The Top 10 Worst Neil Young Albums

Shakey indeed...

Neil Young has released nearly 50 albums in his 50+ year career. So obviously, he has to have a good amount of crap in his catalog. Last week, I counted down what are, in my humble opinion, The Top Ten Best Neil Young Albums. This week, I’ll have a little fun with one of my favorite songwriters and poke a little at some of his biggest missteps. If available, I’ll include “The Best of The Worst”, as each of these albums still has at least one good song.

10. Chrome Dreams II (2007)
First of all, the original Chrome Dreams was never officially released, so shouldn’t we have gotten that one first? Or is he doing some sort of Star Wars thing? The point is that there is really no point to all of the sequel nonsense, unless all the songs were recorded together but released separately or something like that. I will say that the 18+ minute “Ordinary People” presents exactly what Neil Young fans have come to know and love about him—a damn fine tune, and an EP’s length in itself. But it’s the only good song on the record, and was originally meant to be included on a different album long before this one. (See #7)

9. Greendale (2003)
Greendale may have been a bold venture for Young—a concept album that was acted out on stage by a large cast of actors on the subsequent tour—but it was not a very good one. Though critics predictably ate the whole thing up, I was bored by the meandering, directionless nature of most of the songs, and by Young’s use of obvious dialog in his lyrics. Though the album does boast one great song (“Bandit”) and an admirable focus on the environment, it all seems a little too synthetic for how weighty it wants to be.

8. Re.Act.Or (1981)
This was Young’s attempt to fuse his sound with the more popular sound of the time, new wave. On 1979’s Rust Never Sleeps, Young began hinting at his fascination for punk and this growing trend, and I guess this was only the natural progression of things. But man, it’s just painful to listen to these guys try to rock to some of these songs, and some of Young’s attempted humor and satire just misses the mark completely.

7. This Note’s For You (1988)
6. Everybody’s Rockin’ (1983)
Both of these albums were genre experiments with famous backing bands. This Note’s for You wins out as the better album because its title track is actually a really sweet tune. “I ain’t singin’ for Pepsi/I ain’t singin’ for Coke/I don’t sing for nobody/Makes me look like a joke” Young scowls over one of his trademark riffs, while the grandiose Blue Notes add a brassy spice to it all. Granted, the rest of the record doesn’t work nearly as well. It’s more or less the same story with Everybody’s Rockin’. Young’s foray into rockabilly (originals and covers) with the Shocking Pinks may be under 25 minutes long, but getting through it feels like an eternity. The album’s one semi-redeeming moment, “Kinda Fonda Wanda”, is still just silly. It should be noted that in 1984, this album sparked Geffen Records’ decision to sue Young for making “uncharacteristic, uncommercial records”. R.E.M. then heard about this and decided to go with Warner Bros. Natch.

5. Trans (1982)
When asked what the worst Neil Young album is, many people will answer “Trans” because it stands out among all of Young’s work as the strangest and most alienating album he has ever done. This is definitely true, but it’s not the worst one. Sure, the use of vocoder on most of the lead vocals and the overall electronic feel of the record is extremely off-putting, but the fact that Trans was spawned from an experiment of Young’s to attempt to better communicate with his cerebral palsy stricken son makes it a somewhat noble venture.

Here’s the original…

…and here’s the acoustic version, which is way better…

4. Old Ways (1985)
An album of old-timey country songs, Old Ways was spawned from an idea that was originally rejected by Geffen. After getting his new record deal, it was one of the first projects on Young’s agenda. Though he sounds very committed to the overall theme of the album, the enthusiasm of the players doesn’t take away from the sheer boredom the listener feels. For a better version of a more countrified Neil Young, check out 1977’s Comes A Time.

3. Landing on Water (1986)
Crash landing. Horribly produced with forgettable, second-rate tunes, this was Young in the horrid thick of his Geffen deal in the 80’s, which spawned most of his worst music. Something just must have not clicked from the beginning with those two parties, because it was a partnership that never worked. Mostly, the albums of this era were more products of the artistic restraint Young was feeling at the time—sarcastic, satirical jabs at the industry that probably gave him some satisfaction to create. They’re just hard to listen to.

2. Life (1987)
This 80’s schlock-fest presents NY & Crazy Horse at their most limp and forgettable, and is easily their biggest embarrassment. The production is painfully glossy, with a digital sheen that makes it all but unlistenable. The tunes are cheesy and vapid. It seems as if Young was trying to get back to his old rocking self here, but it was definitely a misstep. And—surprise!—it was also his last album for Geffen records, signaling the near-end of Young’s painful 80’s era.

1. Are You Passionate? (2002)
For how bad Young’s 80’s output was, this later installment is the most intolerable Neil Young album for me. It was a noble experiment—members of his longtime band collaborated with Booker T. and the MG’s to create a soul-laced version of a Neil Young record. But, aside from the epic “Going Home”, there are no tunes here whatsoever. Plus, this album contains Neil Young’s worst song to date, the ill-advised 9/11 anthem, “Let’s Roll”. When this came out, it echoed Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?”, and it was one of the first times I truly doubted Young’s decision-making…and songwriting.

Warning: There is nothing good about what I have posted below.

Tags: 9/11 anthems, Alan Jackson, Booker T and the MG's, cerebral palsy, Coke, Crazy Horse, Geffen Records, Neil Young, new wave, Pepsi, R.E.M., rockabilly, Star Wars, The Blue Notes, The Shocking Pinks, vocoder, Warner Bros.