# Do you like Neil Young? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 23, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431 "2016-10-23T03:06:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/41 "2016-10-23T19:02:31Z")
I like him as one-fourth of CSNY but “meh” regarding his solo work. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/42 "2016-10-23T19:19:09Z")
One of the greats, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/43 "2016-10-23T19:19:48Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > I like him as one-fourth of CSNY but “meh” regarding his solo work. Even CSN (and Y) have kind of admitted that solo Neil has outshone and outperformed them by any measure over the years. Cortez the Killer Ambulance Blues Will to Love Flying on the ground is wrong Tired Eyes I am a Child A Man Needs a Maid When you dance I can really love Powderfinger … In the singer songwriter area, it could be argued that no one could ever compete with this. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/44 "2016-10-23T19:21:39Z")
I am in a very small minority around here apparently, but I can’t stand him. His songs, his voice, his muttonchops. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/45 "2016-10-23T19:21:41Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > \*“Don’t Let It Bring You Down” > > Old man lying > by the side of the road > With the lorries rolling by, > Blue moon sinking > from the weight of the load > And the buildings scrape the sky, > Cold wind ripping > down the alley at dawn > And the morning paper flies, > Dead man lying > by the side of the road > With the daylight in his eyes. > > Don’t let it bring you down > It’s only castles burning, > Find someone who’s turning > And you will come around. > > Blind man running > through the light > of the night > With an answer in his hand, > Come on down > to the river of sight > And you can really understand, > Red lights flashing > through the window > in the rain, > Can you hear the sirens moan? > White cane lying > in a gutter in the lane, > If you’re walking home alone.\* > > What’s not to like? Neil used to introduce this song by saying “Here’s a song that’s guaranteed to bring you right down. It’s called…” ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/46 "2016-10-23T19:36:07Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > When the file sharing stuff was newish on the internet, I remember seeing A Horse With No Name credited to Neil. I thought, there is no way that Neil Young covered that song. I downloaded it and it was the standard America song- no cover, not Neil. When that song first came out, I heard one DJ say it was trying to be more Neil Young than Neil Young. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/47 "2016-10-23T19:45:25Z")
I’d like to hear Kermit The Frog sing it: On the first part of the journey, Hay-oooh! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/48 "2016-10-23T20:25:58Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > \*\*Mark Kozelek \*\* definitely to my ear: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AKRA7weVyLs](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AKRA7weVyLs) > > That’s his band **Sun Kil Moon** , whom I love Also of the late lamented\* Red House Painters\*. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/49 "2016-10-23T20:26:37Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I find musical taste an interesting topic. I actually feel just the opposite of Neal Young. He has a very distinctive voice (IMO). Just to be clearer, I agree his voice is distinctive. I don’t particularly like it enough to help his music stand out positively. It then quickly gets filtered into my ignored background noise. That’s how his music isn’t distinctive for me. I can distinguish it if I stop and concentrate on it. I have to actually stop and force myself to though. Taste is an odd thing. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/50 "2016-10-23T21:10:02Z")
I hear Beethoven couldn’t sing for shit and he never played electric (!?) I never needed that ninth symphony anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/51 "2016-10-23T23:32:42Z")
Neil Young is an acquired taste, no question about it. He has written a LOT of songs, and not all of them are gems but most people should be able to find a few that are likeable. His guitar playing isn’t known for being especially technical or anything like that but it’s difficult to emulate his style and sound convincing. His early catalog is good for beginners in that they are mostly cowboy chords but the student quickly learns Neil is all about tone and phrasing. When someone says a song is “easy” they usually do a pretty poor job of it. His voice is not for everyone, but then he’s sort of like Bob Dylan in that regard. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/52 "2016-10-23T23:43:35Z")
Love him. Love the guitar, love the voice…for me, the “distinctive voices” are where it’s at. Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Levon Helm. “Listenin’ to Neil Young Got to turn up the sound. Everybody’s always sayin’ Turn him down.” – Bob Dylan, “Highlands” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/53 "2016-10-23T23:55:28Z")
Not a fan. He has written some good songs, but kinda few and far between for me. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/54 "2016-10-24T00:19:16Z")
Neil is on the short list of “If you could only listen to one artist for the rest of your life” for me. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/55 "2016-10-24T00:21:53Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > Not really. > > His genre isn’t one I particularly like and his voice doesn’t help him stand out. Mostly he’s in the easily ignored elevator music category for me. Which genre would that be? Seriously, listen to _Trans_ – Kraftwerk-meets-Laurie-Anderson electronica! Even his more popular stuff is evenly apportioned among garage-band heavy rock and acoustic folk pop. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/56 "2016-10-24T02:35:34Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > Neil Young is an acquired taste, no question about it. He has written a LOT of songs, and not all of them are gems but most people should be able to find a few that are likeable. His guitar playing isn’t known for being especially technical or anything like that but it’s difficult to emulate his style and sound convincing. His early catalog is good for beginners in that they are mostly cowboy chords but the student quickly learns Neil is all about tone and phrasing. When someone says a song is “easy” they usually do a pretty poor job of it. His voice is not for everyone, but then he’s sort of like Bob Dylan in that regard. Can’t see how that. I never meet anyone who doesn’t love Neil. Within the field of “rock” it can’t get any better without a cite. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/57 "2016-10-24T06:42:28Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > [A lot of people thought so.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSAJ0l4OBHM) Exactly so, I think that’s what I was getting mixed up with. I also thought of “Our House”, but that is actually him. I think. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/58 "2016-10-24T08:50:54Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Can’t see how that. I never meet anyone who doesn’t love Neil. > > Within the field of “rock” it can’t get any better without a cite. Can’t see how, what? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/59 "2016-10-24T09:32:33Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Exactly so, I think that’s what I was getting mixed up with. I also thought of “Our House”, but that is actually him. I think. Mainly Graham Nash, but Neil plays on it. Unless you mean the Madness song 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431/60 "2016-10-24T14:06:02Z")
In our household in the early 70’s it was all Beatles, Zep, and _After the Gold Rush_ and _Harvest_. I think I might have to pit anyone who somehow likes _Trans_, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-neil-young/769431.md?page=4)