Neil Young's prolly not the best example, since his music has changed dramatically over the years, and he does seem to reflect musical trends in his own stuff.
That being said, I don't think someone like Neil Young would stand out adequately if he was just now putting out his first album... There are loads of great artists around that just won't get the breaks.
I think lots of now-household names have been lucky zeitgeist-surfers.
The other determining factor is the ability of artists to keep producing high quality material time after time. This is what keeps consumers returning to the Dylans, Youngs etc, even after they've entered a rough patch.
That being said, I don't think someone like Neil Young would stand out adequately if he was just now putting out his first album... There are loads of great artists around that just won't get the breaks.
I think lots of now-household names have been lucky zeitgeist-surfers.
The other determining factor is the ability of artists to keep producing high quality material time after time. This is what keeps consumers returning to the Dylans, Youngs etc, even after they've entered a rough patch.