People of my age / They don’t do the things I do / They go somewhere / While I run away with you
Neil Young – I’m the ocean (1995)
When an old rocker is lucky enough to reach his 60th birthday alive and healthy, he is usually already retired on a sunny Southern California ranch, far from the noise and stress of any music activity. Some of them make a temporary return to record a new anthology or greatest hits, or even to begin a short tour, relying on an always loyal audience. Only a selected group seems to find the strength, spirit and inspiration to keep composing original, high quality albums; and be the reference for hundreds of younger artists.
Neil Young: Neil Young (1968)
After a series of doubtful albums that culminate in the critically panned “Are you passionate?” (2002), it seemed that Neil Young was finally far from his peak. But then Young surprised the music world realising the epic “Greendale” (2003), musically interesting and conceptually admirable: emulating the best Steinbeck, Young invents an entire town in his loved California, and, focusing in the Green family, embraces values such as Freedom, Peace and Ecology, ideas that he has been defended since the late sixties. To complete this particular revival, in 2005 Young delighted his fans with the excellent “Prairie wind”, with no doubt his best work of the last 10 years, an album that gave us back the essential Young of “Harvest” (1972) or “Harvest Moon” (1992)
Looking back, Young’s musical opus, even with its obvious ups and downs, looks admirable and full of highlights. From that young musician who left Buffalo Springfield at only 22 to release his first album, “Neil Young” (1968) to the venerable veteran of “Prairie wind”, more than 40 albums form an amazing and essential discography, unreachable for almost any active musician.
In the early 70s, Young released two top-quality albums that catapulted him to the stardom of the folk-rock world: “After the gold rush” (1970) already possessed all the main elements that characterize Young’s particular universe: complex, suggestive verses with smart pints of surrealism, a brilliant musical accompaniment, and Young’s unmistakable nasal voice. Nevertheless, the success of this album can not be compared with “Harvest” (1971), released the following year, and considered by many (although not by me) as his masterwork. This album included the wonderful single “Heart of Gold” , which gave Young his first nº 1 in the USA .
Neil Young: On the beach (1974)
“On the beach” (1974) is, despite the apparent calmness of its songs and even of its cover, the nearest Young was to compose a “damned” album. After many years of addictions and excesses, Neil released what the magazine Rolling Stone described as one of the most desperate albums of all time. This is evident in lyrics as those from “Vampire blues” , “Ambulance blues” , and, above all, “See the sky about to rain”. To add to this particular “curse”, the album was not released on CD until 2003.
Next year, Young released another of his unquestionable masterworks: “Zuma” (1975) is perhaps the best balanced and paradigmatical work by Young, featuring wonderful, rhythmic songs as “Don’t cry no tears”, furious electric guitars in “Danger bird”, or a merciless critic to Spanish colonialism in “Cortez the killer”. A fabulous, more electric version was included in the live album “Weld” (1991)
Neil Young: Zuma (1975)
Young did not release an album of this quality (or even superior) until the magnificent, supreme “Rust never sleeps” (1979), a work structured in two different sides: an acoustic first side, featuring masterworks such as “Thrasher”, “Pocahontas”, or the acoustic side of “My, my; hey, hey (out of the blue)”, while a furiously electric second side includes “Powderfinger”, “Welfare Mothers” and concludes with the epic “Hey, hey; my, my (into the black)”, arguably Young’s strongest masterwork and one of the all-time peaks of the rock music. The album is an extraordinary crescendo that features all the elements that characterize Young’s best works, together with implicit or explicit references to the collapse of CSNY (“Thrasher”) the British punk boom, or the validity of rock n’ roll (“Hey, hey; my, my”) After this album Young began a long tour that concluded with the live album “Live Rust” (1979).
Neil Young: Ragged Glory (1990)
The hangover of such titanic effort was not positive for Young, who in the early 80s began an evident collapse that lasted until the end of that decade. Albums as “Re-ac-tor” (1981) “Trans” (1982) or “Landing on water” (1986), while featuring some interesting songs, made some fans and critics believe that Young’s artistic end was very near. However, “This note’s for you” (1988), a not very ambitious but musically interesting album, and the EP “Eldorado” (1989) showed traces of the genius, already admired by post-punk bands like Pixies or Pearl Jam
With the sensational “Freedom” (1989) Young reached one of his biggest achievements. Repeating the structure acoustic-electric sides shown on “Rust never sleeps”, Young gave us the beauty of “Someday” or “Hangin’ on a limb” the surrealism of “Eldorado” (already released on the EP with the same name) and even a quite cool version of the famous “On Broadway”. But over all of them, the successful and politically committed “Rockin’ in the free World”, in both versions: acoustic and electric.
Young was not satisfied with that, and the following year he released “Ragged Glory” (1990), another furiously extraordinary album, featuring masterworks as “Mansion on the hill”, “F***** up”, or “Love to burn”. It looked like if Neil Young, contemplating the success of the post-punk or the apparition of grunge, wanted to send an explicit message to the new generations, something like “beware kids cause I’m still the fucking boss”, and of course he does. Personally, I cannot understand those critics who don’t consider this album as one of his masterworks. In my opinion, it forms, along with “Harvest”, “Zuma”, “Rust never sleeps”, and “Freedom”, the essential pentagram of Young.
Neil Young: Harvest Moon (1992)
Neil Young was still experimenting in the early 90s, releasing albums as interesting as “Harvest Moon” (1992), which represents a momentary return to his origins in folk music (though it is also true that this origins were never fully forgotten) with songs as “From Hank to Hendrix”, the interesting and pessimist “Sleeps with angels” (1994) or the brave “Mirrorball” (1995) in which the young band Pearl Jam accompanies the Canadian music. This album includes the fabulous “I’m the ocean”, without a doubt the best song by Young from the last 15 years.
Being conscious of the risks that such a subjective decision entails, theArtWolf has humbly selected ten songs that, in our opinion, represent the most prominent of the majestic Neil Young’s discography.
After the gold rush (album: “After the gold rush”, 1970)
An end that is also the beginning. Searching his own identity after the CSNY rush with the full moon in his eyes. A piano marks the way. Flying Mother Nature’s silver seed to a new home in the sun. Young’s universe begins here.
Heart of gold (album: “Harvest”, 1972)
Golden folk. The song that best describes the complex and permanent search for love underlying in every Young’s theme. I’ve been a miner for a Heart of Gold. It’s harvest time, the field is now ready. And I’m getting old.
The Needle and the Damage Done (album: “Harvest”, 1972)
You can feel the pain in this song. An ode for friends gone too soon. Ooh, ooh, the damage done…
Winterlong (album: “Decade”, 1977)
The Indian summer is gone. Orange sky, northern wind. The first snowflakes. Wonderful invocation to the Great Winter that Black Francis and his Pixies admired 15 years later.
Like a hurricane (album: “American Stars ‘n’ bars”, 1977)
Sometimes a single verse says it all: I am just a dreamer, but you are just a dream. Desperate, devastating. Like a hurricane. Young composes this electric marvel in a quite irregular album.
Hey, hey; my, my (into the black) (album: “Rust never sleeps”, 1979)
Electroshock. An electric storm (over)charged with a ferocious and merciless vitalism: It’s better to burn out than to fade away (do you agree, Cobain?) The Indian Warrior running prairies and plurichord canyons. Crazy Horse rides on his side, unchained, runaway.
Neil Young in Ottawa, Canada, 2006 – Photo by Adrian M. Buss
Thrasher (album: “Rust never sleeps”, 1979)
Lyrically, this is Young at his very best. The literal and the metaphoric hiding its identities behind hay bales and shrine. The definitive confirmation of his own identity, a praise to individuality: they were just deadweight to me . Dinosaurs -CSNY- stuck in canyons, eagles raising. I’ll know the time has come to give what’s mine…
Rockin’ in the free world (album: “Freedom”, 1989)
On the road again. The 80s were not a golden age for Young, but he came back with the fabulous Freedom (1989). Furious and politically committed, Neil proves that he has still a long way to go. Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive…
Mansion on the hill (album: “Ragged Glory”, 1990)
Yeah, Rage and Glory. Old rocker of chrome and gasoline. His words were kind, but his eyes were wild. A highway to the sun, a rocky road. A mansion on the hill.
I’m the ocean (album: “Mirrorball”, 1995)
Young chose Pearl Jam’s fresh sap to compose a supreme, epic, almost monotone song. Like the ocean. Like the giant undertow. Although the work exudes electricity, the permanent demand of his own identity and individuality relates it with “Thrasher” or” After the gold rush”. Tremendous.
If these ten songs are not enough (surely they are not) let’s select a few others songs, although I guess that if I continue in this way I am risky to put here every Neil Young song (which would be probably fairer!)
Cinnamon girl (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
Are you ready for the country? (Harvest, 1972)
See the sky about to rain (On the beach, 1974)
Tonight’s the night (Tonight’s the night, 1975)
Don’t cry no tears (Zuma, 1975)
Cortez the killer (Zuma, 1975)
Powderfinger (Rust never sleeps, 1979)
Pocahontas (Rust never sleeps, 1979)
This note’s for you (This note’s for you, 1988)
Eldorado (Freedom, 1989)
F***** up (Ragged Glory, 1990)
From Hank to Hendrix (Harvest Moon, 1992)
Western hero (Sleeps with angels, 1994)
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Neil Young – The Rust and the Glory
una retrospectiva de Neil Young por theArtWolf
THE RUST AND THE GLORY Una retrospectiva de Neil Young, por G. Fernández – theartwolf.com
People of my age / They don’t do the things I do / They go somewhere / While I run away with you
La gente de mi edad / No hacen lo que yo hago / Se marchan a otra parte / Mientras que yo escapo contigo
Neil Young – I’m the ocean (1995)
Cuando un rockero tiene la suerte de llegar vivo y sano a los 60 años, lo más normal es que haga ya tiempo que haya recogido sus bártulos y se haya retirado a un tranquilo rancho en la soleada California. Algunos, más valientes -o tal vez más necesitados de dinero- pueden regresar momentáneamente para lanzar un nuevo recopilatorio o incluso una breve gira ayudados por un público que siempre le será fiel. Sólo unos pocos parecen encontrar la fuerza, el ánimo y la inspiración como para seguir componiendo álbumes originales y de admirable calidad y seguir siendo la referencia citada por docenas de artistas más jóvenes.
Neil Young: Neil Young (1968)
Tras una serie de discos dubitativos, que culminaron en el criticado Are you passionate? (2002) parecía que a Neil Young le había llegado definitivamente la hora de jubilarse a un retiro dorado. Pero para sorpresa de casi todos, al año siguiente el canadiense sacaba al mercado el epopéyico Greendale (2003), musicalmente interesante y conceptualmente admirable: emulando al mejor Steinbeck, Young se inventa un pueblo entero en su querida California, y desde el punto de vista de la familia Green da rienda suelta a los valores de libertad, paz y ecología de los que lleva haciendo gala desde finales de los 60. Para completar este particular redivivo , en 2005 Young premiaba a sus fans con el excelente Prairie Wind, sin duda lo mejor del canadiense en los últimos 10 años, un álbum que nos devuelve a aquel Young esencial del Harvest (1972) o el Harvest Moon (1992)
Echando la vista atrás, la carrera de Young, aún con sus evidentes altibajos, se nos presenta como admirable y llena de momentos cumbres. Desde aquel joven que abandonara Buffalo Springfield con apenas 22 años para publicar su primer disco en solitario, Neil Young (1968), hasta la venerable veteranía del ya comentado Prairie wind , más de 40 álbumes forman una discografía de culto casi sin parangón entre los músicos aún en activo.
A comienzos de los 70, Young publicaría dos discos de calidad extraordinaria que le catapultarían al estrellato en el mundo del folk-rock: After the gold rush (1970) ya reunía en sí los principales elementos del mundo younguiano que lo caracterizarían en el futuro: versos brillantes, sugerentes y con dosis de surrealismo; un acompañamiento musical sutil y acertado, y la personalísima voz nasal de Young sobre todo ello. Con todo, el éxito de este álbum no puede compararse con el del Harvest (1971), publicado al año siguiente, considerado por muchos (no por mí) como su obra maestra. En él se incluía el bellísimo sencillo Heart of Gold , con el que el canadiense alcanzaría el nº 1 en las listas de los Estados Unidos.
Neil Young: On the beach (1974)
On the beach (1974) es, pese a la aparente placidez de sus temas e incluso de su portada, lo más cercano que Young ha estado de componer un disco “maldito”. Tras años de oscuras adicciones y excesos, Neil publica lo que la revista Rolling Stone calificó como uno de los discos más desesperados de todos los tiempos. Letras como las de Vampire blues , Ambulace blues , y, sobre todo, See the sky about to rain , así lo demuestran. Para completar esta peculiar maldición , anotar que el disco estuvo descatalogado durante décadas, y no fue editado en formato digital hasta el año 2003.
Al año siguiente Young publicaría otra de sus indiscutibles obras maestras: Zuma (1975) es quizás el disco más equilibrado y paradigmático del canadiense, que incluía bellísimos y rítmicos temas acústicos como Don’t cry no tears , furiosa electricidad en Danger bird , o una despiadada crítica al colonialismo español en Cortez the killer , en el que califica a Hernán Cortés como asesino . Una fabulosa versión más eléctrica de este tema se incluyó en el directo Weld (1991)
Neil Young: Zuma (1975)
Young no lograría una obra cumbre similar (incluso superior) hasta el supremo Rust never sleeps (1979), disco que se estructuraba en dos partes bien diferenciadas: una primera parte acústica, que incluía obras maestras como Thrasher , Pocahontas , o la mitad acústica My, my; hey, hey (out of the blue) y una segunda parte rabiosamente eléctrica con Powderfinger , Welfare Mothers y que concluía con la épica, furiosa, despiadada Hey, hey; my, my (into the black) , obra maestra de Young y una de las cumbres del rock de todos los tiempos. El álbum forma en sí un crescendo extraordinario, en el que se da cabida a todos los elementos del peculiar universo del canadiense, junto a referencias, explícitas o implícitas, al fin de CSNY ( Thrasher ) al boom del punk británico, o a la vigencia del rock n’ roll ( Hey, hey; my, my ) Con este disco, Young comenzó una extensa gira que concluiría con el directo Live Rust (1979)
Neil Young: Ragged Glory (1990)
La resaca de tan titánico esfuerzo no sentó bien a Young, que comenzaría en los 80 una evidente cuesta abajo que duraría hasta el final de década. Discos como Re-ac-tor (1981) Trans (1982) o Landing on water (1986), si bien con temas muy dignos de ser escuchados, hacía presagiar un final prematuro de un músico por entonces ya respetado por los nuevos grupos post-punk como Pixies o Pearl Jam. No obstante, el This note’s for you (1988), disco poco ambicioso pero musicalmente muy acertado, y el sencillo Eldorado (1989) ya anunciaban una vuelta del genio que se haría realidad poco después.
Con el sensacional Freedom (1989) Young alcanzaría otra de sus cotas cumbres. Repitiendo la estructura acústica-eléctrica del Rust never sleeps, Young nos regala la belleza de Someday o Hangin’ on a limb , el surrealismo de Eldorado (ya incluído en el sencillo con el mismo nombre) y versionea con acierto la famosa On Broadway . Pero sobre todas ellas, destaca la comprometida y exitosa Rockin’ in the free World , tanto en su versión acústica como eléctrica.
Young no se conformaría con eso, y al año siguiente publicaría Ragged Glory (1990), otro disco rabiosamente extraordinario, que incluía obras maestras como Mansion on the hill , F***** up, o Love to burn . Parece como si Young, presenciando el éxito del post-punk o la eclosión del grunge quisiera lanzar un mensaje a las nuevas generaciones, algo así como cuidado chavales que sigo siendo el puto amo y desde luego que lo consigue. Personalmente, no comprendo a los críticos que no colocan este disco como una de las obras maestras del canadiense. En mi opinión forma, junto al Harvest, al Zuma , el Rust never sleeps , y el Freedom , el pentagrama esencial de Young.
Neil Young: Harvest Moon (1992)
Neil Young continuaría experimentando durante los primeros años de la década de los 90, con discos tan destacables como el Harvest Moon (1992), que significaría una momentánea vuelta a sus orígenes folk (aunque es cierto que nunca los había llegado a olvidar del todo) con temas tan destacados como From Hank to Hendrix , el interesante y pesimista Sleeps with angels (1994) o el bravo Mirrorball (1995) en el que la joven banda Pearl Jam acompaña musicalmente al canadiense. Este último álbum incluye la fabulosa I’m the ocean , sin duda la mejor canción de Young de los últimos 15 años.
Consciente de los riesgos que conlleva toda elección puramente subjetiva, theArtWolf se ha arriesgado a seleccionar diez canciones que, en su humilde opinión, constituyen lo más destacado de la majestuosa obra de Neil Young.
After the gold rush
After the gold rush, 1970
Un final que es a su vez un principio. Buscando su propia identidad tras la fiebre CSNY con la luna llena en los ojos. Un piano marca el camino. Flying Mother Nature’s silver seed to a new home in the sun. El universo Young comienza aquí su eclosión.
Heart of gold (album: Harvest, 1972)
Dorado folk. El tema que mejor refleja la compleja y permanente búsqueda de amor que subyace en todos los temas de Young. I’ve been a miner for a Heart of Gold. Tiempo de cosecha, el campo está ya listo. And I’m getting old...
The Needle and the Damage Done (album: “Harvest”, 1972)
Una canción en la que puedes sentir el dolor en las letras. Una oda a amigos que se fueron demasiado pronto. Ooh, ooh, the damage done…
Winterlong (album: Decade, 1977)
Terminó el verano indio. Cielo anaranjado, viento del norte. Los primeros copos. Bellísima invocación al Gran Invierno que Black Francis y sus Pixies intentarían repetir 15 años más tarde.
Like a hurricane (album: American Stars ‘n’ bars, 1977)
Existen versos que por sí solos sugieren más que la obra completa de muchos celebrados poetas: I am just a dreamer, but you are just a dream. Desesperada, devastadora. Como un huracán. Young compone esta maravilla eléctrica en medio de un disco por lo demás bastante irregular
Hey, hey; my, my (into the black) (album: Rust never sleeps, 1979)
Electroshock . Una tormenta eléctrica (sobre)cargada de un vitalismo feroz y despiadado: es mejor morir que deteriorarse . El Guerrero Indio surcando praderas y cañones pluricordes. Caballo Loco cabalga a su lado: está desbocado.
Neil Young en Ottawa, Canada, 2006 – Foto de Adrian M. Buss
Thrasher (album: Rust never sleeps, 1979)
Líricamente, lo mejor de Young. Lo literal y lo metafórico ocultando sus identidades tras almiares de heno y ámbar. La confirmación definitiva de la identidad propia, una loa a la individualidad. La negación de un camino ya cerrado; they were just deadweight to me . Dinosaurios -CSNY- atrapados en cañones, águilas alzando el vuelo. I’ll know the time has come to give what’s mine..
Rockin’ in the free world (album: Freedom, 1989)
On the road again. Los 80 no sentaron bien a Young, pero se redimiría con el fabuloso Freedom (1989) Furiosa como pocas y comprometida como ninguna, Neil demuestra que todavía tiene mucha mecha por quemar: Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive!
Mansion on the hill (album: Ragged Glory, 1990)
Rabiosa Gloria. Viejo rockero de cromo y gasolina. His words were kind, but his eyes were wild. Una autopista hacia el sol, una carretera pedregosa. Una mansión en la colina.
I’m the ocean (album: Mirrorball, 1995)
Young se ayuda de la savia joven de Pearl Jam para componer una suprema epopeya monocorde. Como el océano. Como la corriente gigantesca. Aunque el tema destila electricidad, la permanente reivindicación de la individualidad e identidad entroncan este tema con Thrasher o After the gold rush . Tremenda
Si estas canciones no son suficiente (seguro que no) ahí van otras recomendaciones posibles, aunque si continúo en esta línea corro el riesgo de acabar recomendando la discografía completa (que posiblemente sea lo más justo)
Cinnamon girl (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969)
Are you ready for the country? (Harvest, 1972)
See the sky about to rain (On the beach, 1974)
Tonight’s the night (Tonight’s the night, 1975)
Don’t cry no tears (Zuma, 1975)
Cortez the killer (Zuma, 1975)
Powderfinger (Rust never sleeps, 1979)
Pocahontas (Rust never sleeps, 1979)
This note’s for you (This note’s for you, 1988)
Eldorado (Freedom, 1989)
F***** up (Ragged Glory, 1990)
From Hank to Hendrix (Harvest Moon, 1992)
Western hero (Sleeps with angels, 1994)
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Neil Young - The Rust and the Glory
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