Neil Young News: Neil Young's Top 20 Obscure Songs

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Friday, July 06, 2012

Neil Young's Top 20 Obscure Songs | Rolling Stone

Neil Young ~1982
Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns
(Click photo to enlarge)

Up for some Neil obscurity?

From Playlist: Neil Young's Top 20 Obscure Songs | Rolling Stone by Andy Greene:

These songs were all released after his golden period of 1966-1978, and we also excluded material from his three late 1980s/early 1990s comeback albums (Freedom, Ragged Glory and Harvest Moon.)

Some good calls in the list that makes you want to over and click play on Spotify.

Neil Young's Top 20 Obscure Songs

But what about:

I've Been Waiting For You
Motion Pictures
Lookout Joe
Deep Forbidden Lake
Through My Sails
Star Of Bethlehem
Will To Love
Already One
The Old Homestead
Rapid Transit
Hold On To Your Love
My Boy
Drifter
Prisoners of Rock 'N' Roll
Hangin' On A Limb
Days That Used To Be
Safeway Cart
Scattered (Let's Think About Livin')
Horseshoe Man
Here For You

What are your Neil Young obscure favorites?

(Thanks Matt!)

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29 Comments:

At 7/06/2012 09:29:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Here are ten that I like:

The Old Country Waltz
Fountainbleau
Lost In Space
Hawks And Doves
Like An Inca
Computer Cowboy
Someday
Differently
Without Rings
This Town

Syscrusher
At 7/06/2012 09:46:00 PM, no one said...: Great fun... Question is, do we stick to the terms of the article, meaning everything pre1978 is automatically excluded, as well as anything from Freedom, Ragged Glory, and Harvest Moon?
Are we talking about officially released recordings only? (otherwise we'll get into this whole "whatabout the 1976 Portland performance of ..."
Anyway
Depression Blues (maybe the warmest vocal Neil has ever recorded)
Change Your Mind (odd that with all the hoopla surrounding the connection between Cobain and Sleeps With Angels thatvI've never heard this song referred to as a direct response to someone contemplating suicide)
Without looking up dates, I would add or agree with:
Don't be Denied
Revolution Blues.
Tired Eyes
Borrowed Tune
Will to Love****
Computer Age
Weight of the World
.... Ok a bunch of others esp. I'm the Ocean.

This is the kind of topic that I would expect a thousand respectful comments.
At 7/06/2012 10:03:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: No one, sounds like you've been around town. Were you a radio dj?? Im a country girl so I really lille Lady Wingshot ...
At 7/06/2012 10:10:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Hands down, Albuquerque. I can listen to it back to back, anytime!

oneofeleventhousand
At 7/06/2012 10:22:00 PM, no one said...: MNOT- I love Lady Wingshot. I love a number of songs that I''ve heard unofficially. I'm making an effort to be less abrasive, so I'm asking Thrasher if he has any desire to define the terms of what should be a very educational and entertaining conversation.
On a related note and in reference to your comment, I wonder if anyone would be interested in a conversation about who we really are? I've wondered for years whether it makes any difference if comments come from a 14 year old kid with a good vocabulary (Hello, Cameron Crowe) or from a retired businessman with a Jones for rock and roll . Thrasher used to ask nasty new omers for their "bona fides" and I thought it was stupid, but I've been wrong before...
At 7/06/2012 11:28:00 PM, july archives said...: A couple i like to this day are "give me strenght" and "welcome to the big room "
there are others i,m sure
At 7/07/2012 12:42:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: I love that someone is taking the time to lift these songs out of obscurity. I watched What's Eating Gilbert Grape again and can't imagine any of those characters falling into obscurity. Each one is so endearing. Just like each one of Neil's songs.
At 7/07/2012 01:49:00 AM, La Johnson said...: Some should be left in obscurity, did I say a couple of songs from Life? stop it!
At 7/07/2012 08:28:00 AM, Unknown said...: Don't Be Denied!
At 7/07/2012 10:56:00 AM, The Zuma Band said...: "Opera Star"!

"Let It Shine", done like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oPZZP0f3FY
At 7/07/2012 11:01:00 AM, The Zuma Band said...: Oh, and "River Of Pride" from the first Chrome Dreams. I prefer it to "White Line."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aaoi1_P8qY8
At 7/07/2012 12:57:00 PM, Anonymous said...: War Song
Pushed It Over The end
Traces
Hold Back The Tears (CHROME DREAMS version)
Winterlong
So Tired
Sweet Joni
Too Far Gone (1976 version)
Sea Of Madness
Love Art Blues
Hawaiian Sunrise
Sad Movies
Homefires
Evening Coconut
Come Along Say You Will
Deep Forbidden Lake
You Never Call

... So those are some that I consider as crucial as anything NY has ever officially released.

PEACE

-- Eric
At 7/07/2012 05:36:00 PM, SONY said...: Sell-Out
At 7/07/2012 06:00:00 PM, Anonymous said...: When I'm in a somber mood I'll put these songs each individually on repeat for my entire 40 minute journey to work:little wing,w/o rings,will to love,great divide and music arcade
At 7/07/2012 06:05:00 PM, Anonymous said...: "dont spook the horse"
At 7/07/2012 06:14:00 PM, Anonymous said...: ALBUQUERQUE
LITTLE WING
BIG TIME
At 7/07/2012 07:48:00 PM, mshare said...: Ok I'll play! I'll keep 10 and replace 10.

Keep:
Southern Pacific
Mideast Vacation
I'm The Ocean
Slip Away
Razor Love
Bandit
Be the Rain
It's a Dream
Ordinary People
Walk With Me

Add:
Shots
Lost In Space
When Your Lonely Heart Breaks
Change Your Mind
Train of Love
Act of Love
What Happened Yesterday/Fallen Angel
Silver and Gold
Falling From Above
Hitchhiker
At 7/07/2012 08:41:00 PM, SONY said...: We Never Danced
At 7/07/2012 09:34:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Well-well, my-my:

Piece of crap: It`s the video that ends all videos! Miraculous.

Malte, Germany
At 7/08/2012 10:34:00 AM, wardo said...: The original list only included things post-RNS, so my comments were these:

I'd include "The Old Homestead", which was released in 1980 tho' recorded earlier. Also "Long Walk Home" from Life, "Driveby" from Sleeps With Angels and "Music Arcade" from Broken Arrow. Now for some nitpicking:
- There's only one 't' in "re-ac-tor".
- "Sample And Hold" was only five minutes long on the original LP.
- I'm not so sure "Mideast Vacation" should be taken literally.
- "Mirror Ball" is two words, unless you're Sarah McLachlan.
- Even though Poncho doesn't play on Greendale, he was still part of the sessions and the tour, so it is a Crazy Horse album.
- "Ordinary People" was not written for This Note's For You; rather, it was written after it was released.
- Plus some grammatical things, but I'll let you find those.
(And you can read more about Neil at the Everybody's Dummy blog.)
At 7/08/2012 11:05:00 AM, MSA said...: Following the guidelines, therefore starting with Re*act*tor and exluding the three albums outlined. Sticking to studio releases so leaving off live (Unplugged, A Treasure, ect..). In no particular order:

1) Travel On (Americana)
2) Ordinary People (CD II)
3) Dirty Old Man (CD II)
4) Payola Blues (Ev. Rockin')
5) Cocaine Eyes (Eldorado)
6) Fork in the Road (FITR)
7) Falling from Above (GDale)
8) Leave the Driving (GDale)
9) Bandit (GDale)
10) Hippie Dream (Landing on H2O)
11) Love and War (LeNoise)
12) Peaceful Valley Blvd (LeNoise)
13) Mideast Vacation (Life)
14) Prisoners of Rock & Roll (Life)
15) Restless Consumer (LWW)
16) Downtown (Mirrorball)
17) Get Back 2 Country (Old Ways)
18) Cal Sunset (Old Ways)
19) It's A Dream (Prarie Wind)
20) The Painter (Prarie Wind)
21) Opera Star (Re*act*tor)
22) Southern Pacific (Re*act*tor)
23) Motor City (Re*act*tor)
24) Rapid Transit (Re*act*tor)
25) Buffalo Spring Again (S&G)
26) Razor Love (S&G)
27) Sleeps with Angels (SWA)
28) This Note's 4 U (TN4U)
29) Computer Cowboy (Trans)
30) Music Arcade (Broken Arrow)

OK, I cheated and listed 30, but there was a ton I left off!
At 7/08/2012 11:21:00 AM, Thrasher Wheat said...: Thanks to all for suggestions.

Kinda funny how much obscure greatness there is. In a way much, of the greatness is obscure.

@Wardo - good stuff. OP post TNFY? hmm. maybe most folks consider it to be TNFY material is that NY performed it live on tour?

@MSA - sometimes cheating, while not recommended, is necessary... ;)
At 7/08/2012 01:13:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Review of Americana from the blog Sonic Abuse :

Neil Young is a remarkably prolific songwriter, an icon, a genuine artist and voice of dissent whose musical output means more to more people than it is comfortable to contemplate. His musical journeys of the last decade have seen him traverse the broad spectrum of rock ‘n’ roll, inspiring and alienating in equal measure and cheerfully providing him with all the ammunition they could ever need only to discover that Neil himself is indestructible. Impervious to criticism for the reason that the only person Neil ever tries to please with his music is himself, the joy of a Neil Young album is in revelling in the man’s utter freedom from commercial constraints. Sure you may not love everything Neil’s done, but you’ll be hard pressed to accuse him of treading water. Here Neil has rekindled the fire he last forged with Crazy Horse some nine years ago, and for many long-time fans it feels like a homecoming. Intelligent, deferential to the originals and yet simultaneously recasting them in its own unique style, ‘Americana’ is a brilliantly raw, passionate and exciting album that satisfies on every level – it is a sublime rock ‘n’ roll achievement and po-faced critics be damned, Neil’s rocking out with the horse again: rejoice!
At 7/08/2012 01:16:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: No question here about the volume of the Neil's work out there and waiting to be re-discovered.

What a joy it must be to come upon these treasures and hear it new!
At 7/09/2012 03:10:00 AM, BIGCHIEF said...: Two songs that are always a joy for me to hear from the 2001 era Crazy Horse Tour seeings how were not sticking to any chronological order. 'Gateway Of Love' and 'Standing In The Light Of Love'. Always played live back to back. Never made it onto an LP but great songs just the same.
At 7/09/2012 09:55:00 AM, Unknown said...: My alltime favourite obscure song still remains Will to love.A briljant jem.
At 7/09/2012 10:15:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: Through My Sails... since we're on the topic of CSN& sometimes Y
At 7/09/2012 11:05:00 AM, peter d. said...: Yeah. Mellow Neil:

Deep Forbidden Lake (many thanks, Ben!)
There's A World
Will to Love
Soldier
Winterlong (best popsong ever written?)
Peace of Mind
Stringman
Bandit
I Believe In You
Birds
It's A Dream
Razor Love
Interstate
Eldorado
Pardon My Heart
Albuquerque
Tired Eyes
Light A Candle
Through My Sails
You Never Call
Love And War
At 7/09/2012 10:16:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: The Way is a great song...

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