Keno's Classic Rock n Roll Web Site
Fans Album Reviews For:
NEIL YOUNG
(6 reviews sent in so far)
Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
By Jacob
June 15, 2005
Rating: 10.0
First of all, I've always been drawn to albums with a variety of song lengths throughout
an album and longer songs that can grab my attention throughout the whole song. I love
long epic songs, which makes me a big Pink Floyd fan. Neil Young's Everyone Knows This
is Nowhere really grew on me and became my favorite album in his long career. The
album starts of with two of his best more upbeat heavy riff based songs 'Cinnamon Girl'
and the title track. Both short and to the point with great guitar riffs you can easily
jam to and nod your head a bit. Then the album slows down with 'Round and Round (It Won't
Be Long)', a moving song with the help of a female vocalist backing Neil up. 'Down by the
River' is the first example of a long epic song on the album I love, running over 9
minutes keeping me interested all the way through with Neil's great guitars. Another
upbeat song 'The Losing End' has a comical turn on in during the song. 'Running Dry(Reqiem
for the Rockets)' is a beautiful song that throws in a gorgeous string instrument
throughout it. The album ends with 'Cowgirl in the Sand', another epic song, the longest
on the album that is a perfect finish to a perfect album by Neil Young and the Boys. I
love this album!
To listen to some sound clips from Everybody
Knows This is Nowhere or to buy it, click on: Everybody
Knows....
Tonight's The Night
By Larry Masterson
May 12, 2007
Rating: 8.5
Tonight's the Night by artist Neil Young may well be the most revealing look into
the mind of this amazing songwriter. The album in itself seemingly tells a story with each
track representing another chapter in a dark period of Young's life. Also revealed, is a
realistic representation of the drug laden, darker side of the rock 'n roll hippie culture
of the era, and a true look inside the west coast rock 'n roll scene. The album itself was
recorded (if memory serves) in an empty theater and mostly done by live performance
(without audience). As a result, the tracks are raw and undecorated. Pure rock n roll,
imperfect yet elegant, in the style for which Young has become so well known. The haunting
piano riffs that open the title track 'Tonight's the Night,' which is about the overdose
death of Young's friend and roadie, gives a preview of what is in store for the listener;
a dark ride through a tough period of his (Young's) life. The vocals, sang in the raw,
plaintive voice that is Young's trademark, is augmented by equally raw, undecorated
guitar. This album is a deep, and not always flattering look at the culture of the time.
Raw, Real, and unpolished. Though Tonight's the Night never won a great amount of
critical acclaim, at least not at first (it was a late bloomer), it still holds up today
as a true reflection of what West Coast style rock and roll was all about, and an
influence to other artists of the period.
If you are wanting to kick back and relax to some good ol' rock 'n roll, this is not the
album to put on. But if you want to hear cult rock 'n roll that speaks to the soul,
temperament and attitudes of the generation of the sixties and early seventies, this is
the place to go. Surely, this would have to go down as possibly the watershed of Young's
career; the demarcation point in which this amazing song writer stood up and said
"listen to this, this is what I see, this is how I feel." If you are interested
in the many twists and turns of the long and diverse career of Neil Young, this is the
album.
Tonight's The Night
By cristov bonaly
March 3, 2003
Rating: 9.5
Tonight's The Night is a quarking good album with everything but the blooze
bottle thrown in. We have a ragggety Neil with a raggamuffin cast of players who can alter
one's polar coordinates with their sloppy alterations of country and rock and roll. If you
don't own this album, and you don't consider yourself to be a certifiable nowhere square
from Delaware, you should run, drive, hydroplane, etc. to your nearest purveyer of good
albums and buy it, because it will change your life like it did mine. Now I like my music
sloppy and drunk, so this album really makes it, you know. Neil was upset and rightly so
after the overdoses of two good friends, namely Danny Whiten, lead guitar in his
sometimes-backing band, Crazy Horse, and Bruce Berry, his favorite roadie. They both did
too much smack and died. Neil got very drunk on tequila and recorded this album. The songs
are ragged and beautiful an scary and make-you cry-depressing and wonderful. The title
track and its reprise bookend the album. There are already chills runnin down my furry
back when the first song is over. Other stand-out tracks include "Mellow My
Mind", in which Neil plaintively instructs his baby to make him feel like a
schoolboy, while his voice careens so far outta key that my dog pisses on the floor every
time he hears this track. "Tired Eyes" is a great disorderly mess, featuring
Neil mumbling some pap about a drug-deal gone bad and bloody, and tryin' to make sense of
tragedy, and the persistent chorus (Please take my advice, please take my, uh.. PLEASE
TAKE MY ADVICE. OPEN UP THE TIRED EYES OPEN UP THE TIRED EYYYYES...) really makes me feel
good, yeah. There are many more really great tracks, but I'll leave my review knowing that
the readers are people of fine taste and will not forsake my advice: open a bottle of
cheap wine or Old Crow whiskey and put this album on, and then listen to it standing up
and rocking back and forth on your heels and toes and you will be feeling very well.
enjoy!
To listen to some sound clips from Tonight's
The Night or to buy it, click on: Tonight's
The Night
HARVEST
Name: JT C
May 25, 2006
Rating: 10.0
I’ve never liked country. However, I love Neil Young’s HARVEST.
It’s one of his finest. It doesn’t have the same epic Crazy Horse jams that you
will find on EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE (Crazy Horse is not on this album)
or the same fine Crosby Stills & Nash harmonies on AFTER THE GOLDRUSH
(CS&N only appear on a few songs here) but Neil’s songwriting surpasses
everything. The first half of the album is drenched with country including the opening
“Out on the Weekend” which features Neil playing his harp. “Harvest”
is pure country, but nicely sung by Neil with some great rhythm guitar playing. “A
Man Needs a Maid” is a great song when it’s just Neil playing piano and singing,
but I could do without Jack Nitzsche’s orchestration. “Heart of Gold” is of
course a classic. It really is just a well-written song with such great dynamics and
fantastic lyrics. Don’t let the country sound keep you from listening to this fine
song. I’ve never been a big fan of “Are You Ready for the Country” and
Nitzsche’s slide playing is not that great. However the melody is great and Crosby
and Nash sing great harmonies as always. Side two begins with the fantastic sing along
“Old Man” with great lyrics and a showcase for James Taylor playing banjo.
“There’s a World” is just overblown by Nitzsche’s orchestration.
“Alabama” is just pure Neil Young beautiful anger-driven rock ‘n roll. The
lyrics question the south’s cruelty, the hard guitars played by both Neil and Stephen
Stills are great, and the harmonies sung by Crosby Stills & Nash are fantastic as is
the melody itself. You can’t really hear anything greater than Neil by himself, just
guitar & vocal, on “Needle and the Damage Done” the lament for guitarist
Danny Whitten. The only epic jam on here is “Words (Between the Lines of Age)”
and a good one at that with a strange 11/8 timing during the jam with some great harmonies
with CS&N. Don’t let the country influence keep you from buying one of the
greatest albums of the 70s.
To listen to some sound clips from HARVEST
or to buy it, click on: Harvest
HARVEST
By Brian
March 24, 2001
Rating: 10.0
In my opinion, this is Neil Young's best work. Every song is good, and some of the songs
are perfectly done. Whenever I am down, I put this on, and I seem to feel a lot better. I
usually put on 'Old Man', 'Heart Of Gold', 'A Man Needs A Maid', 'The Needle And The
Damage Done', or 'Words'. I think that Neil Young is one of the greatest song writers of
all time. This album displays his awesome lyrics, beautiful guitar work, chilling piano,
and heartful harmonica. Crazy Horse is a great band, and it shows on this album. 'Old
Man's' lyrics are great, the banjo is cool, and the guitar is very full. 'Heart Of Gold'
is a great all around song, with a great harmonica part, along with great guitars. 'A Man
Needs A Maid' is perfect, the lyrics are great along with all the string instruments. 'The
Needle And The Damage Done' is a song that was made for just Neil, and his guitar(This
song was recorded live at Royce Hall). Words follows the applause that ends 'Needle And
The Damage Done', this song is just awesome.
Well, here is my song by song rating. 'Out On The Weekend'(9.5), 'Harvest'(9), 'A Man
Needs A Maid'(10), 'Heart Of Gold' (10), 'Are You Ready For The Country?'(9.5), 'Old
Man'(10), 'There's A World'(9.5), 'Alabama'(9.5), 'The Needle And The Damage Done'(10),
'Words'(10). So, all around, Harvest is a great album, with great songs, and some
under-appreciated songs. The reason I gave this album a 10, instead of a 9.5 (this album
got a 9.7), is because this sounds like nothing else before it. I think that this is my
2nd favorite album of all time, following Dark Side Of The Moon.
WELD
By T.H.
November 1, 2003
Rating: 4.0
First this is not a pan, it is the truth. This is a live album of Neil & Crazy Horse's
1991 tour to promote Ragged Glory. An live video of the same name was also
released at the same time. This Album is two disks and my review is of one and two.
Let me tell you the reason that I gave this Album a 4.0: It is not the best Neil you can
hear (anyone who has heard Neil perform live can back me up).
"Hey Hey, My My" was originally taken from Rust Never Sleeps and was
already released on record twice before this release. "Crime In The City" is the
first of the tracks from Ragged Glory. Neil's cover of Dylan's
"Blowin' In The Wind" just doesn't cut it for me. "Welfare Mothers"
was originally released on Rust Never Sleeps and there is the better cut!
"Love To Burn" is another of the Ragged Glory tracks and (I may sound
repetative)there is the better cut! "Cinnamon Girl" is the shorstest (of I know)
of the version's he has released, and that truly is the only reason that the song is good!
"Mansion on the Hill" and "F*!#in' Up" are both Ragged Glory
Tracks.
On To Disk Two "Cortez The Killer" & "Powderfinger" were
originally taken from Rust Never Sleep and are fair. "Love And Only
Love" is another From Ragged Glory. "Rockin' In The Free World" is
the poorest of the songs on the record, I think. "Like A Hurricane" Is A LONNGGG
THIRTEEN Minutes. "Farmer John" Is Another From Ragged Glory.
"Tonight's The Night" & "Roll Another Number" Was taken from Tonight's
The Night. So If you are a die-heart fan I guess your required to buy this album. All
in all a rair album.
To listen to some sound clips from Weld or to buy it, click on: WELD
Back to Rock Fans Reviews
