a daunting task. Very succinct and thoughtful breakdown. I largely track with most of your evaluations, give or take a few titles, of course. And the dry wit always an added bonus. Love the channel 🤘🏼😎
Long time Neil fan here from canada. Very nice list. Great job. I’d have comes a time in the top ten somewhere as over the decades it gets played frequently. 🍻
Enjoyed that and I agree with most of your rankings except that I would rate “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere” much higher. I grew up with that album, “Goldrush”, “Harvest” and I love it - The Euphoiric “Cinnamon Girl”, the dark “Down By The River” and the wonderful meandering “Cowgirl In The Sand” are still some of his best songs. What a musician.
My top 10 in no particular order: Comes a Time, Harvest Moon, Freedom, After the Gold Rush, Ragged Glory, Harvest, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Zuma, On the Beach, Tonight's the Night. Honorable mention: Rust Never Sleeps, Prairie Wind, American Stars and Bars.
So glad you put On the Beach high up on the list. I remember hearing that as a 17 yo kid....blew me away then, still great now...mellow, haunting at times....so well written.
Good job on a tough assignment. Pretty much agree with the rankings at least for the albums I know. Though I would have put Harvest Moon up in the top ten however. Nice job!
Your comments on Landing on Water are spot on. So many 60s and 70s artist were trying to fit in with 80s productions. These albums often contain good songs but it's hard to listen to them. It reminded me of when these artist were trying disco in the late 70s It makes them look desperate I heard Neil perform some of the Landing tracks on concert with basic instruments and they were pretty damn good
A fair assessment of his catalog. I rate a things a bit different but that is purely down to personal taste. The top 15 are all worth listening to, and hte bottom 25 all have moments worth hearing. Neil is relentless. When he is gone we will have a wide catalog to revisit and admire.
Listening to 43 Neil Young albums critically sure sounds like work to me. And an exercise in patience and forbearance given his self righteousness. Although Time Fades Away was recorded live, it was an album of new songs and think it could’ve been included in the rankings. Tonight’s the Night is my fave. I would’ve ranked Everybody Knows higher, Harvest lower. I enjoyed the video and appreciate the time and effort put into it and will check out Psychedelic Pill. Cheers
Thank you for all these pointers! Never knew where to go with Neil Young after the well known ones. This makes me want to dig in again and your analysis here will really help guide to the good stuff.
Great list and comments, as always. Placing Hawks & Doves would be difficult for me: I absolutely love Side 1, and often skip Side 2. As an aside: I highly recommend Neil's Bottom Line 1974 concert (if you can track it down).
Nice job! That was a huge catalog to tackle. Always interesting to see your take on a catalog. Been a fan since the Buffalo Springfield days. All his albums are worthy of a listen, although as he’s aged, the quality of his output has declined imo. Still, when I put on a NY record I feel like I’m sitting with an old friend who has walked with me through almost all my life. He immediately makes me feel good, even listening to his mediocre albums.
New subscriber, and watched a few of the worst to best videos and they all been very interesting and informative. This one takes the cake though as Neil has been churning albums for decades and you knew all 43 studio albums. Great effort.👍
Great overview! I'm not a big Neil Young fan (especially his later stuff) but I certainly agree with your #1 pick. After The Gold Rush" is not just the best of Neil's albums, It's one of the best albums of all time in my opinion. "Birds" is so hauntingly beautiful. Sad, but beautiful.
Great video, I was a little surprised by the low placement of this note's for you however. I always thought it was much better than most of his other 80s output and I'd rank it closer to freedom and ragged glory.
I love all Neil's albums EXCEPT - Everybody's Rockin'. My top 10 - 10 - Sleeps With Angels 09 - Le Noise 08 - After The Goldrush 07 - Silver And Gold 06 - This Note's For You 05 - Rust Never Sleeps 04 - Prairie Wind 03 - Are You Passionate ? 02 - Broken Arrow 01 - Greendale Notable others - 11 - Harvest Moon 14 - Comes A Time 15 - Zuma 16 - On The Beach 18 - Harvest 22 - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere 24 - American Stars 'n Bars 27 - Tonight's The Night Note - I was too lazy to type out complete list
Well done. I can't comment on your rankings in their totality, as I have never undertaken the task of listening to Neil's complete catalog. I commend you for that achievement, as well. The brisk, concise, and inciteful performance is remarkable. (FWIW, my favorite Neil Young album is Rust Never Sleeps).
I agree with other comments that Time Fades Away should be considered. If you were to include it in your list, where would you rank it? Great list overall.
i had no idea he has so many freaking albums…i could always take or leave him, his voice grates on me and after two or three songs i’m usually done & i don’t think i’ve heard a note of anything he’s done past the 70’s (also his catalog is not available on Spotify so that doesn’t help). as usual though your video is interesting and very well done.
I don't agree with all of your rankings but I love your opinions nonetheless. You make me go back and listen to these albums again, and with that, I thank you. Love the channel.
Impressive job as always. I don’t agree on every point, but what fun would that be, lol. I do agree with the majority of your top 10 picks, though, not necessarily in that order, with my top 10 showing up all near the top of the list. You do the “album critic” thing better than so many before you imo.👨🏻
I must be an oddball.I thought if you like an artist, you buy all their albums.I know all of Neil's catalog.Same with Dylan, Stones, Beatles,Who,Kinks.It's been a bit brutal for Neil since mid '90's to present.I'd have to put This Notes For You a bit higher,and American Stars n Bars.Will To Love may be my favorite song of his.Good job taking the time to review these 43.The Ditch Trilogy are awesome.
How awesome is "Will to Love," along with its high energy counterpart "Like a Hurricane?" Adore "American Stars n Bars" - even the short, almost throwaway "Homegrown" is terrific.
I saw Neil with the international harvesters in 83. It was an awesome show. Did alot of acoustic country stuff then kicked into electric with an awesome lengthy Down bt the River.
Well done Barry. Great list if a tad harsh on some of my very favourite albums. Of coarse we all have different ears. Ragged Glory is my personal favourite but I absolutely love Mirror Ball. The one album that people are always surprised is in my top ten Young albums is This notes for you! I know, I can’t help it I just adore it and the double live album from it. Glad you like Psychedelic Pill though, when it was released I left it on the turntable for months.
I think Landing On Water is one of his best. That "sterile" production is just right for the claustrophobic feel. Play it very loud, on headphones, and the emotional content is huge. Interesting list though. My top 3 are in the top 10, which is a high degree of agreement really, but the main thing is you have something interesting to say about each album.
I enjoy This Notes...more than most. It might be because I saw Neil and the horns perform it live. There is an existing live album from that tour that is worth checking out.
Mirrorball... there's an EP which accompanies this album, called Merkinball. It's by Pearl Jam and Neil Young, only two songs but it has the brilliant I Got ID. with Neil doing lead guitar and Eddie Vedder doing rhythm guitar. I wonder if Pearl Jam ever does this live because it is so cool.
Neil Young is my all time favorite artist. My rankings are somewhat different then yours as is to be expected. I include Time Fades Away as well as the 3 lost albums: Homegrown, Toast, and Hitchhiker. I will have to update when Chrome Dreams comes out. Here is mine: 47. Storytone 45. Landing On Water 45. A Letter Home 44. Everyone's Rockin' 43. Monsanto Years 42. Americana 41. Are You Passionate? 40. Old Ways 39. Living With War 38. Life 37. Greendale 36. Hawks and Doves 35. Fork In the Road 34. The Visitor 33. Trans 32. Long May You Run 31. World Record 30. Hitchhiker 29. Barn 28. Prairie Wind 27. American Stars and Bars 26. This Note's For You 25. Silver and Gold 24. Peace Trail 23. Colorado 22. Re.ac.tor 21. Chrome Dreams II 20. Mirror Ball 19. Le Noise 18. Harvest Moon 17. Freedom 16. Comes A Time 15. Toast 14. Psychedelic Pill 13. Neil Young 12. Time Fades Away 11. Broken Arrow 10. Sleeps With Angels 9. Homegrown 8. Zuma 7. After the Gold Rush 6. Harvest 5. Everbody Knows This Is Nowhere 4. Ragged Glory 3. On the Beach 2. Rust Never Sleeps 1. Tonight's the Night
Enjoyed this rundown. There is a lot to digest here and a hundred reviewers would come up with a hundred different lists. I used to buy every release when they came out but then in the 00's I fell off the train after a few in a row that I didn't care for. I went to a concert where he played a lot of "Tonight's the Night" and it's about the only show I've left early at. I know lots of fans love it but it's just too dark and brooding for me. This coming from someone who quite liked "Sleeps With Angels", which you compared it to. I would have ranked "Harvest Moon" higher. I think it's a gorgeous album with a lot of well written songs. Agree with your assessment of "Chrome Dreams II" but "Ordinary People" is a killer track. I have a soft spot for "Old Ways" for personal reasons. My favorite track on that is "Misfits", which may be IMHO one of the weirdest songs he's ever released. Interesting that you rate several of his very recent releases pretty high. I've heard some of that material but will have to go back and listen more. Thank you for doing this!
I went to the theatres to see that Ted Demme film Heart of Gold in which Neil plays all of Prairie Wind. It's where my wife and I first heard the entire album together for the first time. To this day, it stands as one of the greatest theatre experiences I've ever had and the album holds a very special place within me.
Very good! Now I know where to start since I've never bought any of his albums before and didn't know where to go. Have you ever done a review of the albums of Elvis Costello?
Not played NY for while so this will be a listening task seeing I own 14 of the albums featured ( glad I own all 3 of your top 3, and further 3 in your top 10)
I'm impressed you could get through the entire oeuvre! We agree on much, but I love his first "ornate" album. I wish he had a few more of these approaches in his gigantic catalog. It's still the songs that make this enjoyable listening -- I don't feel they get overwhelmed by the backing. I guess I'm probably one of the few who also loves James Taylor's Apple album for the same reasons. The songs are strong regardless of all the filigrees attached to them!
Cool video. I broadly agree with your ranking, however i would have put Broken Arrow, Silver and Gold and Prairie Wind in my top 20. And On The Beach would be my No 1. Its interesting you have rated the latest 3 albums so high. I will have to give them another go to see if im missing something. Btw did you forget to mention Time Fades Away? Maybe i just missed that one. Anyways thanks, an interesting watch! Stuart
Whenever I play Southern Man (last track on After the goldrush), I find I can't be bothered listening to anything else. You've heard the best, forget the rest.
As I listened to your list, the tension grew. Would you get the number one right?? And my relief, you did! I bought that album as a 20-year-old and it had a huge impact. I agree with all of your top 10. But strangely your bottom two ranked albums I actually quite like, and occasionally play. As the Americans say "go figure"
Great list Barry. I like Broken Arrow more than you. I also quite enjoy Are You Passionate, although it’s over long and lacking variety. Brilliant top twenty. I would put Sleeps With Angels higher. I agree Colorado, Barn and Psychedelic Pill are all worth a listen, especially PP. Agree about Ramada Inn. Sometimes I think Tonight’s The Night is the greatest rock album of all time.
Brilliant hard to argue with any of your placings except for his latest crazy horse offerings. Only because I haven't given them much attention but I will now. Thank you
Great rundown of his massive discography. Not that it matters much but was Time Fades Away mentioned? Perhaps it is considered a live album. Once again a bang-up job
Great video, Barry!! I have to be honest... I have not heard a majority of his albums. I have "Harvest", "Harvest Moon" and "Silver & Gold" on vinyl, as well as "Decade" on CD, but sadly, that's it. It's not that I don't like Neil; the problem is that I like too many genres. I occasionally go down a huge Progressive Rock rabbit hole, and by the time I come up for air, many non-prog albums have passed me by. For a while I got heavily into Electronic Music (e.g., Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Tomita, Vangelis, and the like) and again... many great albums, and artists for that matter, passed me by. The good news is, I don't much care for too many contemporary bands, so I'm using this time of life to circle back and give the artists that passed me by, a completely new investigation. This has been far more rewarding than spending hours upon hours, week after week, trudging through heaping mounds of excremental refuge, only to 'potentially' find 1 album or 1 artist of any real excitement. It's very difficult, if not seemingly impossible, to get as excited for music coming out now vs. what was released back in our school-days... but I try. Neil is definitely someone that I used to really enjoy, and your ranking video (which I reproduced your order), will serve as an ideal guide to the sequence to which I will begin my new NY journey! Thanks, Barry!!!
I don't even like classic rock much but love your reviews, more of a punk guy. I always find them entertaining though and I've actually listened to a good few albums you have said are worth a listen ha.
Good video ... nice and snappy (too many ranking videos are far too long and lose the viewer) ... Neil's latter day material is pretty uninspiring ... but his catalogue has some wonderful / spectacular material in it ... Zuma near the top gets a big tick ... my "go to" for NY is actually Live Rust 'cause it brings so many classics together - albeit in a live setting ... love side 1 of Rust Never Sleeps + Powderfinger ... only quibble (for mr anyway) re list is that I have This Note's For You as another "go to" ... just works for me ... the live shows with the Blue Notes are a blast ... Thanks again ... CMcG, Aberdeen, Scotland
For me, Trans is a top-10 Neil album, and Silver & Gold is in my top 5. That's what I love about artists like Neil who have huge catalogs. One thing's for sure: I gotta check out some of those more recent Neil albums that you've ranked pretty highly here. 'Barn,' for one, sounds intriguing -- I've never heard that one!
A summary of his archive releases plus his collaborations (e.g. Noise & Flowers and International Harvesters) and film soundtracks, such as Paradox would be interesting. I love albums such as Live at Massey Hall.
I had the good fortune to see Neil Young and Crazy Horse three times during the 70's; the 'mini' Zuma Tour he did after touring Japan, and both of the Rust Never Sleeps shows at the LA Forum (before the album came out!). All rank near the top of my concert-going experiences. Your top 5 albums are exactly the same as mine, though like you, Zuma is often at #1.
Wow, that was amazing. I grew up on Neil Young and I've never heard anyone comb through a catalogue as vast as his with such pointed accuracy. In fact, every video that I've seen of yours has been deep and remarkably thorough . I don't know how you do it but please keep on keepin' on.
Wow, thank you!... I'm just a bit obsessed with music
@@classicalbumLol aren’t we all! Probably why we vibe with your work so well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us
i love "angry world" off of "fork in the road" but have never heard the whole record. "captain kennedy" IS good. i didn't know it. i enjoyed "a letter home" but haven't reached for it since the 2nd listen. @@classicalbum
My Top 10:
1. On the Beach
2. Zuma
3. Rust Never Sleeps
4. After the Gold Rush
5. Comes a Time
6. Harvest
7. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
8. Sleeps with Angels
9. Neil Young 1st Album
10. Tonight’s the Night
Good list. I was quite pleased that most of the NY albums I randomly bought back in the 90s and 00s were in the top half of this video's rankings.
Excellent, my limey friend. You rock and rule the album reviews. 😊
Glad you like them!
It was pretty depressing to realize how many of these albums I purchased, played once or twice, shelved, and have never listened to again. David Briggs is definitely missed.
That may be because Neil has not produced a decent album in roughly 25 years, so anything more recent is a POS, no matter what slavish fans and delusional critics might say.
I'm glad to see Ragged Glory so high. That's a great album. Only time I saw Neil Young and Crazy Horse live. Personally I think Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere should be top 3 but that's mho.
As a fan of Gold Rush and Harvest, and a much lesser fan of the rest, I think you did a remarkable analysis. The terms "churning them out" and "lo-fi" was spot on for the majority of his catalog, IMHO. The fact that you put yourself through this ordeal is very impressive. Nice job.
Monumental task to rate Uncle Neils catalogue...bravo! great job. I definitely would have Mirror Ball in his top 10 and agree that Psychedelic Pill is a latter day masterpiece.
That's a lot of listening! Another American channel, Tastes Like Music, (formerly known as Listogrophy) did a survey of Young's albums and one of the three guys said basically that after that experience he didn't want to hear another Neil Young album for probably another couple of years.
Your listing is a fair and balanced one. I've loved Neil Young's writing since Buffalo Springfield, but I agree that in the last couple of decades, he really needed an edit function - and then a buff and a polish. Instead of 20 mediocre to bad albums he could have ten amazing ones. I think you're also correct that losing David Briggs as another set of ears he trusted was a big loss for Young.
Excellent survey!
Sleeps With Angels is an underrated classic!
I like that he just keeps doing different stuff and has given us a giant catalog of whatever he wants. Keep cranking em out Neil.
I love your reviews, always engaging and with a great sense of subtle humour. Easy to enjoy chilling with one of your long discography retrospectives. This one I was looking forward to and it delivered! Great work!
Did I miss "Time Fades Away"? Or was that not included because it was live? I'd have included it since it was all new material. Even though Neil apparently doesn't like it I think it's top 10.
I love Time Fades Away . What a punk move by Neil to spit on his extraordinary commercial success of Harvest by releasing a ragged , soulful , all new songs live album . Don't Be Denied , indeed !!
Time Fades Away would be in my top five Neil Young albums!
Excellent work. Neil is so frustrating but is truly one of the best of all when he is on form. What a mammoth task. I will be checking out some of the more recent ones on the back of this. Your top ten was pretty much perfect. Keep up the amazing work.
Neil the Legend! Huge fan here! Cheers from Canada great video as always
Thanks for watching!
Your a brave man to take on that discography. .... well done 👏
Only comment from my side is that I would rank Trans a lot higher. It's certainly intriguing, risk-taking and has more than a few gems!
I never agreed with a commentator more. Brief as the assessments were he was articulate & accurate.
I was never a huge Neil Young fan but I listened to his material & for me, the majority of his best material was early on. As time went by the first listen to new stuff dwindled.
Neil saturates his output & seems oblivious to good marketing. These reviews were thorough, fair & well done.
One suggestion for Neil from a former entertainment PR person -- don't alienate your audience if they pay for tickets & CDs. That's your livelihood & you're getting older. Play the music & leave the politics at home. You are a musician first, not a lecturer or a pundit. It's really rather simple.
So glad that ‘After The Gold Rush’ made number 1. Loved this album since it first came out.
This is an extremely difficult task to accomplish - well done! I'm surprised "Are You Passionate" ended up so low and the debut within the top 10. I remember, I liked "Are you Passionate" pretty much when it came out, but I must confess - didn't listen to it for some years. Some of my favorites are: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Zuma, On the Beach and from the later ones - Psychedelic Pill.
Well done sir ! A daunting task indeed. The run that he had from his debut album up to and including Zuma was remarkable. He had a lot of undeserved bad reviews for the post Harvest releases of Time Fades Away, On The Beach and Tonight's The Night. They were and still are right up there as some of his best.
Thanks for listening
Great list, I agree with most of it. It is interesting that some of the newer records that I haven't heard come up high. But one thing I strongly disagree with, "Are You Passionate" is actually a very good album. I've never understood why this gets dragged down the drain, it's in my top fifteen albums for sure.
I enjoyed your reviews of the albums, some I agree with, some I don't, but all in all I think you have a pretty good understanding of the artist and this was an enjoyable listen.
I appreciate that!
Funny thing: Neil Young is absolutely one of my favorite artists ever, but I’m pretty unfamiliar with a good chunk of his catalog. I’ve listened to some of it, but it it doesn’t stick in my head. I’m talking about a lot of the 80’s and newer stuff, I just don’t have the patience to weed through all the mediocre stuff to get to the good stuff. Now 60’s and 70’s Neil, that’s a whole other story…some of the greatest albums of all time, barely a misstep with any of those. His first album and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere are way higher for me than the rankings here…Nowhere is easily my #1, the debut might be my #2. Last Trip Tulsa is easily one of the greatest songs he ever wrote, look deeply into those (at face value) cryptic lyrics for the devastating meaning.
This review/analysis is better than about 2/3 of Neil Young's catalog. I own 7 of his records (2 are live), play them often, and think he's a genius. I have completely forgotten that most of these records exist (I'm 72) but loved listening to you dissect them. Bravo!
Great video/review, as always.
Even with the misses and medicorities,
Neil Young's catalogue and prolific output is astounding.
Not even including the massive high quality material that was unreleased at the time.
Churns out a album in less time than it does us mere mortals to crimp out a turd ! Absolutely spot on . Great undertaking to tackle all his albums …..Well done 😎👍Cheers
The first Rutles album was recorded in 20 minutes; the second took even longer.
On the Beach for me, an album I don’t think I will ever tire of revisiting.
What a legend you are for doing this in just half an hour while still saying something meaningful about each record.
Thank you.
I thought this was a great half hour run-down of Neil's exceptional career. I particularly enjoyed seeing the love given to Ragged Glory, which on certain days is my favorite NY album.
Agree - that's a great album. My Top 5 is After the Goldrush, Harvest, Rust Never Sleeps, Freedom and Ragged Glory in no particular order.
I love "Time Fades Away" so much. Great list. Thx
Glad you enjoyed!
An excellent breakdown and ranking of Neil’s discography. Not an easy task considering the depth of it.
And there are several of those I’m unfamiliar with but I’ve really grown to love that “ Mirrorball “ piece of 1995. A perfectly fitting collaboration with PJ. However like most, I do prefer his older material. So your top is tough to argue with. Thanks for the awesome review of this walking, living legend.
Yes, Mirror Ball with Pearl Jam was dope, what a killer album! Scenery is a devastating tune, Peace and Love & Through Your Hatred Down are also bangers.
@@vicprovost2561 it ought to be classified as a classic album, but is massively overlooked.
Great rundown of Mr Young's studio albums. My Top 5:
1) On the Beach
2) After the Goldrush
3) Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
4) Harvest
5) Zuma
Thank you for so much work! To put Trans over Landing on Water and This Notes for You is a suprise to say the least. The lovely Homegrown, the biographically important A journey through the past, the hypnotic Dead Man and the great Eldorado are missing. Time fades away is not a mere livealbum, for all the songs on it were new (similar to Rust never sleeps). In my opinion his best record, that has grown a lot over the years.
My opinion on Trans has shifted over the years, I like it now. It's really his only 80s album (except Freedom of course) that I listen to.
Brilliant work, Barry, with spot on descriptions, some very funny. Neil Young is my favourite artist and I found this very enjoyable and entertaining, thank you!
Awesome job, he was all over the map in a stellar career, but I so loved him with Crazy Horse, saw that combo a bunch of times, amongst the best jamming hard rock shows I ever saw. Great stuff and very nice list, about halfway through all those albums are worth a listen and many classic works. Another forever musician, Peace! 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
This was awesome! Thanks for taking on such a daunting task. Very succinct and thoughtful breakdown. I largely track with most of your evaluations, give or take a few titles, of course. And the dry wit always an added bonus. Love the channel 🤘🏼😎
On the beach,rust never sleeps,zuma,tonight’s the night,harvest. My top 5
Long time Neil fan here from canada. Very nice list. Great job. I’d have comes a time in the top ten somewhere as over the decades it gets played frequently. 🍻
A brave effort. Neil’s guitar tones on ‘are you passionate’ are wonderful, just turn it up a bit
Enjoyed that and I agree with most of your rankings except that I would rate “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere” much higher. I grew up with that album, “Goldrush”, “Harvest” and I love it - The Euphoiric “Cinnamon Girl”, the dark “Down By The River” and the wonderful meandering “Cowgirl In The Sand” are still some of his best songs. What a musician.
My top 10 in no particular order: Comes a Time, Harvest Moon, Freedom, After the Gold Rush, Ragged Glory, Harvest, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Zuma, On the Beach, Tonight's the Night. Honorable mention: Rust Never Sleeps, Prairie Wind, American Stars and Bars.
So glad you put On the Beach high up on the list. I remember hearing that as a 17 yo kid....blew me away then, still great now...mellow, haunting at times....so well written.
It's so good!
Whole album is fantastic but side two is my all time fave. So beautifully melancholy. Great cover photo too.
Good job on a tough assignment. Pretty much agree with the rankings at least for the albums I know. Though I would have put Harvest Moon up in the top ten however. Nice job!
Hello, good countdown amd a beautiful Grateful Dead shirt!
Your comments on Landing on Water are spot on. So many 60s and 70s artist were trying to fit in with 80s productions. These albums often contain good songs but it's hard to listen to them.
It reminded me of when these artist were trying disco in the late 70s
It makes them look desperate
I heard Neil perform some of the Landing tracks on concert with basic instruments and they were pretty damn good
Amazing video. Great work as usual. I missed the album covers for an easy identification of some albums I’m not so familiar with.
A fair assessment of his catalog. I rate a things a bit different but that is purely down to personal taste. The top 15 are all worth listening to, and hte bottom 25 all have moments worth hearing. Neil is relentless. When he is gone we will have a wide catalog to revisit and admire.
Listening to 43 Neil Young albums critically sure sounds like work to me. And an exercise in patience and forbearance given his self righteousness. Although Time Fades Away was recorded live, it was an album of new songs and think it could’ve been included in the rankings. Tonight’s the Night is my fave. I would’ve ranked Everybody Knows higher, Harvest lower. I enjoyed the video and appreciate the time and effort put into it and will check out Psychedelic Pill. Cheers
I included Time Fades Away but not Long May You Run. And Time Fades Away was one of the very, very best.
Excellent undertaking. I'd move Sleeps with Angels into the Top 5, though.
Wish we’d gotten a full length follow up of Neil backed up by Rosas and Cromwell. I think El Dorado is A++++
Thank you for all these pointers! Never knew where to go with Neil Young after the well known ones. This makes me want to dig in again and your analysis here will really help guide to the good stuff.
Great list and comments, as always. Placing Hawks & Doves would be difficult for me: I absolutely love Side 1, and often skip Side 2. As an aside: I highly recommend Neil's Bottom Line 1974 concert (if you can track it down).
Nice job! That was a huge catalog to tackle. Always interesting to see your take on a catalog. Been a fan since the Buffalo Springfield days. All his albums are worthy of a listen, although as he’s aged, the quality of his output has declined imo. Still, when I put on a NY record I feel like I’m sitting with an old friend who has walked with me through almost all my life. He immediately makes me feel good, even listening to his mediocre albums.
New subscriber, and watched a few of the worst to best videos and they all been very interesting and informative. This one takes the cake though as Neil has been churning albums for decades and you knew all 43 studio albums. Great effort.👍
Great overview! I'm not a big Neil Young fan (especially his later stuff) but I certainly agree with your #1 pick. After The Gold Rush" is not just the best of Neil's albums, It's one of the best albums of all time in my opinion. "Birds" is so hauntingly beautiful. Sad, but beautiful.
Zappa put Goldrush in his top 5 albums of all time!!
It was very vindicating to learn that :)
Great video, I was a little surprised by the low placement of this note's for you however. I always thought it was much better than most of his other 80s output and I'd rank it closer to freedom and ragged glory.
I love all Neil's albums EXCEPT - Everybody's Rockin'. My top 10 -
10 - Sleeps With Angels
09 - Le Noise
08 - After The Goldrush
07 - Silver And Gold
06 - This Note's For You
05 - Rust Never Sleeps
04 - Prairie Wind
03 - Are You Passionate ?
02 - Broken Arrow
01 - Greendale
Notable others -
11 - Harvest Moon
14 - Comes A Time
15 - Zuma
16 - On The Beach
18 - Harvest
22 - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
24 - American Stars 'n Bars
27 - Tonight's The Night
Note - I was too lazy to type out complete list
Well done. I can't comment on your rankings in their totality, as I have never undertaken the task of listening to Neil's complete catalog. I commend you for that achievement, as well. The brisk, concise, and inciteful performance is remarkable. (FWIW, my favorite Neil Young album is Rust Never Sleeps).
I agree with other comments that Time Fades Away should be considered. If you were to include it in your list, where would you rank it? Great list overall.
i had no idea he has so many freaking albums…i could always take or leave him, his voice grates on me and after two or three songs i’m usually done & i don’t think i’ve heard a note of anything he’s done past the 70’s (also his catalog is not available on Spotify so that doesn’t help). as usual though your video is interesting and very well done.
I don't agree with all of your rankings but I love your opinions nonetheless. You make me go back and listen to these albums again, and with that, I thank you. Love the channel.
Impressive job as always. I don’t agree on every point, but what fun would that be, lol. I do agree with the majority of your top 10 picks, though, not necessarily in that order, with my top 10 showing up all near the top of the list. You do the “album critic” thing better than so many before you imo.👨🏻
I must be an oddball.I thought if you like an artist, you buy all their albums.I know all of Neil's catalog.Same with Dylan, Stones, Beatles,Who,Kinks.It's been a bit brutal for Neil since mid '90's to present.I'd have to put This Notes For You a bit higher,and American Stars n Bars.Will To Love may be my favorite song of his.Good job taking the time to review these 43.The Ditch Trilogy are awesome.
How awesome is "Will to Love," along with its high energy counterpart "Like a Hurricane?" Adore "American Stars n Bars" - even the short, almost throwaway "Homegrown" is terrific.
I saw Neil with the international harvesters in 83. It was an awesome show. Did alot of acoustic country stuff then kicked into electric with an awesome lengthy Down bt the River.
We saw it too. Chicago suburb - outdoor venue called Poplar Creek. Afer an itermission, came out with the Shocking Pinks bit. That was a surprise.
Well done Barry. Great list if a tad harsh on some of my very favourite albums. Of coarse we all have different ears. Ragged Glory is my personal favourite but I absolutely love Mirror Ball. The one album that people are always surprised is in my top ten Young albums is This notes for you! I know, I can’t help it I just adore it and the double live album from it. Glad you like Psychedelic Pill though, when it was released I left it on the turntable for months.
I think Landing On Water is one of his best. That "sterile" production is just right for the claustrophobic feel. Play it very loud, on headphones, and the emotional content is huge.
Interesting list though. My top 3 are in the top 10, which is a high degree of agreement really, but the main thing is you have something interesting to say about each album.
But the drums…
@@jmdavison62 I know what you mean, but it works for me.
I enjoy This Notes...more than most. It might be because I saw Neil and the horns perform it live. There is an existing live album from that tour that is worth checking out.
Great overview. I have finally took a chance on Trans after avoiding it for years.
Great video. Thanks, Barry.
Very welcome
Mirrorball... there's an EP which accompanies this album, called Merkinball. It's by Pearl Jam and Neil Young, only two songs but it has the brilliant I Got ID. with Neil doing lead guitar and Eddie Vedder doing rhythm guitar. I wonder if Pearl Jam ever does this live because it is so cool.
Neil Young is my all time favorite artist. My rankings are somewhat different then yours as is to be expected. I include Time Fades Away as well as the 3 lost albums: Homegrown, Toast, and Hitchhiker. I will have to update when Chrome Dreams comes out.
Here is mine:
47. Storytone
45. Landing On Water
45. A Letter Home
44. Everyone's Rockin'
43. Monsanto Years
42. Americana
41. Are You Passionate?
40. Old Ways
39. Living With War
38. Life
37. Greendale
36. Hawks and Doves
35. Fork In the Road
34. The Visitor
33. Trans
32. Long May You Run
31. World Record
30. Hitchhiker
29. Barn
28. Prairie Wind
27. American Stars and Bars
26. This Note's For You
25. Silver and Gold
24. Peace Trail
23. Colorado
22. Re.ac.tor
21. Chrome Dreams II
20. Mirror Ball
19. Le Noise
18. Harvest Moon
17. Freedom
16. Comes A Time
15. Toast
14. Psychedelic Pill
13. Neil Young
12. Time Fades Away
11. Broken Arrow
10. Sleeps With Angels
9. Homegrown
8. Zuma
7. After the Gold Rush
6. Harvest
5. Everbody Knows This Is Nowhere
4. Ragged Glory
3. On the Beach
2. Rust Never Sleeps
1. Tonight's the Night
Neil! Love the man
Enjoyed this rundown. There is a lot to digest here and a hundred reviewers would come up with a hundred different lists. I used to buy every release when they came out but then in the 00's I fell off the train after a few in a row that I didn't care for. I went to a concert where he played a lot of "Tonight's the Night" and it's about the only show I've left early at. I know lots of fans love it but it's just too dark and brooding for me. This coming from someone who quite liked "Sleeps With Angels", which you compared it to. I would have ranked "Harvest Moon" higher. I think it's a gorgeous album with a lot of well written songs. Agree with your assessment of "Chrome Dreams II" but "Ordinary People" is a killer track. I have a soft spot for "Old Ways" for personal reasons. My favorite track on that is "Misfits", which may be IMHO one of the weirdest songs he's ever released. Interesting that you rate several of his very recent releases pretty high. I've heard some of that material but will have to go back and listen more. Thank you for doing this!
I went to the theatres to see that Ted Demme film Heart of Gold in which Neil plays all of Prairie Wind. It's where my wife and I first heard the entire album together for the first time. To this day, it stands as one of the greatest theatre experiences I've ever had and the album holds a very special place within me.
Very good! Now I know where to start since I've never bought any of his albums before and didn't know where to go. Have you ever done a review of the albums of Elvis Costello?
Not played NY for while so this will be a listening task seeing I own 14 of the albums featured ( glad I own all 3 of your top 3, and further 3 in your top 10)
I agree whole heartedly with your rankings. Very nice work!!
I'm impressed you could get through the entire oeuvre! We agree on much, but I love his first "ornate" album. I wish he had a few more of these approaches in his gigantic catalog. It's still the songs that make this enjoyable listening -- I don't feel they get overwhelmed by the backing. I guess I'm probably one of the few who also loves James Taylor's Apple album for the same reasons. The songs are strong regardless of all the filigrees attached to them!
Cool video. I broadly agree with your ranking, however i would have put Broken Arrow, Silver and Gold and Prairie Wind in my top 20. And On The Beach would be my No 1.
Its interesting you have rated the latest 3 albums so high. I will have to give them another go to see if im missing something. Btw did you forget to mention Time Fades Away? Maybe i just missed that one.
Anyways thanks, an interesting watch!
Stuart
Whenever I play Southern Man (last track on After the goldrush), I find I can't be bothered listening to anything else. You've heard the best, forget the rest.
Rust never sleeps my pick.Such a raw sound on the electric side.Hey hey reminds me a bit of Rory Gallagers "Bad Penny" in its pure rawness of guitar.
As I listened to your list, the tension grew. Would you get the number one right?? And my relief, you did! I bought that album as a 20-year-old and it had a huge impact. I agree with all of your top 10. But strangely your bottom two ranked albums I actually quite like, and occasionally play. As the Americans say "go figure"
Great list Barry. I like Broken Arrow more than you. I also quite enjoy Are You Passionate, although it’s over long and lacking variety.
Brilliant top twenty. I would put Sleeps With Angels higher. I agree Colorado, Barn and Psychedelic Pill are all worth a listen, especially PP. Agree about Ramada Inn.
Sometimes I think Tonight’s The Night is the greatest rock album of all time.
I have Broken Arrow on tape and find it ok as long as you don't analyse it too much.
A solid ranking, but I put "Everybodys Rockin' " in my top 5 lol. I'm surprised you included Rust Never Sleeps but not Time Fades Away.
Brilliant hard to argue with any of your placings except for his latest crazy horse offerings. Only because I haven't given them much attention but I will now. Thank you
Great rundown of his massive discography. Not that it matters much but was Time Fades Away mentioned? Perhaps it is considered a live album. Once again a bang-up job
That couldn't have been easy to complete! Thank you!
You're welcome!
Great video, Barry!! I have to be honest... I have not heard a majority of his albums. I have "Harvest", "Harvest Moon" and "Silver & Gold" on vinyl, as well as "Decade" on CD, but sadly, that's it. It's not that I don't like Neil; the problem is that I like too many genres. I occasionally go down a huge Progressive Rock rabbit hole, and by the time I come up for air, many non-prog albums have passed me by. For a while I got heavily into Electronic Music (e.g., Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Tomita, Vangelis, and the like) and again... many great albums, and artists for that matter, passed me by. The good news is, I don't much care for too many contemporary bands, so I'm using this time of life to circle back and give the artists that passed me by, a completely new investigation. This has been far more rewarding than spending hours upon hours, week after week, trudging through heaping mounds of excremental refuge, only to 'potentially' find 1 album or 1 artist of any real excitement. It's very difficult, if not seemingly impossible, to get as excited for music coming out now vs. what was released back in our school-days... but I try. Neil is definitely someone that I used to really enjoy, and your ranking video (which I reproduced your order), will serve as an ideal guide to the sequence to which I will begin my new NY journey! Thanks, Barry!!!
Terrific capsule summaries. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Curious why you omitted Time Fades Away? It's live, but as with Rust Never Sleeps, it;s all previously unreleased songs.
Haha about "Everybody's Rocking". Geffen complained he wanted a Neil Young album and he got one? Bought for a quid from Woolies in Lowestoft.
Excellent work, loved this video. But hell no, Ragged Glory is surely #1 😅
I don't even like classic rock much but love your reviews, more of a punk guy. I always find them entertaining though and I've actually listened to a good few albums you have said are worth a listen ha.
Good video ... nice and snappy (too many ranking videos are far too long and lose the viewer) ... Neil's latter day material is pretty uninspiring ... but his catalogue has some wonderful / spectacular material in it ... Zuma near the top gets a big tick ... my "go to" for NY is actually Live Rust 'cause it brings so many classics together - albeit in a live setting ... love side 1 of Rust Never Sleeps + Powderfinger ... only quibble (for mr anyway) re list is that I have This Note's For You as another "go to" ... just works for me ... the live shows with the Blue Notes are a blast ... Thanks again ... CMcG, Aberdeen, Scotland
Well done! I would move Greendale & This Notes for You in the Top 20. Same albums in the Top 5. Slightly different order, but that changes weekly!
For me, Trans is a top-10 Neil album, and Silver & Gold is in my top 5. That's what I love about artists like Neil who have huge catalogs. One thing's for sure: I gotta check out some of those more recent Neil albums that you've ranked pretty highly here. 'Barn,' for one, sounds intriguing -- I've never heard that one!
Ranking Neil Young's studio discography?! The word "stamina" comes to mind 🙂 I really enjoyed 'Mirror Ball' btw.
A summary of his archive releases plus his collaborations (e.g. Noise & Flowers and International Harvesters) and film soundtracks, such as Paradox would be interesting. I love albums such as Live at Massey Hall.
I would have put ZUMA and MIRROR BALL higher in the ranking. But it's always great to hear about all these great records ! Thanks!
I had the good fortune to see Neil Young and Crazy Horse three times during the 70's; the 'mini' Zuma Tour he did after touring Japan, and both of the Rust Never Sleeps shows at the LA Forum (before the album came out!). All rank near the top of my concert-going experiences. Your top 5 albums are exactly the same as mine, though like you, Zuma is often at #1.
Thanks for that very interesting critique and hats off for tackling such a body of work 👏
No worries!
Great video!