Neil Young
Greatest Hits

THE REVIEW

Neil Young's first greatest hits. Condensing the colossal work of the artist into a single album was a daunting task, but the choices made are more than appreciable.

There is no need to spend more words on Neil Young, about whom everything has already been said. Just to introduce the album, it is worth remembering that the artist, Canadian by birth, was (and is) one of the most important personalities in rock music. His influence on new generations has been (and is) enormous. He has composed concept albums of enormous stature, alternating "schizophrenically" between studio and live recordings, as subdued as the former are, the latter are raw. He has ranged from country to acid-rock, from folk to blues, from hard rock to grunge.

The greatest hits primarily collects tracks from the early albums, perhaps the most significant ones.

"Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" are two long rock compositions, dreamlike and electric. "Cinnamon Girl" is even more rhythmic, almost hard rock. Then comes "Helpless", a track from the "Deja Vu" album by the acclaimed "CSNY", with a more bucolic and relaxed atmosphere.

"After the GoldRush" and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" are typical folk melodic ballads. The same album also features the famous electric ride "Southern Man". "Ohio", a vehement protest song, reprises the same electric arrangements but combines them with CSNY-style singing.

From "Harvest", perhaps Young's most famous album, the relaxed "Heart of Gold", the sad "Old Man", and the touching "The Needle and the Damage Done" are included. Hats off, we have thus reached the peak of country rock of all time. "Like A Hurricane" is instead an intense electric ballad, distorted sounds (almost grunge) accompanying one of the most beautiful "Youngian" melodies. "Comes a Time" and "Harvest Moon" mark a return to the atmospheres of "After the Goldrush" and "Harvest", but are less successful than the previous ones. "Rockin' in the Freeworld" and "Hey Hey, My My" are hard rock tracks, anthems to freedom and the immortality of the genre.

Overall, it's a very interesting collection, especially for a hypothetical newcomer. However, some of Young's most beautiful songs are missing: from the bucolic "Sugar Mountain", "Tell Me Why", "Harvest", and "Out On the Weekend", to the more spirited "Alabama" and "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown", from the melancholic compositions of "Tonight's The Night" and "On The Beach" to the more cheerful tunes of "Zuma", from the simple grunge of "Ragged Glory" to the more complex sound of "Sleeps with Angels".