8. Neil YoungHarvest
There are quite a few Neil Young albums I could have chosen, but Harvest I like because it’s that combination of acoustic guitar and dry, heavy drums. That’s a certain kind of special thing that he invented, and they’re quite slow. ‘Out On The Weekend’ is a prime example of that kind of slow, purposeful rhythm with heavy acoustic guitars. My best friend from school, Desmond, who unfortunately is not with us anymore- there’s a piece I wrote about him on the Quietus actually – he was a huge Neil Young fan, and he had all of the Neil Young records. We were so close that we never bought any record that the other had. I spent so much time around his place anyway, so if Desmond owned it, it was like me owning it. Again, what can you say about Neil Young? He’s a classic artist. He flew in the face of quite a lot of things. I liked Crosby, Stills & Nash; I liked Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. There was a point when Crosby, Stills & Nash were uncool but Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were more cool, and Young was the most cool. There was a rumour that he’d left Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young because he’d figured out that he could make more money on his own. I actually think that’s probably not true because I’ve read a little bit of stuff around that period. But Neil Young has remained singular. In theory I like everything he’s ever done, although I haven’t heard everything he’s ever done. But certainly I’ve heard later work and really liked it as well. He’s the important figure, as a contrary kind of figure.
