Neil Young – The First decade – A Canadian singer-songwriter par excellence; in fact, one of the very best.  His only fault may be the sheer volume of his recordings.  I tried for several years to keep up with them but stopped a few years ago.  He started off in Canada in a band called Buffalo Springfield (see B); I have bought their albums but despite Stephen Stills in the band I wasn’t very impressed.  We start with Neil’s debut – Neil Young (1969). Although recorded in ’68, it was remixed and re-released the following year. A pretty good first album but a bit patchy really; Neil still finding his feet.  Best songs ‘The Loner’, ‘The Old Laughing Lady’ and ‘Last Trip To Tulsa’.  Later that same year he teamed up with his long-term occasional backing band Crazy Horse, and recorded the classic album Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere.   And what an album it was, fantastic songs and a great sound.  Many fans, including myself believe that this and the two albums following were his greatest period – though that really is a hard judgement call.  The album starts with ‘Cinnamon Girl’ and barely pauses in brilliance after that.  My Favourites are ‘Down By The River’ and ‘Cowgirl In The Sand’.  Apparently these three tracks were written in one single day when Neil was suffering from a fever of 103 F.  What that tells you I am not sure.  A year later saw the release of what I consider his very best record – After The Gold Rush.  This was the first album I bought of his after seeing him on BBC Sight and Sound.  I was hooked after the first song and have been ever since.  Hard to be sensible about this record as I know it off by heart having worn out the original record, and the cassette and now the CD.    Impossible to choose favourite tracks as they are all great.  But ‘Cripple Creek Ferry’, ‘Southern man’ and ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ have a special place in my heart.  Neil almost repeated this Masterpiece with 1972’s Harvest.  Using the same crew of session players the album is rated by some as his very best.  Two tracks were recorded with the LSO, and Crosby Stills and Nash sung backing vocals on a couple of songs. Neil at this time was precariously combining his successful solo career with albums and live appearances with CS and N (see C) with whom he has had a tempestuous relationship over the years.   Anyway, another glorious album which includes his only hit single ‘Heart Of Gold’, but my favourites are ‘Out On The Weekend’, ‘Words’ and ‘Old Man’.  One predictable thing about Neil is that just when you think he has a winning formula he changes it.  His next album was Time Fades Away (1973) – an album of his late ’72 tour of America.   But of course, Neil being Neil, he didn’t record any numbers from his two immensely popular recent albums but released a completely new set of songs.  For years Neil hated the tour and the record and it was only released on CD in 2017.  I don’t rate it much either.  The songs are okay, but the band seem unrehearsed and were apparently under the heavy influence of drink and drugs and Neil argued with them the whole tour.  As a document of Neil failing it is at least interesting.   I think only ‘Don’t be Denied’ has subsequently been studio recorded, but ‘Journey Through The Past’ was the title of a film of Neil’s documenting his early history.  A soundtrack album is pretty well unfindable and it still isn’t on CD.    Disillusioned by this experience and by the success of his ‘soft’ albums Goldrush and Harvest, Neil recorded a trilogy of what he called ‘Ditch’ albums, where the mood was more ‘what the fuck’ than seeking perfection and adulation.  First to be released was 1974’s On The Beach, which was recorded after his next album but released before it.  I have always loved this album – it is gentle in parts and angry and desolate at times too.  Best songs are ‘Walk On’, ‘For The Turnstiles’ and ‘Ambulance Blues.   Recorded before this but released late in 1975 was Tonight’s the Night.  A desolate strung out album, recorded practically live.  Band member Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry had both died of heroin overdoses and this had devastated Neil (he had already released ‘The Needle and The Damage Done’ on ‘Harvest) and he expressed it with this bunch of songs.  Not for everyone I must admit, and I have grown to like it  and accept it for what it is – and in fact really like some of the songs -the title song and ‘Roll Another Number’ and especially ‘Tired Eyes’.  An experience.  Neil returned to a more conventional approach to album making with his next Zuma (1976).  An excellent album this time, recorded with his old mates Crazy Horse with whom Neil seems to have a more relaxed and flowing style.  These were apparently very productive sessions, with several songs held over to be re-recorded for later albums.  My favourite tracks are ‘Danger Brid’, ‘Looking For A Love’ and the fabulous ‘Cortez The Killer’.  Later in ’76 Neil recorded an album with his old bandmate from Buffalo Springfield Long May You Run – billed as by the Stills Young band.  Sharing songwriting and singing the album never really works; even Neil’s songs disappoint.  A pity – the only track of any note is the title track itself.    1977 saw another brilliant Neil album, American Stars And Bars (and his best album cover) technically his eight solo studio album.  It is quite a country sounding album, with opener ‘Old Country Waltz’ a very traditional Country music melody and instrumentation.  Seven of the nine tracks feature Crazy Horse and are quite loose, and sound like early takes – no worse for that.  Emmy Lou Harris sings vocals on ‘Star of Bethlehem’, one of his gentlest melodies. Two long tracks – the confessional ‘Will To Love’ and the stupendous ‘Like A Hurricane’ – one of his very best ever songs.  Wow.  A retrospective of Neil’s 10 year recordings arrived late in 1977 – Decade, a mammoth 35 track, 3 album and later 2 disc collection; from Buffalo Springfield, CSYN and solo recordings, with a handful of rarities thrown in.  A nice look back; mostly stuff I really liked anyway.  Best rarities – the CSNY single ‘Ohio’, and also ‘Helpless’.   I also have 3 live Neil Young Archive releases from this first decade.   The first, a solo recording from 1968 Sugar Mountain; pre-fame and mostly Buffalo Springfield and first album songs sung very tentatively; lots of between songs nervous chatting.  No real surprises, two unreleased songs ‘Out Of My Mind’ (not brilliant) and the famous ‘Sugar Mountain’, which he was singing in concert but to my memory never recorded in the studio.  Next is a 1970 concert with Crazy Horse; just one new song ‘Wondering’, and an early version of ‘Winterlong’ which wasn’t released for several years as a studio song.  Finally I hace a 1971 solo effort.  Three years on and Neil is now famous and far more confident in concert.  A couple of unrecorded songs in this set are ‘Bad Fog Of Loneliness’ and ‘Dance Dance Dance’ – neither of which are great.