Landing on Water by Neil Young - incredibly underrated!

A good album with several good songs. Yea, it has that 80s production sound but it is still worth my time for a listen.

 

I think he's made so many bad albums since that even the early "bad"ones are starting to sound "good" to some of his most devoted fans.

 

This is a plausible theory. But I haven't heard enough of his post 2000 work to decide if I agree. "Are You Passionate?" certainly supports your case

 

everything that gets rundown enough I guess is underrated....it has its moments but I dont think the songs (for the most part) melodically make up for the crappy production, but maybe if you grow up with it and listen to it a lot its different, I tried it when it came out and never connected

 

I hated "Are You Passionate?" A total let down after the tuneful and terrific "Silver and Gold". I'm still not that fond of it, I suppose, but when I revisited it and approached the record as a ' Neil-playing-a-character' type of album, like he did on "Everybody's Rockin" with the "Shocking Pinks", I found a way to enjoy it... a little.

I thought his Tonight Show appearance at the time was a clue. His hair was combed funny. Maybe he was somebody else, some fictitious leader of an R&B group....not Neil Young.



The Crazy Horse track, which the highlight, totally doesn't belong and disrupts the illusion.

Speaking of "Going Home"...whatever happened to "Toast"???

 

I haven't heard this in ages, the only thing I remember about it is that I played it once or twice and didn't like it. I have to give this one another chance.

 

One of the albums that I revisited, during that "what have I missed/need to reevaluate " phase, was Are You Passionate?. And....it went UP into the okay category! AYP? thumbs up vs Landing on Water a big thumbs down.

 

I have plenty of time for ALL of Shakey`s `80`s albums.

 

Those are the albums that I like very much and which hold up better than the ones that grab me instantly.
I like LOW a lot despite its poor 80s production. The songs and lyrics are really top-notch and the live renditions of Touch The Night, Violent Side or Hippie Dream are really awesome and much better than the studio versions. He should really revisit some of those songs in his concerts.

 

not me. theres too much music out there now. You get one listen from me and if its not happening, I go on to something else. I dont have time to sit thru something I didnt like the first time, for multiple listenings to let it "grow on me".

Sorry. Too many good bands, too much other good music.

 

It's my favorite Neil Young album.

 

I have no idea why you would think my avatar is an affirmation of support for loverboy. I like very few things from Canada actually, rush and Michael j fox being exceptions. But in this case I do feel that no album in the loverboy arsenal is as unlistenable as landing on water

 

pee yew.

 

Wait till we hear the alternate takes and outtakes on Archives Volume 3.
Free the Archives!

 

I listened to it quite a bit back in the day & it did grow on me.
Maybe his best 80's album. It suffers badly from the 80's style production.

Some one mentioned that the backing band & producer were from Don Henley's band. These 2 also recorded/produced an album for The Fabulous Thunderbirds a decade later with the same horrible result.

I've had a relisten to the album. It is horrible. I must have been desperate back in the day.

 

I bought Landing On Water when it came out. I seem to remember LOW, Knocked Out Loaded and No Guru, No Method, No Teacher came out the same day. I came home broke but stoked. Boy, was I disappointed. Only the Van Morrison was good - very good. The other two were horrible. I don't think I've played LOW for nearly 30 years, I did get the CD for completeness: it was about £3 in a sale - it's probably the only CD I own that is still in the shrink wrap.

I will dig out the vinyl and play it today. I have a much better vinyl set up now. Will that help I wonder? I will report back.

 

No Guru, No Method, No Teacher is one of Van's best. The only track that I can remember from Knocked Out Loaded is Brownsville Girl.
It was many years ago that I listened to Landing On Water. I hope your vinyl experience is better than my CD re listen today. I nearly chucked it into the bin.

Unfortunately I have have a number of CD's still in the shrink wrap. Not from not wanting to listen to them but from sticking them on the shelf or in an ever growing stack waiting for me to find the time to give them a listen. I buy them faster than I can consume them.

 

Life and this album are my 2 favorites of the Geffen years. With what he's put out the last 10 years I think these albums get better and better with time compared to his more recent material.

 

I hope this latest ed. of the ongoing SHF "incredibly underrated!" series draws attention to Mr. Young, a largely-ignored, presumably ill and impoverished artist virtually unknown to the general public.

 

worst record I have ever heard by a major artist

 

Fungus grows on you. Bacteria grows on you. That doesn't make it a good thing!

I'm glad you got the cure.

Sometimes it's an infected cuticle. Sometimes it's flesh eating bacteria. We know which one this is.

 

I think it's his best album from 1986. I enjoy if very much. Great songs with a raw vibe.

 

I would consider it mediocre.

Not sure it's that's above the general rating or not....does this usually fall in the mediocre area, or the "total crap" area?

 

OK, I've given my original LP a couple of spins now. First reaction was consternation at the sheer awfulness of the sound. It is unrelenting: crashing brittle drums, pulsing synth bass, processed guitars and vocals. It just never breathes; nothing organic about this recording at all. Second spin I had recovered from the shock and tried to enjoy it a little more. I did, but it is still pretty unappealing. I seem to remember there is a Crazy Horse recording from The Catalyst in Santa Cruz which does allow these songs to breathe and is much more appealing.

I should also add that I like Trans and Everybody's Rocking rather more than most people, so it is not like I am some kind of Neil Young traditionalist or anything.

As for Neil's worst album? Hard to say but Landing On Water, A Letter Home and Are You Passionate are definitely the worst three.

 

HOLY COW!
This is AWESOME!!
Seems like somebody liked the "Once In A Lifetime" video by Talking Heads!!!

Oh, and, by the way....
I am, in no way, a big Neil fan... but, I love, love, LOVE "Landing On Water"!!!!!