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Neil Young 1989-1999 - Printable Version

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Neil Young 1989-1999 - CRAZY-HORSE - 01-06-2011

in this, the "comeback" years we will see Neil Young get his creative juices flowing again, with and without Crazy Horse, the final CSNY album, the album he did with Pearl Jam acting as his studio band, how he reacted to the death of Kurt Cobain in song, the MTV-unplugged album, the twenty year wait for a "harvest pt.2" and a good live album in "weld"...

Neil Young 1989-1999 - CRAZY-HORSE - 06-06-2011

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NEIL YOUNG "freedom" 1989 #35US, #17 UK, #76 AU

this one from 1989 is by no means a 'perfect' Young album,but at least for the first time since "rust never sleeps" there are no bad tracks here. the main theme of the album is social decay,drug use, and homelessness in 1980s America(could have been anywhere i guess) after a decade of decadance and greed in the business and financial sectors.
both "rockin in the free world" and "crime in the city" sum up the album perfectly,the latter being a track Dylan would have been proud of.
the only real eyebrow raising track here is the cover version of "on broadway", a lengthy electric version that takes time to appreciate fully.
elsewhere, "hanging on a limb" details the constant fear of success and failure of someone famous, i can only assume Young is refering to himself.
the album was originally first released as a mini album called "el dorado" in Japan with slightly different versions of several of the tracks here, they were probably the original tracks Young laid down on tape in the late 1970s for an unreleased album called "times square",other tracks on this one were also slated for the 1976 unreleased album "chrome dreams", i believe only tracks 4,7,8 and 12 were brand new songs at the time of recording/re-recording the album in 1988/89.
wherever the tracks came from, this is a welcome return to form for an out of form Young.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM:

tracks:

1. rockin in the free world(acoustic)**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVfBDdEjmYc live
2. crime in the city** #34 US
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eRvx4tYNGU live acoustic
3. dont cry**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8M7Q3C7Us0 audio
4. hanging on a limb**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3gtE07Th9o audio
5. el dorado**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKM1TRl6-FU audio
6. the ways of love**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZh1xQpUTDw audio
7. someday**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_9FcAgPDaU audio
8. on broadway**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uw5QoMmH1g audio
9. wrecking ball**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgICZMdDoNc audio
10.no more** #7US
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkpV30P0RXk audio live
11.too far gone***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26-PQRC1BvE audio
12.rocking in the free world*** #2US
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AQQ4gkWChE live

3s=2
2s=10
1s=0

rating: 2.1

Neil Young 1989-1999 - CRAZY-HORSE - 06-06-2011

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NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE "ragged glory" 1990. #31 US, #15 UK, #62 AU

The Horse make a welcome return to form here after their last non existant effort on '87s "life" with fire and gusto.
from the opening notes of the opening track you know you're in for a treat right through to the final track "love and only love". the latter full of trademark Young guitar solos,beautiful melodies and a Pearl Jam sound to boot. the backing vocals on the best track "mansion on the hill" are as good as any ever recorded,Crazy Horse are the best little band on the planet on their day which they are here, however on a bad day they are the worst band in history.
its raw and ragged in all its glory,not a great album but once again showing Neil Young well on the road to musical recovery.
again, some of the tracks date back to the late 1970s for the unreleased "chrome dreams" sessions. this album also has a US top 10 hit on it, making it 5 from the last four albums.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: mother earth(natural anthem)
best track: mansion on the hill

tracks:

1. country home***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMxtOdf41dA audio
2. white line**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tnkSMYEfkQ audio
3. fu#kin up**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewKdLEBcHRQ live
4. over and over*** #33 US
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3PV8rDez5c video
5. love to burn**
6. farmer john**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXOeNLs0EBY video
7. mansion on the hill*** #3 US
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1WpgTzf8nk video
8. days that used to be**
9. love and only love**
10.mother earth(natural anthem)*

3s=3
2s=6
1s=1

rating: 2.2

Neil Young 1989-1999 - CRAZY-HORSE - 09-06-2011

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NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE "weld", 1991. #154US, #20UK, #93AU.

Once sued by Geffen Records for delivering "uncommercial" records, Canadian Neil Percival Young has never sought stardom. He has always followed his instincts, even when they told him to put out an album of feedback noise, yet he has also produced a body of work which, in terms of depth and influence, is second only to Bob Dylan IMO.
And nobody but nobody, not even His Bobness will leave behind a musical legacy as diverse as that of Neil Young.

"Weld" is a furious two hours of blistering hard rock, courtesy of Neil Young and his Garage Band- backing band Crazy Horse.
Screaming with distortion and vibrating overdrive, "Weld" gathers sixteen powerful songs, averaging 7½ minutes in lenght, on two discs.
Young's then-current albums "Freedom" (1989) and "Ragged Glory" (1990) are represented by "Mansion On The Hill", "Crime In The City" (in a much harder rocking version than the studio one), "Farmer John", "F#$kin' Up", and the classic "Rockin' In The Free World", and from his masterpiece "Rust Never Sleeps" comes "Cortez The Killer", "Welfare Mothers" and one of the best songs of Neil Young's forty-year career, "Powderfinger".
He also covers "Blowin' In The Wind", complete with the sounds of an air raid siren, gunfire and bombs going off, and the result is quite majestic.
There's an impressive 14-minute guitar extravaganca built around "Like A Hurricane". A great "Love And Only Love". And the final song on disc two is a wonderfully rough, yet melodious rendition of the superb "Roll Another Number".
Several of these songs have been released live before, but that doesn't change the fact that "Weld" is one of the most awesome rock records of the 90s. The guitars sizzle and shimmer like you won't believe, and somehow Neil Young's fragile wail of a voice is just right for these furious hard rock arrangements.
links supplied are only for tracks that havent been 'linked' previously, i frankly dont see the point in doubling up!

tracks:

1. hey hey my my(into the black)***
2. crime in the city**
3. blowing in the wind***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvP7JNsX6ic live
4. welfare mothers***
5. love to burn***
6. cinnamon girl***
7. mansion on the hill***
8. f##kin' up***
9. cortez the killer***
10.powderfinger***
11.rockin in the free world***
12.like a hurricane***
13.farmer john***
14.tonights the night**
15.roll another number***

3s=13
2s=2
1s=0

rating: 2.95

Neil Young 1989-1999 - CRAZY-HORSE - 09-06-2011

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NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE "arc", 1991

so impressed was Young by the feedback,reverb etc that Sonic Youth could make sound like music whilst they were supporting him on this 1991 US tour called "dont spook the horse" that he decided to self indulge in splicing together snippets of feedback etc to release as a companion disc to the double "weld" live set.
what we end up with is almost 39 minutes of continious gnarley sounds and feedback, that IMO was not neccessary for him to release, its a waste of time, a waste of space, a total waste of money and not worth even contemplating purchasing!!!!

tracks:

1. arc*

3s=0
2s=0
1s=1

rating: 1.0

Neil Young 1989-1999 - CRAZY-HORSE - 09-06-2011

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NEIL YOUNG "harvest moon" 1992, #16 US, #9 UK, #36 AU.

the previous four releases above have all been laden with a heavy guitar sound, and just when everyone got used to Young totally rocking out he does a "zig" when he is expected to "zag" and produces Harvest pt.2. coincidently it is exactly twenty years after Harvest,even has Harvest in the title and is full of country/folky type songs with orchestrations.
this is a much better album than "harvest" in many respects, from the more positive vibe from the lyrics through to the more accessable feel of the album in general. instead of being filled with death,drugs and loneliness, this is filled with passion,compassion,love and has an overall feel of being autumnal throughout.
about half this album was recorded live in the studio in one take, but has been expertly produced to lose the raw.edgy sound of previous albums.
the best track here is the brilliant "unknown legend", a true Neil Young classic,"one of these days","harvest moon" and the beautiful ballad "such a woman" are equally as good. there is not a dud track in sight and is a good place for newcomers to the world of Neil Young to start.
some of these tracks appear on the "heart of gold" concert dvd filmed in Nashville and well worth purchasing, this album was also released as a live cd called "dreamin' man" in 2009, where NY plays the songs acoustically and solo.
again, sorry for the lack of decent links to this one!

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

1. unknown legend***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHBikURKkUM audio
2. from hank to hendrix**
3. you and me***
4. harvest moon*** #36US
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVi0UvFu8Yo video
5. war of man** #7US
6. one of these days***
7. such a woman***
8. old king**
9. dreamin' man***
10.natural beauty**

3s=6
2s=4
1s=0

rating: 2.6

Neil Young 1989-1999 - Tiggi - 09-06-2011

CRAZY-HORSE Wrote:[Image: 51TcXry1OXL._SL500_AA300_.jpg]

NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE "weld", 1991. #154US, #20UK, #93AU.

Weld is an awesome live record !! Top stuff.

Neil Young 1989-1999 - Thraak - 14-06-2011

Lloyd, I like your reviews and respect the amount of time you took out to do this but I've never been a fan of your 'ratings'. I just don't get them or the point in them even being there! Plus 'Ragged Glory' is a freaking great album and 'Arc' was not a waste of time, just misunderstood by you lol

Sorry I ain't been around to help with this but I tend to spend a lot of time on the xbox these days for some reason....Smile Still nice work mate!


P.S. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the 'Broken Arrow' album of 1996 which was basically a jam record in the vein of Ragged Glory but a lot lighter in style.

Neil Young 1989-1999 - CRAZY-HORSE - 14-06-2011

Mr.Soul Wrote:Lloyd, I like your reviews and respect the amount of time you took out to do this but I've never been a fan of your 'ratings'. I just don't get them or the point in them even being there! Plus 'Ragged Glory' is a freaking great album and 'Arc' was not a waste of time, just misunderstood by you lol

Sorry I ain't been around to help with this but I tend to spend a lot of time on the xbox these days for some reason....Smile Still nice work mate!


P.S. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the 'Broken Arrow' album of 1996 which was basically a jam record in the vein of Ragged Glory but a lot lighter in style.


thanks for the comments Lewis, i understand where youre coming from...and i know we disagree over NY albums LOL and thats the beauty of music in general.
"ragged Glory" did only miss out on a "love" rating by 0.1pt..and we'll have to agree to disagree on "arc" im afraid??!...aftrall this is only a general guide to the albums of Neil Young and my point of view is not the "be all and end all" of Neil Young.

i'd have more respect for "arc" if it was a proper recording rather than a remix album.

ps. last time i listened to "broken arrow" i didnt like it, but i base my reviews on two things:
1)accessability to NY from a newcomers perspective and...
2) my own opinion of the album

Neil Young 1989-1999 - CRAZY-HORSE - 15-06-2011

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NEIL YOUNG "unplugged" 1993, #23 US, #4 UK, #36 AU.

this one is a fine album of NY doing a retrospective look at his own back catalogue over the previous quarter of a century, the stripped down versions of Mr.Soul, Like A hurricane,World On A String and Transformer Man are simply brilliant, with Young displaying feeling and emotions into each rendition that he couldnt achieve with their original performances, the same goes for Pocahontas which IMO is the best version of the song he has released. Who'd have thought that Like A hurricane could have been recorded as a keyboard track as opposed to the blistering Crazy Horse version and still sound just as good?,
there are several dissapointing versions on this album, but only because they lack the emotion of the original recordings, nevertheless, this is a good overall picture of the first twenty five years of his career.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: the old laughing lady
best track: transformer man

tracks:

1. the old laughing lady*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN_k8wK7hKo audio
2. mr.soul***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptyEJYhhvDY audio
3. world on a string***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5KMm9zbjEg audio
4. pocahontas***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7MlIU2VHqc audio
5. stringman*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHinEavi_Og&feature=related audio
6. like a hurricane***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPuA4niEORg&feature=related audio
7. the needle and the damage done** #75 UK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-zTcSFvggY&feature=related audio
8. helpless***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUiSUAfo3Oo&feature=related audio
9. harvest moon***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhr6x3F0oBQ&feature=related audio
10.transformer man***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27J2yH_6YQ0&feature=related audio
11.unknown legend***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQbywlrgRgk&feature=related audio
12.look out for my love**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxYHDOXFKuQ&feature=related audio
13.long may you run** #34 US, #71 UK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zapIW8f6kk&feature=related audio
14.from hank to hendrix**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_HwegHxXvY&feature=related audio

3s=8
2s=4
1s=2

rating: 2.2