Any Major Neil Young Songbook Vol. 1
As Neil Young turns 80 on November 12, here’s the first of two volumes of a Songbook of covers.
Young’s songwriting is pretty distinctive, in sound and vision. Even as he traverses folk, rock, country and even experimental terrain, he is always unmistakably Neil Young — his unique vocal delivery that mixes vulnerability and grit, the evocative and sometimes combative lyrics, and the guitar work that can be brittle acoustic strumming or explosive electric solos.
To cover a Young song well requires of the artist to leave the behind idiosyncrasies of Young’s delivery and find their own way with the tune and lyrics.
Marsha Hunt does this well on Southern Man. Young’s original, from 1970s After The Gold Rush, confronts racism with fierce anger. Hunt’s version softens some of Young’s edge but retains, perhaps even intensifies, the moral weight.
On their 1983 live version of Like A Hurricane, Roxy Music retain the fury of the original, but add their arty gloss to it, plus a touch of soul with the remarkable backing vocals by Fonzi Thornton, Michelle Cobbs and Tawatha Agee. It’s even more epic than Young’s great version.
You’d expect Duran Duran to do something similar on their 1995 cover of The Needle And The Damage Done. Instead of trying to give Young’s delicate song more verve, they strip back the sound even more, to good effect.
One of Young’s lesser-known songs, the gorgeous Till The Morning Comes, is given beautiful treatment by Françoise Hardy in 1972. Here is a good case to be made that Young songs, at least the slow ones, are conducive to covers by women. The covers here by acts like Rita Coolidge, Elkie Brooks, Norah Jones, Everything But The Girl, Rumer, or kd lang bear this out.
As does the version of After The Gold Rush by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris on their 1999 Trio II album. Harris and Ronstadt had covered several Neil Young songs before that.
As ever, the mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R, includes home-whined covers, and the above text in PDF format. PW in comments.
1. Tedeschi Trucks Band – Alabama (live) (2017)
2. Marsha Hunt – Southern Man (1973)
3. Bettye LaVette – Heart Of Gold (1972)
4. Dan McCafferty – Cinammon Girl (1975)
5. Southern Comfort – Harvest (1972)
6. Elkie Brooks – Only Love Can Break Your Heart (1978)
7. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris – After The Gold Rush (1999)
8. Roxy Music – Like A Hurricane (live) (1983)
9. Duran Duran – The Needle And The Damage Done (1995)
10. Del Amitri – Don’t Cry No Tears (1992)
11. kd lang – Helpless (2004)
12. Cowboy Junkies – Love In Mind (2022)
13. Johnny Cash – Pocahontas (rel. 2003)
14. Natalie Cole – Old Man (2006)
15. Norah Jones – Don’t Be Denied (2016)
16. Rumer – A Man Needs A Maid (2012)
17. Everything But The Girl – Birds (1993)
18. Françoise Hardy – Till The Morning Comes (1971)
19. Rita Coolidge – I Believe In You (1971)
20. The Byrds – Cowgirl In The Sand (1973)
21. Cassandra Wilson – Harvest Moon (1996)
Previous Songbooks:
ABBA
Ashford & Simpson
Barry Gibb Vol. 1
Barry Gibb Vol. 2
Bill Withers
Billy Joel
Bob Dylan Volumes 1-5
Brian Wilson
Bruce Springsteen
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 1
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 2
Burt Bacharach’s Lesser-Known Songbook
Carole Bayer Sager
Carole King Vol. 1
Carole King Vol. 2
Chuck Berry
Cole Porter Vol. 1
Cole Porter Vol. 2
Elton John & Bernie Taupin
George Harrison
Gordon Lightfoot
Hank Williams
Holland-Dozier-Holland
John Prine
Jimmy Webb Vol. 1
Jimmy Webb Vol. 2
Jimmy Webb Vol. 3
Kris Kristofferson
Lamont Dozier
Laura Nyro
Leonard Cohen
Neil Diamond
Paul McCartney Vol. 1
Paul McCartney Vol. 2
Pete Townshend
Prince
Rod Temperton
Rolling Stones Vol. 1
Rolling Stones Vol. 2
Sly Stone
Steely Dan
Stevie Wonder Vol. 1
Tom Waits
Van Morrison
PW = amdwhah
Very nice song selection. I know only about half of these versions, with the Duran Duran being surprisingly good (usually they are over the top and/or shrill).
Thank you for your hard work in putting this together.
Norah Jones! Excellent Compilation. Thank You.