Product Description

This first single disc overview of Neil Young's eclectic career concentrates on the Canadian artist's 1970's output. Inaddition, the first three tracks are culled from 1969's 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' - and the 1969 CSN&Y hit-single 'Ohio' is included. Young's 1980's material is represented by the politically charged 'Rockin' In The Free World'; whilst 1992's 'Harvest Moon' is the only track to be taken from the following decade.

Track Listing

1. Down By The River
2. Cowgirl In The Sand
3. Cinnamon Girl
4. Helpless
5. After The Gold Rush
6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart
7. Southern Man
8. Ohio
9. The Needle and The Damage Done
10. Old Man
11. Heart Of Gold
12. Like A Hurricane
13. Comes A Time
14. Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
15. Rockin’ In The Free World
16. Harvest Moon

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #621 in Music
• Released on: 2004-11-15
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
The Greatest Hits is the definitive collection of Neil Young's most-loved songs including 'Cinnamon Girl', 'The Needle And The Damage Done', 'Heart Of Gold', 'Rockin' In The Free World' and 'Harvest Moon'. The album also features Young's best work with Crosby, Stills and Nash in the form of 'Helpless' and 'Ohio'. The Greatest Hits documents the finest work from an artist who has not only sold in excess of 45-million albums, but whose influence can be heard on countless major bands since, such as Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and Wilco.

Customer Reviews

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.

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.

Excellent.
This is a smooth and relaxed compilation of Neil Young's greatest work, every song is great.