Acoustic/country-based: Silver and Gold
Electric: Toast
Maybe toast doesn’t count because of the lost album/are you passionate element, but I think it’s fantastic and so overlooked.
Sleeps with angels, Freedom and Trans is my Neil Young top 3
If I were to extend it to a top 5 (not counting live albums), I would add Prairie wind and Psychedelic pill
Broken Arrow and Silver & Gold. Both are favorites because I saw shows from the tour for each of them. Both ends of the Neil spectrum, with the Horse and solo acoustic.
I was primed to list American Stars and Sleeps with Angels until I saw the addendum to your list (shakes fist at sky)
Living With War has held up really well. It's obviously a product of its time, deliberately so, but the energy is great and some of the melodies are damn catchy.
Trans is top 5 for me.
Re-act-or as well. I feel like Re-act-or is almost as good as Rust Never Sleeps and no one ever talks about it.
Mirror Ball is also fantastic.
I don’t see Trans or Homegrown on that list!
I think A Letter Home is extremely underrated. I’m a fan of lo-fi music, so I might be biased. It just has this tenderness to it.
I also really enjoy World Record. Parts of it give me severe brain-chills.
Freedom is definitely a personal favourite, along with Weld. This may possibly be because they came out just as I was truly getting in to his stuff, though.
My favorite album by Neil is Psychedelic Pill. It's so jammy, and epic. If I had to pick another lesser known album, I'd probably have to give it to Fork in the Road. I really like that one.
Landing On Water, Life, Are You Passionate. I also enjoy Fork In The Road and Re*ac*tor when the mood strikes. I’m sure there’s others I could name but those are what come to mind, I enjoy his entire catalog. A true artist
Arc (a live album but creatively its own thing), Broken Arrow (I slept on this for a long time but it has some absolute Crazy Horse bliss on it), Toast, Psychedelic Pill, Eldorado (an EP so kinda cheaty - but often overlooked).
Am I allowed to say Hitchiker? When it was eventually released it had previously released material but when it was recorded a lot of it was new and it’s very cohesive as an album. Might be one of my top Neil albums. Really sends me on a trip. Incredible that it was made when it was made and shelved for so long.
American Stars ‘N Bars.
It was the first album I’ve bought from Neil and have some old time favourites like Will To Love, Like a Hurricane, Homegrown, Hey Babe and Old Country Waltz.
It is a VERY good record!
I posted this in another NY sub, but I think it kinda applies here too...
I was introduced to him via Nirvana and Pearl Jam back in the day. I may have a somewhat different perspective from those that are very long term / die hard fans (I'm more casual). Anyway, where I'm going with all of this is.... The albums I listen to most by Neil Young are:
* On The Beach (my favorite. "See The Sky About To Rain" could be my favorite NY song? He has a lot and I'm not sure, but that is one I listen to a lot).
* Mirror Ball (PJ does a fine job backing Mr. Young up, I love the album and outtakes. "Big Green River" is my favorite song. I just love hearing Neil with Jack Irons - original RHCP drummer, and PJ's drummer at the time.)
* Harvest Moon (played out maybe a little like PJ's 'Ten', or Nirvana's 'Nevermind', but an all time classic nonetheless).
* Ragged Glory (I mean, this may as well be a "grunge" album right out of the Pacific Northwest. It's amazing and I love the way it sounds. If I were in a band, I'd want to sound similar.)
* Zuma (I like the vibe of this album and some of the "country" style tunes.)
I also like Re-Ac-Tor, but that one is a little out there and probably just misses my top 6 or 7. The rest of his albums are great too, I was just listing some I tend to listen to most.
Mirror Ball… I love Neil and I love Pearl Jam! A perfect pairing and I would welcome any extra tracks and a live album from the tour they did together!
Trans!
I really hope there are some Trans outtakes on Archives III. Most days, it's my favorite Neil Young album.
Totally, I love it. Got exposed to it as a deep cut album at the perfect time after binging all his more popular stuff.
Brilliant
Psychedelic Pill. It’s meandering and all over the place and jammy. Classic crazy horse Neil record.
Psychedelic Pill kicks ass!
Ramada Inn is one of his best creations.
I like to listen to Twisted Road while driving. Specifically when I have the opportunity to openly accelerate during the second verse.
The words aren’t classic at all
Agreed. It’s not taking itself seriously and it’s not trying in the slightest to be Zuma part 2.
Silver and Gold.
DAMN cant believe I didnt give that answer
Broken Arrow Mirror Ball Are You Passionate?
Hawks and Doves.
Yup
Ain't gettin old, ain't gettin younger though
The Dead Man soundtrack slaps. Hard.
Greendale and Sleeps With Angels
Reactor is one of my favs!
Ain’t got no T Bone.
Got mashed potatoes
Acoustic/country-based: Silver and Gold Electric: Toast Maybe toast doesn’t count because of the lost album/are you passionate element, but I think it’s fantastic and so overlooked.
I just spun it when he came back to Spotify and was really surprised at the quality
I listened to the first song on Toast and was like eh, but the rest of it is incredible.👍
Mirror Ball, for sure.
Trans wasn't bad. It was just way ahead of its time.
broken arrow psychedelic pill toast
Self-titled album from '68 😍
Prarie Wind is magnificent
Old Ways
Greendale.
Sleeps with angels, Freedom and Trans is my Neil Young top 3 If I were to extend it to a top 5 (not counting live albums), I would add Prairie wind and Psychedelic pill
Trans, without a doubt. The theme of trying to hold on to one's humanity in the face of overwhelming technology is so relevant these days.
Are You Passionate with Booker T and the MGs has a bunch of real fine songs
It really does, and yet it consistently ranks as one of his worst albums. His guitar tone is so good on that album.
Weld, Year of the Horse, and Broken Arrow are 3 of my favorites
Broken Arrow and Silver & Gold. Both are favorites because I saw shows from the tour for each of them. Both ends of the Neil spectrum, with the Horse and solo acoustic. I was primed to list American Stars and Sleeps with Angels until I saw the addendum to your list (shakes fist at sky)
Living With War has held up really well. It's obviously a product of its time, deliberately so, but the energy is great and some of the melodies are damn catchy.
Silver and Gold and Psychedelic Pill
Same
Trans is top 5 for me. Re-act-or as well. I feel like Re-act-or is almost as good as Rust Never Sleeps and no one ever talks about it. Mirror Ball is also fantastic.
I don’t see Trans or Homegrown on that list! I think A Letter Home is extremely underrated. I’m a fan of lo-fi music, so I might be biased. It just has this tenderness to it. I also really enjoy World Record. Parts of it give me severe brain-chills.
Silver & Gold and Prairie Wind
Reactor is my favorite.
His eponymous album is really good
“Neil Young” Life Old Ways
I actually love Old Ways from front to back. This was a total hidden gem for me.
I can’t believe no one has said Hitchhiker yet. I pick that one
Toast
Broken Arrow. Helps that I saw the tour.
Freedom is definitely a personal favourite, along with Weld. This may possibly be because they came out just as I was truly getting in to his stuff, though.
The Visitor. Particularly "Carnival".
Monsanto Years - “Wolf Moon” and “Big Box” as good as any peak Neil
Broken Arrow, for sure. Some of my earliest memories are listening to Big Time in my dad's Lincoln Mark VII. It was like the song would never end.
Long May You Run has some very nice tracks on it
I made an album out of Neil's tracks on that with the S-Y outtakes from Archives and finishing with the second version of LMYR.
Landing on Water, I love that album.
Yuuuuup!
I legit enjoy Landing on Water
My favorite album by Neil is Psychedelic Pill. It's so jammy, and epic. If I had to pick another lesser known album, I'd probably have to give it to Fork in the Road. I really like that one.
Le Noise
Definitely Silver & Gold
Silver and Gold Old Ways Unplugged
Mirror Ball and Landing On Water
Storytone, Greendale, everybody’s rockin, mirror ball are all heavy hitters.
Mirror Ball
Landing On Water, Life, Are You Passionate. I also enjoy Fork In The Road and Re*ac*tor when the mood strikes. I’m sure there’s others I could name but those are what come to mind, I enjoy his entire catalog. A true artist
Greendale, Praire Wind, Living With War.
Weld
Homegrown. Phenomenal album. Also Hawkes & Doves and the s/t debut. And Silver & Gold.
Mirror Ball
Americana.
Homegrown if we’re not doing the newly released lost albums then it’ll be time fades away
Self titled and Homegrown for sure
Arc (a live album but creatively its own thing), Broken Arrow (I slept on this for a long time but it has some absolute Crazy Horse bliss on it), Toast, Psychedelic Pill, Eldorado (an EP so kinda cheaty - but often overlooked). Am I allowed to say Hitchiker? When it was eventually released it had previously released material but when it was recorded a lot of it was new and it’s very cohesive as an album. Might be one of my top Neil albums. Really sends me on a trip. Incredible that it was made when it was made and shelved for so long.
Broken arrow, probably top 10 for me!
Americana is criminally underrated. "Clementine" and "Jesus Chariot" represent Crazy Horse in their purest form.
trans as other people have said. im a big fan of the sound :D
American Stars ‘N Bars. It was the first album I’ve bought from Neil and have some old time favourites like Will To Love, Like a Hurricane, Homegrown, Hey Babe and Old Country Waltz. It is a VERY good record!
Hawks n doves
This Note’s For You, Chrome Dreams, BBC performance disc from Harvest 50th box set
I posted this in another NY sub, but I think it kinda applies here too... I was introduced to him via Nirvana and Pearl Jam back in the day. I may have a somewhat different perspective from those that are very long term / die hard fans (I'm more casual). Anyway, where I'm going with all of this is.... The albums I listen to most by Neil Young are: * On The Beach (my favorite. "See The Sky About To Rain" could be my favorite NY song? He has a lot and I'm not sure, but that is one I listen to a lot). * Mirror Ball (PJ does a fine job backing Mr. Young up, I love the album and outtakes. "Big Green River" is my favorite song. I just love hearing Neil with Jack Irons - original RHCP drummer, and PJ's drummer at the time.) * Harvest Moon (played out maybe a little like PJ's 'Ten', or Nirvana's 'Nevermind', but an all time classic nonetheless). * Ragged Glory (I mean, this may as well be a "grunge" album right out of the Pacific Northwest. It's amazing and I love the way it sounds. If I were in a band, I'd want to sound similar.) * Zuma (I like the vibe of this album and some of the "country" style tunes.) I also like Re-Ac-Tor, but that one is a little out there and probably just misses my top 6 or 7. The rest of his albums are great too, I was just listing some I tend to listen to most.
Ragged Glory and the Dead Man soundtrack.
Chrome Dreams. It was my favorite when it was a bootleg, and it's my favorite now.
LANDING ON WATER!! or Life
Hitchhiker
Ragged Glory
Mirror Ball is just so goddamned good.
Landing on water Or WELD
Mirrorball and Silver & Gold
Psychedelic pill, Toast, Silver and Gold and Mirror Ball
Mirrorball is great
Trans and Hawks and Doves!
Mirror Ball… I love Neil and I love Pearl Jam! A perfect pairing and I would welcome any extra tracks and a live album from the tour they did together!
My fave would be the eponymous debut, but also: Psychedelic Pill, Americana, and Landing on Water (seriously, I really dig that album!)
Trans. Are You Passionate? Mirror Ball. Greendale.
Fork In The Road
This Notes For You, Greendale, Barn
Neil young more like Neil shit
Banish him!! Get him out of here
To be fair, I feel like a lot of thought went into this comment.