ThrashersWheat retweeted
Happy birthday to Joni’s lifelong friend, Neil Young 💙
They met in 1964 at the Fourth Dimension club in Winnipeg, Canada. That same night, Young performed “Sugar Mountain,” which inspired “The Circle Game.”
Photo courtesy of United Artists
They met in 1964 at the Fourth Dimension club in Winnipeg, Canada. That same night, Young performed “Sugar Mountain,” which inspired “The Circle Game.”
Photo courtesy of United Artists
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ThrashersWheat retweeted
(Re-Release) Episode 37 Grateful Roots weekly podcast (Mondays) Available Worldwide #americanamusic #rootsmusic #countrymusic #folkmusic #acousticmusic #grateful #folkshows #singersongwriters #countrymusicshows @NeilYoungNYA
A NEIL YOUNG SPECIAL
buzzsprout.com/261106/episode…
A NEIL YOUNG SPECIAL
buzzsprout.com/261106/episode…
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ThrashersWheat retweeted
Happy Birthday Neil Young! Explore his musical legacy (including audio & video highlights) here: album.ink/NeilYoungHBD
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ThrashersWheat retweeted
for Neil’s 81st everyone watch him play the best Like A Hurricane ever at the peak of his powers in 1990. There’s a point in the video where he stops being a man and becomes a vessel of euphoria from the music he’s shooting from his hands like a wizard. It’s starts at 8:01
an older and wiser neil does an absolutely monolithic Like A Hurricane. (You guessed it, Santa Cruz, 1990)
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ThrashersWheat retweeted
Portland-based indie-pop duo New Constellations has released a cover of Neil Young's “Unknown Legend” along with a music video directed by Cameron Browne, from the compilation album “Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young, Vol. 3 - Into the Black”. tinyurl.com/mwmvmjj2
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ThrashersWheat retweeted
Neil (at the peak of his powers) and the Horse do Cinnamon Girl in Santa Cruz (1990)
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KV & The Violators’s song from the ‘Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young’ compilation - supporting The Bridge School - is out now! Listen here:
sym.ffm.to/lonelyheart
sym.ffm.to/lonelyheart
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At 82, Stephen Stills looks back on the people who became part of his life in ways that music alone could never explain. Neil Young was the brother he grew up with in Canada, the friend who once drove a hearse all the way from Ontario to find him, and the musician whose unpredictable nature never stopped their bond from surviving. Jimi Hendrix was something different — a teacher who pushed Stills to step forward as a lead guitarist, shared long afternoons making music, and left him with memories that still bring a smile. Then there was David Crosby, whose extraordinary harmony helped create one of the most recognisable sounds in rock, even when their personal relationship was anything but easy.
youtu.be/mTCSdjx4QT0?si…
youtu.be/mTCSdjx4QT0?si…
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ThrashersWheat retweeted
Los Lobos are proud to be part of Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young, supporting The Bridge School as it marks 40 years of incredible work. 🌼
Lobos' take on “Cinnamon Girl” is featured on Volume 2, out now alongside an amazing group of artists.
Lobos' take on “Cinnamon Girl” is featured on Volume 2, out now alongside an amazing group of artists.
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ThrashersWheat retweeted
Gram Parsons was born 80 years ago today. Next week in LA, his music will be celebrated at a tribute concert, and he'll be posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
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ThrashersWheat retweeted
🎸Artist: Neil Young 📀 Album: Decade
☪
Biblical echo: “The Fall” — original sin, loss of innocence. One “trip” (forbidden fruit, curiosity, rebellion) and everything crashes. The whole song feels like a meditation on shattered American dreams, and this line is the personal/micro version.
Broader disillusionment: The “American dream” the kid chased for 18 years turns out to be a trap. One misstep (“trip”) and you fall hard—no safety net.
❇️🎶• Expecting to Fly (Buffalo Springfield) – 3:44 dreamlike - disassociated
❇️🎶• Sugar Mountain 5:43
Sugar mountain feels like that for me. Sad but not hopeless. Fondly sad. Missing childhood. Now I'm on The Loner - more ouch.
❇️🎶• I Am a Child (Buffalo Springfield) – 2:17 mellow- he misses being a kid.
❇️🎶• The Loner – 3:50
☪
“The Loner” is pure ouch wrapped in beauty.
That descending guitar riff (those lonely, bending notes that feel like they’re sliding down a wall) sets the tone before Neil even opens his mouth.
Then he sings:
He’s a perfect stranger
Like a cross of himself and a fox
He’s a feeling arranger
And a changer of the ways he talks
It’s Neil painting a self-portrait at 22: the outsider, the shape-shifter, the guy who watches everyone else connect while he stays just out of reach.
The chorus hits like a quiet confession:
He’s the loner
There’s no one left to talk to
He’s alone
And he can’t find his way home
❇️🎶• The Old Laughing Lady – 5:59
Now I'm on The Old Laughing Lady. Officially my 2nd favorite so far, sound-wise. I have no clue what it's about, though.
☪
“The Old Laughing Lady” is one of Neil’s most mysterious and haunting early songs—from his debut solo album Neil Young (1968). Sound-wise, it’s pure magic: that swirling, almost psychedelic arrangement with the female backing vocals (the “ladies” laughing and cooing like ghosts), the strings creeping in, the piano like a funeral parlor waltz… it feels like stepping into a dream that’s half beautiful, half nightmare. It’s no wonder it’s climbing your favorites list fast. The atmosphere alone is addictive.
[[[What it’s about?]]]
☪
Neil has never fully explained it (classic Neil), but the most common and compelling interpretations revolve around addiction—specifically heroin, or substance abuse in general.
Here’s the breakdown:
The “old laughing lady” is widely seen as heroin personified—seductive, promising escape and euphoria (“laughing” = the high), but ultimately aging, destructive, and mocking.
Key lines:
Don’t call pretty Peggy, she can’t hear you no more
Don’t leave no message ’round her back door
They say the old laughing lady been tryin’ to find us all day long…
“Pretty Peggy” = the user’s former self, innocence, or loved ones trying to reach him. They can’t get through anymore.
[[[I kept listening to laughing lady through Down by the river - several times, at least 6. I'm finally throwing them on a list and moving on this time through. ]]]
☪
“The Old Laughing Lady” through “Down by the River” on repeat six times?
That’s not listening.
That’s immersion. You’ve been living in Neil’s early psychedelic/folk-rock trance:
The eerie laughter and swirling strings of “Laughing Lady” pulling you into the dream
The raw ache of “The Loner” and “I Am a Child”
The wistful goodbye of “Sugar Mountain”
And then… “Down by the River” slamming the door with nine minutes of slow-burning, hypnotic murder ballad.
That stretch is basically Neil’s emotional rollercoaster from innocence to darkness in one unbroken flow. No wonder you couldn’t move on. It’s designed to trap you in the best way.
continues ➡️
☪
Biblical echo: “The Fall” — original sin, loss of innocence. One “trip” (forbidden fruit, curiosity, rebellion) and everything crashes. The whole song feels like a meditation on shattered American dreams, and this line is the personal/micro version.
Broader disillusionment: The “American dream” the kid chased for 18 years turns out to be a trap. One misstep (“trip”) and you fall hard—no safety net.
❇️🎶• Expecting to Fly (Buffalo Springfield) – 3:44 dreamlike - disassociated
❇️🎶• Sugar Mountain 5:43
Sugar mountain feels like that for me. Sad but not hopeless. Fondly sad. Missing childhood. Now I'm on The Loner - more ouch.
❇️🎶• I Am a Child (Buffalo Springfield) – 2:17 mellow- he misses being a kid.
❇️🎶• The Loner – 3:50
☪
“The Loner” is pure ouch wrapped in beauty.
That descending guitar riff (those lonely, bending notes that feel like they’re sliding down a wall) sets the tone before Neil even opens his mouth.
Then he sings:
He’s a perfect stranger
Like a cross of himself and a fox
He’s a feeling arranger
And a changer of the ways he talks
It’s Neil painting a self-portrait at 22: the outsider, the shape-shifter, the guy who watches everyone else connect while he stays just out of reach.
The chorus hits like a quiet confession:
He’s the loner
There’s no one left to talk to
He’s alone
And he can’t find his way home
❇️🎶• The Old Laughing Lady – 5:59
Now I'm on The Old Laughing Lady. Officially my 2nd favorite so far, sound-wise. I have no clue what it's about, though.
☪
“The Old Laughing Lady” is one of Neil’s most mysterious and haunting early songs—from his debut solo album Neil Young (1968). Sound-wise, it’s pure magic: that swirling, almost psychedelic arrangement with the female backing vocals (the “ladies” laughing and cooing like ghosts), the strings creeping in, the piano like a funeral parlor waltz… it feels like stepping into a dream that’s half beautiful, half nightmare. It’s no wonder it’s climbing your favorites list fast. The atmosphere alone is addictive.
[[[What it’s about?]]]
☪
Neil has never fully explained it (classic Neil), but the most common and compelling interpretations revolve around addiction—specifically heroin, or substance abuse in general.
Here’s the breakdown:
The “old laughing lady” is widely seen as heroin personified—seductive, promising escape and euphoria (“laughing” = the high), but ultimately aging, destructive, and mocking.
Key lines:
Don’t call pretty Peggy, she can’t hear you no more
Don’t leave no message ’round her back door
They say the old laughing lady been tryin’ to find us all day long…
“Pretty Peggy” = the user’s former self, innocence, or loved ones trying to reach him. They can’t get through anymore.
[[[I kept listening to laughing lady through Down by the river - several times, at least 6. I'm finally throwing them on a list and moving on this time through. ]]]
☪
“The Old Laughing Lady” through “Down by the River” on repeat six times?
That’s not listening.
That’s immersion. You’ve been living in Neil’s early psychedelic/folk-rock trance:
The eerie laughter and swirling strings of “Laughing Lady” pulling you into the dream
The raw ache of “The Loner” and “I Am a Child”
The wistful goodbye of “Sugar Mountain”
And then… “Down by the River” slamming the door with nine minutes of slow-burning, hypnotic murder ballad.
That stretch is basically Neil’s emotional rollercoaster from innocence to darkness in one unbroken flow. No wonder you couldn’t move on. It’s designed to trap you in the best way.
continues ➡️
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ThrashersWheat retweeted
🎸Artist: Neil Young 📀 Album: Decade
☪
Financially?
Skynyrd made bank off a song that wouldn’t exist without Neil pissing them off.
Neil himself has laughed about it—he said he loved “Sweet Home,” thought it was funny, and even played it live a few times as a nod.
It’s the ultimate rock beef that turned into mutual respect:
Neil: “The South has a racism problem.”
Skynyrd: “Don’t paint us all with the same brush, yankee.”
Both: Make timeless music that still gets played at every cookout.
❇️🎶• Helpless (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) – 3:34
[[[Helpless - 3rd favorite so far]]]
☪
Your top is jammed packed because Neil packed it that way on purpose.Decade is a masterclass in putting bangers next to gut-punchers next to dreamers next to ragers. There’s no room to breathe because every song demands its own space in your soul.
❇️🎶• Ohio (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) – 2:56 such a bad@$$ song about a very sad day
🎶• Soldier – 2:28 can live without it
❇️🎶• Old Man – 3:21
[[[Old Man is one of my favorites. I no longer know the order but it's a top 5 Neil song for me, I'm pretty sure.]]]
☪“
Old Man” absolutely deserves top-5 status—hell, it fights for #1 on a lot of people’s lists, and no one would blame you for putting it there.
That opening banjo riff (simple, rolling, almost like a heartbeat) sets the whole mood: reflective, a little weary, but warm. Then Neil’s voice comes in, young but already sounding like he’s lived three lifetimes:
Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were…
It’s Neil at 24 writing to his 50-something self (or to his father, or to the ranch hand who inspired it on the Broken Arrow Ranch he’d just bought).
He’s staring down the mirror of time, realizing the gaps between generations aren’t as wide as they seem.
The chorus harmonies (with Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor floating in like ghosts) turn it into something almost spiritual:
Old man, take a look at my life
I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me
The whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
And you can tell that’s true
It’s not just nostalgia.
It’s recognition.
❇️🎶• A Man Needs a Maid – 3:58 oh, how my husband loved this. There are at least two levels to this song and many of Neil's songs - the top level irony/complaint and the heartache underneath
🎶• Harvest – 3:08 I never put this on a PL. it isn’t bad…
❇️🎶• Heart of Gold – 3:06 SOLO SO SO good!
❇️🎶• Star of Bethlehem – 2:46 a contemplation
❇️🎶• The Needle and the Damage Done – 2:02 heartbreaking
❇️🎶• Tonight's the Night, Pt. 1 – 4:41 more so SO good
❇️🎶• Tired Eyes – 4:33 so sad and so good
❇️🎶• Walk On – 2:40 energy!
❇️🎶• For the Turnstiles – 3:01 backwoods
❇️🎶• Winterlong – 3:05
❇️🎶• Deep Forbidden Lake – 3:39 feels like looking back at good summer memories
❇️🎶• Like a Hurricane (Neil Young & Crazy Horse) – 8:16 a sad hurricane🤭
❇️🎶• Love Is a Rose – 2:16 country tune
❇️🎶• Cortez the Killer (Neil Young & Crazy Horse) – 7:29
🎶• Campaigner – 3:30 even Richard Mixon has a soul. Too dated
❇️🎶• Long May You Run (The Stills-Young Band) – 3:48 well wishes
🗣 I normally don't bother with compilation albums but this was the first thing of his to show up on Spotify after none of his catalog being available, previously. I jumped on it. It’s also the way we discovered him, through Columbia House🤭, back in the 80's. I was born just a tad too late to enjoy the late 60's early 70's rock, so I've been correcting that lapse.
For someone unfamiliar with Neil, this is a good intro, but I would recommend diving into his albums. He's one of the very best.
Anything to add about this compilation or about Neil, in general?
🤖 Big G, break it down🗯
Decade is the 1977 triple-LP (later two-CD) that Young assembled himself as a musical autobiography of the first ten years, complete with his own handwritten notes on the tracks.
continues one last time ➡️
☪
Financially?
Skynyrd made bank off a song that wouldn’t exist without Neil pissing them off.
Neil himself has laughed about it—he said he loved “Sweet Home,” thought it was funny, and even played it live a few times as a nod.
It’s the ultimate rock beef that turned into mutual respect:
Neil: “The South has a racism problem.”
Skynyrd: “Don’t paint us all with the same brush, yankee.”
Both: Make timeless music that still gets played at every cookout.
❇️🎶• Helpless (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) – 3:34
[[[Helpless - 3rd favorite so far]]]
☪
Your top is jammed packed because Neil packed it that way on purpose.Decade is a masterclass in putting bangers next to gut-punchers next to dreamers next to ragers. There’s no room to breathe because every song demands its own space in your soul.
❇️🎶• Ohio (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) – 2:56 such a bad@$$ song about a very sad day
🎶• Soldier – 2:28 can live without it
❇️🎶• Old Man – 3:21
[[[Old Man is one of my favorites. I no longer know the order but it's a top 5 Neil song for me, I'm pretty sure.]]]
☪“
Old Man” absolutely deserves top-5 status—hell, it fights for #1 on a lot of people’s lists, and no one would blame you for putting it there.
That opening banjo riff (simple, rolling, almost like a heartbeat) sets the whole mood: reflective, a little weary, but warm. Then Neil’s voice comes in, young but already sounding like he’s lived three lifetimes:
Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were…
It’s Neil at 24 writing to his 50-something self (or to his father, or to the ranch hand who inspired it on the Broken Arrow Ranch he’d just bought).
He’s staring down the mirror of time, realizing the gaps between generations aren’t as wide as they seem.
The chorus harmonies (with Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor floating in like ghosts) turn it into something almost spiritual:
Old man, take a look at my life
I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me
The whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
And you can tell that’s true
It’s not just nostalgia.
It’s recognition.
❇️🎶• A Man Needs a Maid – 3:58 oh, how my husband loved this. There are at least two levels to this song and many of Neil's songs - the top level irony/complaint and the heartache underneath
🎶• Harvest – 3:08 I never put this on a PL. it isn’t bad…
❇️🎶• Heart of Gold – 3:06 SOLO SO SO good!
❇️🎶• Star of Bethlehem – 2:46 a contemplation
❇️🎶• The Needle and the Damage Done – 2:02 heartbreaking
❇️🎶• Tonight's the Night, Pt. 1 – 4:41 more so SO good
❇️🎶• Tired Eyes – 4:33 so sad and so good
❇️🎶• Walk On – 2:40 energy!
❇️🎶• For the Turnstiles – 3:01 backwoods
❇️🎶• Winterlong – 3:05
❇️🎶• Deep Forbidden Lake – 3:39 feels like looking back at good summer memories
❇️🎶• Like a Hurricane (Neil Young & Crazy Horse) – 8:16 a sad hurricane🤭
❇️🎶• Love Is a Rose – 2:16 country tune
❇️🎶• Cortez the Killer (Neil Young & Crazy Horse) – 7:29
🎶• Campaigner – 3:30 even Richard Mixon has a soul. Too dated
❇️🎶• Long May You Run (The Stills-Young Band) – 3:48 well wishes
🗣 I normally don't bother with compilation albums but this was the first thing of his to show up on Spotify after none of his catalog being available, previously. I jumped on it. It’s also the way we discovered him, through Columbia House🤭, back in the 80's. I was born just a tad too late to enjoy the late 60's early 70's rock, so I've been correcting that lapse.
For someone unfamiliar with Neil, this is a good intro, but I would recommend diving into his albums. He's one of the very best.
Anything to add about this compilation or about Neil, in general?
🤖 Big G, break it down🗯
Decade is the 1977 triple-LP (later two-CD) that Young assembled himself as a musical autobiography of the first ten years, complete with his own handwritten notes on the tracks.
continues one last time ➡️
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Neil Young cover: "The Loner"
Shane: "Rainy Day Man" (1969)
In New Zealand in 1969, there was apparently little to wear, even in the rain. Rainy-day man "Shane," who has a third eye growing in the palm of his right hand, recorded a cover of "The Loner" that same year . Thanks Rusted Moon!)
The Loner youtu.be/WbXklXRFpu4?si… via @YouTube
Shane: "Rainy Day Man" (1969)
In New Zealand in 1969, there was apparently little to wear, even in the rain. Rainy-day man "Shane," who has a third eye growing in the palm of his right hand, recorded a cover of "The Loner" that same year . Thanks Rusted Moon!)
The Loner youtu.be/WbXklXRFpu4?si… via @YouTube
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