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Bllsht artist?
Either Gunnar Nelson or that member of Dogstar - does anyone know that dude?
I’m almost afraid to gasp agree with the OP.* (well somebody had to!)*. I won’t go as far to say he’s the best musical artist of the century…but I’ll definitely say he’s the best rocker. The man has penned some damn fine songs, and he’s a survivor. He’s kept going strong since the late sixties and is still putting out original–even challenging–work to this very day.
But the main reason he has my respect, is that he has managed to keep reinventing himself countless times over the years. He’s gone from countrified folk to raw guitar-screetching rock, to techno and back again. He’s a very rare commodity in music these days: an artist who doesn’t yield to any outside pressure–he just plays what he wants. And while most artists who have been around as long as he has are now “nostalgia acts”–playing their greatest hits over & over again–Neil Young is still putting out great, original music.
I would bet that most current day rockers look to Young as a living Icon…more so than even Dylan. The guy defines the word Integrity.
Sorry,
Neil Young is a third rate hack. He can’t sing, he can’t play guitar, he just sucks. Neil is a hack who somehow became famous. The only way I can see Neil getting famous is by sucking Dylans privates. But that is just IMHO.
Slee
But Neil sucks
Better than Petula Clark? Better than John Williams? Better than Coltrane? Dave Brubeck? Louie Armstrong? Elvis? Chuck Berry? Buddy Holly? Gustav Holst? Rachmaninoff? Elgar? Aretha Franklin? Max Steiner? Ron Goodwin? Elmer Bernstien? Arch Hall, Jr.?
I think not.
Even funnier than the assertion in the op (I quite don’t mind Neil Young, but I wouldn’t call him the best this century) are the “better thans” used in response to this contention?
Come on, Petula Clark? Hey, at least you can dance to Baby, One More Time. Or John Williams? Are we talking the Star Wars/ Harry Potter guy? What sugary mess!
And that’s just in the one post!
I think it’s silly to debate who’s best, since that’s so much a matter of taste.
Comparing artists and composers across genres (rock v. jazz v. classical) is a total waste of time.
That being said, I think Neil Young was one of the greats of rock n’ roll up through Rust Never Sleeps. Songs like “Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” “Cowgirl in the Sand,” “Powderfinger,” and his cover of Ian and Sylvia’s “Four Strong Winds” (far better than the original, IMHO) are classics.
Since Rust, though, he’s done little that I can find reason to be enthused about. He may be playing what he wants to play, and reinventing himself repeatedly, and that’s great. But it helps if you can actually pull an audience along with you.
Young has a most impressive body of work. Unfortunately, when you put out that much material, there will be ascendant highs and nadiric lows.
However, on the whole, not many other rock artists have covered as much ground and stayed interesting for as long as Brother Neil. There is something to say for refusing to grow old and stagnant. The only other singer/songwriters comparable are, of course, Dylan and then maybe Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello. Each has grown and remained challenging.
So, to say that he is the greatest? Obviously that is a bold statement that is likely to be disagreed with simply because of the audacity of the statement itself. However, there is no denying his greatness.
And if you need further proof, listen to St. Etienne’s version of “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and decide how many other artists could have their folk song turned into a electronic dance song.
IMO it would take a rather short list to identify all the rock/popular musicians who have written and performed more memorable songs than NY. Whether you like them or not, his songs are part of the poular vocabulary for several generations.
NY would also be an the short list of rock musicians who have had the longest successful careers - tho folk could certainly argue over the relative merits of work produced at various times. He had bona fide hits in at least 3 decades, and continued to make meaningful contributions for nearly 40 years.
IMO NY would also fit on a short list of singers/songriters who have produced at a relatively high level in the widest variety of styles. Name 10 other musicians who produced a body of work as diverse as Harvest, Rust, Everybody’s Rockin, and Trans. From Buffalo Springfield thru CSNY to Pearl Jam. Sure, you may really dislike some of his stuff, but as far as each individual genre goes, it’s pretty consistently high quality.
Then when you take these 3 lists, and see how many folk appear on all 3, NY would be in some pretty select company.
As far as greatest artist is concerned, certainly an opinion I would disagree with, but the case is not (IMO) entirely laughable.
I would say IMHO that Neil Young is more like #25 or so when you refer to THE BEST ARTIST of the 20th century, and that’s probably within certain bounds.
And DEFINITELY NOT one of the best for this century. Unless, maybe, you meant over all this electronic crap on the radio I could cover easily with any (piano-style) keyboard from, say, Best Buy and a little keyboard knowledge…
I can’t get past his voice for most of his songs. Sorry. Crap sounds like crap in any genre. Ok except maybe punk.
I’d put Ian Anderson up there, but that is simply because I’m a fan. I doubt he’d top most other people’s lists.
Keeping it to rock n’ roll, I think there’s a pretty good number of musicians and groups whose quality output is comparable to or exceeds Neil’s. That would include Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elvises Presley and Costello, Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and U2, for starters.
And pretty much all of these guys have covered quite a bit of ground, artistically speaking. The distance Dylan traveled musically just from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan to Blonde on Blonde is pretty astounding. In five years, the Beatles went from “Love Me Do” to “I Am the Walrus.” If you think Rhymin’ Simon did the same stuff all those years, play Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. and Rhythm of the Saints back to back. It’s no criticism of Neil Young, who IMHO belongs on any reasonable list of the top 25 rockers, to say he doesn’t stand head-and-shoulders above this crowd.
Good post RTF.
And good list. I think your “for starters” might be a bit of a disservice, cause I doubt we could get anything near consensus on doubling that list. I do not contest any of your suggestions, even tho I detest some of their music. Maybe Bowie and Elton John? Who else? Oh yeah - Petula Clark!
And it isn’t exactly an insult to be included with that type of company.
But if you take your list and factor in duration of career and sheer volume of output, it gets short indeed. Kinda the way even if you didn’t think Cal Ripkin Jr. was a great ballplayer, you couldn’t deny his achievement.
Neil Young is certainly worthy of a great deal of respect, but I can’t place him in the top 5, even limiting the list to the most important American artists of the Rock era. Maybe top 10, but I’m not sure.
I’m a Neil Young fan from way back, from around the mid-seventies. But, sleestak, your very intelligent and uncommonly incisive critique of Neil is, quite frankly, more than enough to convince me that I should never, ever, voluntarily play one of his albums or CDs again, as long as I live. Thank you for so much for saving me the time that I otherwise would have wasted.
I especially like Neil’s one note guitar solo (Cinnamon Girl)
I think most people like Neil Young because his music is like the drums in “Wipe Out.”
So simple anybody can pick up a guitar and play it.
Not your top 10 either, as he’s Canadian.
It’s too late for us to get married, isn’t it?
I jus’ guess I’d halve to ‘gree wi’ ya Meester Rah-Dook! I meen, ah’m jus’ an ole dum sutherner, ain’t got a fool-thought in my ole heah’d. Cain’t even think of anudder reeson that I’d eveah like 'em.