Americana (Deluxe Edition)

I don't know why some people hate this, but it's raw, original, and Neil Young. Don't hesitate, it's a great album.

I just read all 500 pages of Neil's book, all written by him, and while it is disorganized, repetitive, and occasionally enlightening, it gives you a very good idea of who Neil young is. Afterwards, I watched Heart of Gold by Jonathan Demme, and it was like a switch was turned. Brilliant movie, and then you understand that NY doesn't do albums like this as a gimmick; he just makes music with different friends at different points of life, gets it out there, then moves on to something else. I was a huge NY fan in the 70s-80s, and now i can say up through the 2010s as well. He is a unique artist in North American music: piano, harmonica, lyrics, acoustic and electric guitar. Nobody else like him this side of the Beatles.

i wrote a reveiw it was not published i may have swore which would be the most direct way to descibe a very bad album which neil is quite good at neil is ether on 5 star or neil is off 0 star this abum is 0 star neil like bruce springsteen is drunk in pride like the mass majority of americans this note to itunes is it helpful to publish reviewers five star ratings their comments etc and not publish a raters 1 star rating comments etc there comes to mind a song by genesis phil collins probably wrote in "Jesus he loves me" -"if you promise to be good GOD will be NICE. my review of neils album neil you itunes or the five star raters of neils album may not think it is very nice however the truth is hard on what is not good and therefore even though it is not "NICE" it still ought to be helpful to those that can still think and are not saturated in pride not able to see what is not good then the obligation on my part is and hope my right to publish a reveiw as others have a right to do even though it may not be "NICE" be it is fitting because the music is anything but NICE it is horrable it is john henry proud shallow shouting like all of "AMERICANA" has become. neil you like bruce would be better to go on tour solo with guitar and harmonica and experience america on the streets that you have lost touch with in this album neil would it kill you to play "heart of gold" if this song and others like it are good and i think they are (another example Midnight on the bay with stephen stills) would it kill you neil to play heart of gold and midnight on the bay etc, in concert what a strange idea this would be solo tour with acoustic guitar instead of lip sink john henry songs!!! would it kill you neil if your fans would hear something they like and not what you like?? neil you like to go off on your own with your music but remember neil concerts have others there beside yourself!!!! i have about 10 -12 neil young albums why not play the good from all your albums instead of going off into your own selfish little isolated world? neil if you want to be self absorbed why not do it on your own time!!! other people neil would i think like to hear songs like out on the weekend a man needs a maid heart of gold almost anything from comes a time etc rather than neil saying well i wrote the songs and i'll sing what i want to it is not a matter of neil being independent it is a matter of neil coming out of neils selfishness to be aware of other people that enjoy neil young music james taylor every time i have seen the person plays fire and rain a classic why not play heart of gold at your concerts neil?? why not come out of neil and see some of your friends some time i have been to two neil young concerts in my life both a big disapointment the last was better but all you did neil was to play the latest album you released which at the time was greendale a very good album by the way but that was all you played the whole album to promote a new album neil choose your favorite 3-4 but why not play harvest heart of gold midnight on the bay bring stephen with you cal the tour buffalos roam free again use your imagination neil people like the needle and the damage done and heart of gold if these songs are good then they are worthy to be played over and over which is what i do at home why not promote the old with the new the old is ever new neil are you sick of singing heart of gold? sing neil with your heart of gold to the end be happy neil make others happy neil. be somebody neil sincerely your friend TN ps neil i liked the song wayfarring stranger

It is easy to see why this is such a love or hate album for so many people. There isn't a lot of in-between here. I think that a long, storied career like Neil's allows him to be able to try something like this. I tried to approach listening to the album as if I had not grown up with these songs in grade school. When I cleared my mind and pretended that I had never heard these songs before I was able to get a different view of some of the songs. Some were really well done and had a great groove to them and some just didn't work. I think this is one of those discs that is best bought on a "per song" basis. I think most Neil fan's will find something to like here. I found three, Oh Susannah, Clementine and Tom Dula.

Got tickets to an upcoming Crazy Horse show and they mailed me this disc for free...glad I didn't pay for it (although with the concert tickets being $125 each I guess I did). I've given it two listens and it is difficult to get through. My least favorite NY music. Hate to say it but it just bored me.

"I like Neil Young very much". A good companion piece to Americana is Songs of the Civil War on Columbia records/various artists. Remember, Americana is you and I and those that came before and those that will carry on. Tradition(s). I like Neil Young very much also and I like the Crazy Horse too. Very much!

Crazy Horse has been resurrected and they still have the spook! Neil sounds reenergized after two lackluster albums. Both Fork in the Road and Le Noise could have used a little of the Horse's gallup, IMHO. With this record, they cover a bunch of old folk standards, and although there are a couple of clunkers, most soar with the gritty interpretations only Neil and the Horse could conjure. Americana's closest relative in the Neil Young canon would probably be American Stars And Bars, so if you like that album's goofy charm you'll probably get a kick out of this one.

Clearly, in his long and varied history of recording Neil Young has alienated as many as he has bewitched. If you don't like this album you don't understand the necessity of recording and placing Young's interpretation on American folk classics and traditional music which shaped much of the Nation prior to the invention of recording music.

Like this version of Gallows Pole as much as Led Zep's. the album is a fun good time I can listen to rollin down the hi way. I heard the interview with Neil on this album on Terri Gross awhile back. It was very interesting to hear the evolution of the album. The effort to bring the original lyrics bad to life is enlightening. I leaned so many of these songs as time killers as a child. The lyrics had been so washed out of their meaning. Hearing the history of the songs you discover they were much deeper and less trite than they always seemed to me.

Neil Young is the story telling man, this album just reflects that more. All of these songs have more of a folk vibe due to this new sound, but whats that? the background music, its still the same neil and he still slays the guitar. I just saw him at red rocks a couple weeks back and was amazed, hes still got some more years in him! buy it and give it a listen