Photo by Raph_PH , licensed under CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Rank #333
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Young's ragged-glory band of feedback and moonlit Americana.
From Wikipedia
Neil Percival Young is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. Son of journalist and author Scott Young, Young embarked on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s. He then moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. His solo career, often backed by the band Crazy Horse, includes critically acclaimed albums such as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969), After the Gold Rush (1970), Harvest (1972), On the Beach (1974), and Rust Never Sleeps (1979). Young was also a part-time member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, with whom he recorded the chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu.
Discography & Previews
Browse through and click an album to open and play 30-second previews streamed from Apple Music.
Neil Young
1968 · 10 tracks
- 1 The Emperor of Wyoming ↗ 2:18
- 2 The Loner ↗ 3:52
- 3 If I Could Have Her Tonight ↗ 2:20
- 4 I've Been Waiting for You ↗ 2:31
- 5 The Old Laughing Lady ↗ 5:56
- 6 String Quartet from Whiskey Boot Hill ↗ 1:05
- 7 Here We Are In the Years ↗ 3:17
- 8 What Did You Do to My Life? ↗ 2:27
- 9 I've Loved Her So Long ↗ 2:46
- 10 The Last Trip to Tulsa ↗ 9:27
After the Gold Rush
1970 · 11 tracks
- 1 Tell Me Why ↗ 2:59
- 2 After the Gold Rush ↗ 3:47
- 3 Only Love Can Break Your Heart ↗ 3:10
- 4 Southern Man ↗ 5:31
- 5 Till the Morning Comes ↗ 1:28
- 6 Oh, Lonesome Me ↗ 3:50
- 7 Don't Let It Bring You Down ↗ 3:00
- 8 Birds ↗ 2:33
- 9 When You Dance I Can Really Love ↗ 3:46
- 10 I Believe In You ↗ 3:27
- 11 Cripple Creek Ferry ↗ 1:34
Harvest
1972 · 10 tracks
Tonight’s the Night
1975 · 12 tracks
- 1 Tonight's the Night ↗ 4:41
- 2 Speakin' Out ↗ 4:57
- 3 World On a String ↗ 2:25
- 4 Borrowed Tune ↗ 3:25
- 5 Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown ↗ 3:35
- 6 Mellow My Mind ↗ 3:10
- 7 Roll Another Number (For the Road) ↗ 3:04
- 8 Albuquerque ↗ 4:01
- 9 New Mama ↗ 2:13
- 10 Lookout Joe ↗ 3:54
- 11 Tired Eyes ↗ 4:36
- 12 Tonight's the Night, Pt. II ↗ 4:52
Chrome Dreams
1977 · 12 tracks
- 1 Pocahontas (Indigo Ranch, Malibu, 8/11/1976) ↗ 3:23
- 2 Will to Love (Broken Arrow Ranch, 4/25/1976) ↗ 7:11
- 3 Star of Bethlehem (Quadrafonic Sound Studios, Nashville, 12/13/1974) ↗ 2:43
- 4 Like a Hurricane (Broken Arrow Ranch, 11/29/1975) ↗ 8:21
- 5 Too Far Gone (Broken Arrow Ranch, 9/5/1975) ↗ 2:44
- 6 Hold Back the Tears (Indigo Ranch, Malibu, 2/6/1977) ↗ 5:15
- 7 Homegrown (Broken Arrow Ranch, 11/19/1975) ↗ 2:23
- 8 Captain Kennedy (Indigo Ranch, Malibu, 8/11/1976) ↗ 2:54
- 9 Stringman (Live at Hammersmith Apollo, London, 3/31/1976) ↗ 3:32
- 10 Sedan Delivery (Point Dume, CA, 5/22/1975) ↗ 5:21
- 11 Powderfinger (Indigo Ranch, Malibu, 8/11/1976) ↗ 3:23
- 12 Look Out for My Love (Broken Arrow Ranch, 1/20/1976) ↗ 4:01
Everybody’s Rockin’
1983 · 10 tracks
Freedom
1989 · 12 tracks
- 1 Rockin' In the Free World (Acoustic Version) [Live] ↗ 3:40
- 2 Crime In the City (Sixty to Zero, Pt. I) ↗ 8:45
- 3 Don't Cry ↗ 4:16
- 4 Hangin' On a Limb ↗ 4:19
- 5 Eldorado ↗ 6:05
- 6 The Ways of Love ↗ 4:29
- 7 Someday ↗ 5:42
- 8 On Broadway ↗ 4:59
- 9 Wrecking Ball ↗ 5:10
- 10 No More ↗ 6:06
- 11 Too Far Gone ↗ 2:49
- 12 Rockin' In the Free World ↗ 4:42
Sleeps With Angels
1994 · 12 tracks
Are You Passionate?
2002 · 11 tracks
Greendale
2003 · 10 tracks
- 1 Falling from Above (Live) ↗ 7:42
- 2 Double E (Live) ↗ 5:32
- 3 Devil's Sidewalk (Live) ↗ 6:23
- 4 Leave The Driving (Live) ↗ 6:34
- 5 Carmichael (Live) ↗ 10:40
- 6 Bandit (Live) ↗ 6:35
- 7 Grandpa's Interview (Live) ↗ 13:24
- 8 Bringin' Down Dinner (Live) ↗ 3:17
- 9 Sun Green (Live) ↗ 12:19
- 10 Be The Rain (Live) ↗ 8:19
Greendale (A Film By Neil Young)
2004 · 10 tracks
- 1 Falling from Above (Live) ↗ 7:42
- 2 Double E (Live) ↗ 5:32
- 3 Devil's Sidewalk (Live) ↗ 6:23
- 4 Leave The Driving (Live) ↗ 6:34
- 5 Carmichael (Live) ↗ 10:40
- 6 Bandit (Live) ↗ 6:35
- 7 Grandpa's Interview (Live) ↗ 13:24
- 8 Bringin' Down Dinner (Live) ↗ 3:17
- 9 Sun Green (Live) ↗ 12:19
- 10 Be The Rain (Live) ↗ 8:19
Living With War
2006 · 10 tracks
A Letter Home
2014 · 12 tracks
- 1 A Letter Home Intro ↗ 2:17
- 2 Changes ↗ 3:56
- 3 Girl From the North Country ↗ 3:31
- 4 Needle of Death ↗ 4:57
- 5 Early Morning Rain ↗ 4:24
- 6 Crazy ↗ 2:16
- 7 Reason to Believe ↗ 2:47
- 8 On the Road Again ↗ 2:23
- 9 If You Could Read My Mind ↗ 4:04
- 10 Since I Met You Baby ↗ 2:13
- 11 My Hometown ↗ 4:08
- 12 I Wonder If I Care As Much ↗ 2:32
Storytone
2014 · 10 tracks
- 1 Plastic Flowers (Orchestral) ↗ 4:06
- 2 Who's Gonna Stand Up? (Orchestral) ↗ 4:24
- 3 I Want To Drive My Car (Band) ↗ 3:11
- 4 Glimmer (Orchestral) ↗ 5:01
- 5 Say Hello To Chicago (Big Band) ↗ 4:58
- 6 Tumbleweed (Orchestral) ↗ 3:38
- 7 Like You Used To Do (Band) ↗ 2:41
- 8 I'm Glad I Found You (Orchestral) ↗ 3:43
- 9 When I Watch You Sleeping (Orchestral) ↗ 5:31
- 10 All Those Dreams (Orchestral) ↗ 4:18
World Record
2022 · 11 tracks
- 1 Love Earth ↗ 4:04
- 2 Overhead ↗ 3:41
- 3 I Walk with You (Earth Ringtone) ↗ 3:58
- 4 This Old Planet (Changing Days) ↗ 2:31
- 5 The World (Is In Trouble Now) ↗ 3:16
- 6 Break the Chain ↗ 4:07
- 7 The Long Day Before ↗ 2:18
- 8 Walkin' On The Road (To The Future) ↗ 2:57
- 9 The Wonder Won't Wait ↗ 3:18
- 10 Chevrolet ↗ 15:16
- 11 This Old Planet (Reprise) ↗ 1:19
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Neil YoungNeil Young & Crazy Horse196810 tracks -
After the Gold RushNeil Young & Crazy Horse197011 tracks -
HarvestNeil Young & Crazy Horse197210 tracks -
On the BeachNeil Young & Crazy Horse19748 tracks -
Tonight’s the NightNeil Young & Crazy Horse197512 tracks -
American Stars ’n BarsNeil Young & Crazy Horse19779 tracks -
Chrome DreamsNeil Young & Crazy Horse197712 tracks -
Comes a TimeNeil Young & Crazy Horse197810 tracks -
Hawks & DovesNeil Young & Crazy Horse19809 tracks -
Re·ac·torNeil Young & Crazy Horse19818 tracks -
TransNeil Young & Crazy Horse19829 tracks -
Everybody’s Rockin’Neil Young & Crazy Horse198310 tracks -
Old WaysNeil Young & Crazy Horse198510 tracks -
Landing on WaterNeil Young & Crazy Horse198610 tracks -
LifeNeil Young & Crazy Horse19879 tracks -
This Note’s for YouNeil Young & Crazy Horse198810 tracks -
FreedomNeil Young & Crazy Horse198912 tracks -
Ragged GloryNeil Young & Crazy Horse199010 tracks -
Harvest MoonNeil Young & Crazy Horse199210 tracks -
Sleeps With AngelsNeil Young & Crazy Horse199412 tracks -
Mirror BallNeil Young & Crazy Horse199511 tracks -
Broken ArrowNeil Young & Crazy Horse19968 tracks -
Silver & GoldNeil Young & Crazy Horse200010 tracks -
Are You Passionate?Neil Young & Crazy Horse200211 tracks -
GreendaleNeil Young & Crazy Horse200310 tracks - Greendale (A Film By Neil Young)Neil Young & Crazy Horse200410 tracks
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Prairie WindNeil Young & Crazy Horse200510 tracks -
Living With WarNeil Young & Crazy Horse200610 tracks -
Living With War: In the BeginningNeil Young & Crazy Horse20069 tracks -
Chrome Dreams IINeil Young & Crazy Horse200710 tracks -
Fork in the RoadNeil Young & Crazy Horse200910 tracks -
Le NoiseNeil Young & Crazy Horse20108 tracks -
A Letter HomeNeil Young & Crazy Horse201412 tracks -
StorytoneNeil Young & Crazy Horse201410 tracks -
The Monsanto YearsNeil Young & Crazy Horse20159 tracks -
Peace TrailNeil Young & Crazy Horse201610 tracks -
HitchhikerNeil Young & Crazy Horse201710 tracks -
The VisitorNeil Young & Crazy Horse201710 tracks -
ColoradoNeil Young & Crazy Horse201910 tracks -
HomegrownNeil Young & Crazy Horse202012 tracks -
BarnNeil Young & Crazy Horse202110 tracks -
World RecordNeil Young & Crazy Horse202211 tracks -
Oceanside CountrysideNeil Young & Crazy Horse202410 tracks -
Early DazeNeil Young & Crazy Horse202410 tracks -
Talkin to the TreesNeil Young & Crazy Horse202510 tracks
Deep Dive
Overview
Neil Young & Crazy Horse represent one of rock music’s most durable and musically restless collaborations. Formed in 1969, the partnership between Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young and the American hard-rock trio Crazy Horse produced some of the era’s most emotionally direct and sonically unpolished rock music. Where many of Young’s solo efforts pursued folk or country-rock finesse, his work with Crazy Horse embraced feedback, distortion, and a rawness that placed them at the intersection of folk rock’s introspection and hard rock’s physical intensity.
Formation Story
Neil Young had already logged time in the Los Angeles folk-rock scene as a member of Buffalo Springfield before embarking on his solo career in the late 1960s. Crazy Horse, the backing band that would become synonymous with Young’s most guitar-driven work, coalesced around him in 1969. The classic lineup featured Danny Whitten on guitar and vocals, Billy Talbot on bass, and Ralph Molina on drums—a configuration that would define the band’s sound for decades. The chemistry between Young’s compositional voice and Crazy Horse’s unadorned, blues-rooted approach proved immediate and consequential.
Breakthrough Moment
Young’s partnership with Crazy Horse crystallized commercially and creatively with Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere in 1969. That album announced a shift away from the folk-pop polish Young had explored on earlier solo work, replacing it with extended guitar workouts and a band interplay built on mutual musical trust rather than technical polish. The record’s success established that Young’s audience would follow him into harder, more experimental territory. This foundation carried forward through the early 1970s as Young alternated between his solo acoustic or country-rock work and explosive sessions with Crazy Horse, each project amplifying the other’s identity.
Peak Era
The period from 1970 to 1979 constituted Crazy Horse’s era of maximum creative and commercial impact alongside Young. After the Gold Rush (1970) showcased Young’s ability to weave introspection with Crazy Horse’s wall-of-sound guitar approach. Harvest (1972) moved closer to country-rock subtlety, yet reaffirmed Young’s partnership with the band as one of his primary creative outlets. On the Beach (1974) and Rust Never Sleeps (1979) crystallized the band’s signature aesthetic: Young’s tremolo-laden guitar merged with Molina’s thunderous drumming and Talbot’s steady bottom end, all in service of songs that mixed vulnerability with sonic aggression. This decade-long run established Young & Crazy Horse as architects of a distinctly American rock sound, one rooted in folk tradition but electrified by distortion and rhythmic weight.
Musical Style
The Crazy Horse sound derived much of its character from an almost deliberate refusal to sand down its edges. Molina’s drumming sat in a heavy, blues-inflected pocket that emphasized swing and human feel over metronomic precision. Talbot’s bass playing provided a thick, often guitar-like melodic presence rather than simply anchoring the bottom. Young’s guitar work—whether playing lead lines that careened into feedback or comping behind the band—favored texture and emotional directness over virtuosic display. Vocally, Young’s high, reedy tenor maintained an intentional distance from his lyrics’ content, creating a productive tension between vocal fragility and instrumental force. The band’s folk-rock and hard-rock lineage merged country-music’s narrative sensibility with rock music’s capacity for volume and distortion, producing a hybrid that influenced both singer-songwriter traditions and guitar-driven rock for decades.
Major Albums
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
Young’s debut album with Crazy Horse introduced the guitar-centric aesthetic that would define their partnership, moving decisively away from folk-pop conventions toward feedback-laden rock.+
After the Gold Rush (1970)
Combining folk-rock introspection with Crazy Horse’s muscular arrangements, this album balanced Young’s most poignant songwriting with the band’s ability to amplify emotional intensity through sheer sonic weight.
Harvest (1972)
Young’s most commercially successful solo album, featuring fuller production and occasional country-rock textures, yet retaining the band’s core rhythmic and sonic fingerprints in key moments.
On the Beach (1974)
A return to Crazy Horse’s harder edge after Harvest, the album showcased Young’s willingness to confront darker emotional terrain with the band’s unflinching sonic approach.
Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
A career-defining collaboration that merged acoustic vulnerability with electric ferocity, Rust Never Sleeps crystallized Young & Crazy Horse’s ability to move fluidly between intimate and monumental scale, with Crazy Horse’s power married to Young’s folk sensibilities.
Signature Songs
- “Cinnamon Girl” — A Crazy Horse staple from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, built on Young’s incisive guitar riff and the band’s locked-groove intensity.
- “Down by the River” — A slow-building blues-rock vehicle that showcased the band’s ability to sustain tension and release over extended durations.
- “Cortez the Killer” — Young’s most elaborate guitar performance in the Crazy Horse catalogue, demonstrating the band’s capacity for lyrical depth paired with instrumental virtuosity.
- “Rockin’ in the Free World” — A late-career anthem from Rust Never Sleeps that became synonymous with Young’s political voice and the band’s straightforward power.
- “Like a Hurricane” — A showcase for Young’s tremolo-driven lead work and Molina’s propulsive drumming, this song epitomized the band’s raw emotional power.
Influence on Rock
Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s impact on rock music extended across multiple genres and decades. Their embrace of feedback and sonic rawness, combined with folk-rock’s narrative depth, provided a template that influenced hard-rock and heavy-metal musicians seeking emotional authenticity alongside volume. Grunge musicians in particular drew inspiration from Young’s willingness to shift between acoustic vulnerability and electric intensity, and from Crazy Horse’s refusal to polish away the human imperfections in their playing. The band’s long-term partnership also underscored an alternative to the rock-star dissolution narrative—Young and Crazy Horse proved that longevity, musical growth, and uncompromising aesthetics could coexist. Their influence on alternative rock, indie rock, and even contemporary folk-influenced rock remained substantial well into the 21st century.
Legacy
Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s partnership has endured in various forms from 1969 to the present, making them one of rock’s most resilient collaborations. Young’s prolific output and willingness to revisit the band across multiple decades ensured that Crazy Horse remained a living creative force rather than a historical artifact. The band’s records have retained critical esteem and a devoted listening audience, their unpolished aesthetic and emotional directness seemingly antithetical to obsolescence. Young’s broader cultural status as a rock elder statesman and political voice amplified the band’s legacy, while the durability of songs like “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Like a Hurricane” in the popular consciousness testified to the enduring resonance of their catalogue.
Fun Facts
- Neil Young maintained an official archive (neilyoungarchives.com) documenting his extensive catalogue, including detailed documentation of Crazy Horse sessions and performances spanning decades.
- The band’s willingness to record in unconventional settings—from live recordings to basement studios—contributed to the intentional roughness that became their sonic signature.
- Young’s partnership with Crazy Horse coexisted with his simultaneous membership in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, a supergroup arrangement that demonstrated his ability to navigate multiple musical contexts without compromising his artistic vision.
- Crazy Horse’s core lineup of Whitten, Talbot, and Molina remained remarkably stable across the band’s most productive decades, a testament to the deep musical understanding between members.