Greatest Hits

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Customer reviews

review by: Phil date: 2008-07-12 rating:
One of the best single CDs that money can buy, if a limited overview...
I had the pleasure of seeing Neil Young live in Kent last weekend. It was great to see he is still on tremendous form after all these years. With a catalogue of about thirty albums it is difficult for newcomers to his work to know where to start their collection, but this compilation covers a lot of his best known music. In fact according to the man himself it was compiled according to sales of the songs, airplay and known download history which gives the track selection credibility.

The collection begins with three of Neil Youngs' key songs- two epics which demonstrate the remarkable craftsmanship behind his output (Down by the River and Cowgirl in the Sand) and the shorter, harder edged 'Cinnamon Girl', an instantly catchy number. These songs are all taken from his 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' album. Unbelievably I read in an Uncut magazine feature from late 2004 that they were all written in one day whilst Neil was bedridden with fever! Further examples of his brilliance are his CSNY tracks- the melancholy Helpless and the powerful and angry protest song 'Ohio'. The latter, written and recorded in a single day was Neils' reaction to hearing of the needless deaths of student demonstrators in 1970.

One thing I enjoy about listening to this CD is that it demonstrates Youngs' versatility. 'Heart of Gold' is very tuneful and was a huge commercial hit; personal songs 'Old Man' and 'The Needle and the Damage Done' are further examples of Youngs' more acoustic-driven output, taken from the outstanding 1972 release 'Harvest' (his best known album perhaps). Elsewhere there is near-perfect, beautifully crafted country (the upbeat 'Comes a Time' and the melancholy 'Harvest Moon' which closes the collection). Only two tracks represent Neils' heavier output; they are 'Hey Hey My My (Into the Black)' and the rip-roaring 'Rockin' in the Free World', his comeback song after a decade of mixed fortunes, famously written a matter of months before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Hearing this song was in fact my personal introduction to the music of Neil Young.

There are other highlights as well; 'Like a Hurricane' is an eight minute- plus guitar workout with a great melody and it never gets dull. The three other tracks are taken from his 1970 masterpiece 'After the Goldrush' (the title track, 'Southern Man'- which prompted a response from Lynard Skynnard via a couple of lines in their song 'Sweet Home Alabama'- and 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart'). Great songs but I prefer a few of the album tracks from this release which just goes to show how high on quality it is.

I have now built up a large collection of Neil Youngs' albums and inevitably one disc cannot do justice to one of the very best songwriters in the history of modern music. There is nothing from Neils' Buffalo Springfield output (the latter being his earliest work), nor from classic albums such as 'On the Beach' (1974), 'Tonights the Night' and 'Zuma' (both 1975), 'Ragged Glory' (1990) or 'Sleeps with Angels' (1994). Only one track appears from 'Freedom' (1989), one of my favourite Neil Young albums and a record which contains many overlooked classics. It is also worth noting that the 1977 compilation 'Decade', taken from the period 1966-1977 and available as a two CD set, is a much more comprehensive examination of Neils' legendary work although it does not contain any of the last four tracks on 'Greatest Hits', all of which rank as some his best songs.

Whilst it is a slightly uneven account of Neil Youngs' career spanning the period 1969-1992, 'Greatest Hits' is a fine introduction to a remarkable artist. I recommend that newcomers buy this album, listen to it plenty of times all the way through and if it converts them into being Neil Young fans, they should check out some of his best known albums- on which many equal if not superior classics are buried away.

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review by: date: 2007-06-15 rating:
Not for fans, but excellent for beginners
The reason why a compilation like this is useful is that not everyone's a music nut. Not everyone absolutely loves Neil Young. I have the 2CD Decade compilation and I find it be no fun trying to get through it. This is ideal as it's very much to the point without too many boring songs. It also has a fair chunck of his most popular album Harvest. Decade can now be put in a drawer and forgotten.

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review by: date: 2007-06-10 rating:
Excellent.
This is a smooth and relaxed compilation of Neil Young's greatest work, every song is great.

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review by: colsee date: 2007-04-19 rating:
ASTOUNDING SOUNDING!
Having just been reading the other informative reviews there is one point missing so far. This c.d. has been mixed from the master tapes and the sound is truly superb. A slight hissing can be heard at the start of certain tracks but the instruments and vocals really come out crystal clear.

Due to his prolific output some studio albums would no doubt be too much for alot of people but this c.d. does not have a duff track on it.

The guitar work is superb and varies between being very rocky and showcasing delicate acoustic songs still managing to rock. The vocals, although not to every ones idea of mainstream, stretch every emotion from the songs.
You always feel that every word is heartfelt.

As noted in another review it is a brave decision to put two almost ten minute tracks at the start, but if you like this style of music they do not drag on like some long tracks can seem to.

One of my favourite albums, you won't play it lots maybe but when you do you will wonder why you don't !!


review by: date: 2007-01-27 rating:
Genius
If you are new to Neil Young the best way to describe his music is a cross between Dylan and Hendrix but better than either.

Personally I can't see the point in this CD because you should buy at least 10 of his original LPs and two live recordings (Live Rust and Weld).

There are of course some real gems not on this Cd ( Will to Love, Expecting to Fly, Cortez the Killer etc etc etc) but suffice to say that every track on this is brilliant.

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