Rust Never Sleeps

amazingly dark and amazingly musical

Some relaxing songs, some songs with energy....Wait, what did he say about Pocahontas??

The king

Crazy indeed

Always liked Neil Young, but before this project, I only really knew Harvest along with a few other songs.

But what this project is doing is really cementing how fucking good Neil Young is. And while I never was big on his more country tinged stuff, it works really well on this album. Sail Away was a pretty nice surprise. Its funny because going into it, I was thinking Harvest was gonna be my favorite of his due to my familiarity with it. At this point, it might honestly be the weakest albums of his I've gotten so far (still great though).

And of course, the monumental My My, Hey Hey (Into the Blue), one of my favorite songs all time.

Just a damn good record.

Still don't like his voice. The proto grunge bit at the end was good

I actually really enjoyed this! It was rewarding to experience it's crescendo from a soft folky and acoustic sound to one that's louder, rougher and more daring. I'm giving it an extra star just for that. Not the fondest of early rock n' roll but this transitional state between musical decades pleasantly surprised me. I don't care much for "Pocahontas", mainly because of some of its distasteful lyrics. "Powderfinger" is also a great song, but I don't particularly get its overwhelming hype.

Mid career Neil Young isn't especially inspired, definitely one of his that could go - extremely overrated. It's kind of a shame to waste half a crazy horse record on a pretty bland acoustic set. The second half goes a bit harder with some classic proto grunge scuzzy stuff. The thundering distortion of the second 'Hey Hey' rips right through and the guitar parts on Powderfinger especially are up there with some of his best. Get the feeling this is included mostly on the strength of the ultimate boomer meta rock and roll question 'burn out or fade away'?

A great album from a great artist.

This album is like a really interesting, but maybe a bit divisive, link between Neil Young's old folk stuff and the grunge sound that came later. The first half, which is super polished, mostly live and has this cool, intimate feel. Tracks like "Thrasher" and "Pocahontas" really show off his songwriting, even if it's not for everyone. Then, BAM! Side B goes all in with Crazy Horse, super loud and distorted. It's cool how it changes from sad and thoughtfu but the whole thing feels a bit rough around the edges. You get these amazing moments, then some stuff that's, let's just say, dad rock.

I get what they were going for with the whole design, but I think repeating the same song at the beginning and end is a bit much. "My My, Hey Hey" and "Hey Hey, My My" are cool, I guess, but hearing the same thing twice in 40 minutes feels a bit much. It's definitely an important album, and it makes a good point about rock 'n' roll, but sometimes it's more interesting as a concept than it is to actually listen to.

I don't get the hype at all. I am not a fan of his singing. This album is not as bad as some others and the band is great, so it's not really a hard listen. Still, I wouldn't choose to listen to any song from this album.

Adore Neil Young, don’t have this one, really liked it, great songs and live performance.

Today’s album is Rust Never Sleeps, and once again, I really enjoyed it. This one feels heavier and more rock-driven than some of his earlier work. There’s a rawness and edge to it, especially on the electric tracks, that gives the album a bit more bite and energy.

It’s an interesting mix as well, moving from acoustic, almost gentle moments into full-on distorted rock. That contrast works really well and keeps the album engaging all the way through.

Favourite tracks: Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) is superb. I’ve loved it ever since seeing Noel Gallagher cover it at Wembley. It’s a brilliant song and I do prefer the original. I also really enjoyed Sedan Delivery, which adds to the heavier feel of the album.
Least favourite tracks: Every track earns its place, nothing I’d skip.
Album artwork: Cool album cover, very much fits the raw, live energy of the record.

Honestly goes kinda hard. Plus his harmonica usage is way less jarring than Bob Dylan's.

Not my favorite Neil Young, but Rust Never Sleeps has several of my favorite Neil Young songs. I pretty much think that My My, Hey Hey(Out Of The Blue), Thrasher, Ride My Llama, Sedan Delivery, and Hey Hey, My My(Into The Black) are perfect. Thrasher is a chorus-less, Dylan-esque sprawl with some incredibly striking lyrics ("It was then that I knew I'd had enough
Burned my credit card for fuel Headed out to where the pavement turns to sand"). Ride My Llama is a surreal folk masterpiece. Sedan Delivery is an ultra dynamic, poetic take on straight up punk. And Out Of The Blue and Into The Black bookend the album in one of the smartest moves in rock history. Rust Never Sleeps slowly gradiates from the haunted hush of the former, to the blistered, scorched, sand-blasted latter. Collectively, they capture the album's two furthest extremes and are, in my opinion, the defining songs here. I will say though, while the remaining songs are good, I have yet to learn to love them the same way. I'm pretty close with Sail Away, which is ultimately a gorgeous folk rock song. I'm also pretty close with Powderfinger, which captures the unique slow decay of rural America in a really interesting way. For the remaining songs, time will tell. Welfare Mothers rocks pretty hard, but sometimes it's kind of a slog, but I do ultimately kind of like it. And Pocahontas is a great folk song, but the lyrical approach shows a little age. It isn't the most egregious of the songs about Native Americans like it, but it definitely carries some imperfections in the way it handles things. That being said, the last verse drags things into the present and gives it some additional depth. And honestly, the way it re-frames the song is pretty interesting, but I haven't listened enough to put my finger on exactly how to explain it. Rust Never Sleeps has a mix of perfect songs and ones I may yet learn to love. And I really wish I could give it a 4.5, but for now a 4 will do. I do intend to keep this one in my rotation, so if this grows on me, I will change this review.

There are parts I like and parts I found pretty dull, never crazy and never sending me to sleep, false advertising.

I have no good reason for why but it feels wrong to like this album as much as I do. Call me a crazy horse I guess

This is my second Neil Young album of the project. Its opening acoustic side is poetic and beautiful in all the ways you'd expect, with great lyrics here and soft soundscapes suiting them perfectly. Then, the album changes to a louder, heavier rock sound with loud, fuzzy guitars reminiscent of hard rock. These songs are just as good as the acoustic ones, despite being very different sounding to them. There's a throwaway song on both sides(Ride My Llama on the first, Welfare Mothers on the second) which lack the great songwriting found elsewhere on the album. In general, the songs on the second half are weaker than those on the first, but they're not completely without merit. Interestingly, he gives us a fuzzed-out reprise of the opener as the closer. As an album, this is a strong if somewhat dissonant effort from one of the most notoriously mercurial artists of the 1970s, as well as a precursor to a decade of experimentation.

This is my favourite Neil Young album.

Neil Young has the gift for melody. Combined with his unique voice and his straightforward strumming, it makes for some fine listening. Don't sleep on this one!