In the Tower of Song Part 2
By Colton Claye
Neil Young
If you have heard of Neil Young, but haven’t heard Neil Young, or if you’ve only heard a few of his songs, it would be worth checking out a wide sample of his music. Neil follows his muse as much as any artist, so much so that he has upset listeners, bandmates and, famously, his record company with some of his releases. For many of his fans, that is part of his appeal.
His 1977 compilation, Decade, is an ideal place to start. It shows the incredible range of his tastes in just, you guessed it, a decade.
Two albums show how accessible his music can be at times, Harvest and Harvest Moon. While Tonight's the Night is such a deeply personal expression of an artist confronting tragic loss that the listener must meet the music completely on the artist’s terms.
His 1978 masterpiece, Rust never Sleeps, has an acoustic side (well, back in ‘78 albums had sides) and an electric side that features his longtime collaborators, Crazy Horse.
I could go on and on with albums I would recommend by Neil, but I guess I already did.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce made it his mission to have his music involve the mind and body. His appreciation of the physicality of musicians such as James Brown separated him from the many confessional songwriters that were popular at the time of his first album. Yet he had an appreciation for meaningful lyricism too, and so he managed to find a way to have it both ways.
Born to Run features that combination as well as any of his albums. It is not only considered one of his best albums, but one of the best albums by any artist ever.
The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts only recently became available, and it is a testament to how intimate and electrifying Bruce and The E Street Band can be.
Bob Seger
Like Bruce, Bob Seger was able to find common ground between once separate styles of music. Growing up in Detroit, Bob soaked up the sounds of Motown, and he applied that to his gift for storytelling to create something unique. It is only fitting that he would lead Prince to see the value in writing ballads.
Any of Bob’s greatest hits albums would be a great intro, but Stranger in Town has so many staples that it practically is a greatest hits collection. This is the album where Bob puts it all together and shows all his strengths.
John Prine
It is such a shame that John Prine never got the airplay he deserved. I urge you to check out his 1971 self-titled debut. From the start, John had the ability to combine the comic and tragic in his lyrics. “Sam Stone” and “Hello in there” are two highlights on this album.
Jim Croce
There was a time when Jim’s music played everywhere, but his great catalog of songs isn’t in rotation the way it used to be. Photographs & Memories: His Greatest Hits belongs in every collection. As you listen, it is worth keeping in mind that all these songs were recorded in a three-year span. We lost him way too soon, but he sure left a lot of great music.
About the author
Colton Claye is a writer, musician, activist, and hunt saboteur.