Neil Young's weakest album?

Just curious what people consider his weakest album.

I used to be a fan but haven't kept up. The last time I bought a new album by him was Everybody's Rocking, which was obviously quite a while ago. But I still listen to the old albums on occasion.

Anyway, weakest album? Overall or broken down by decades, as you wish.

 

Why?
you want to listen to the weakest, there is so many good album by Neil?

 

My opinion broken down roughly by the decade

69-79/ Long May You Run
80-89/ Everybody's Rockin'
90-99/ Mirror Ball
00-09/ Are You Passionate
10-19/ A Letter Home

My overall choice for weakest from the full discography is Everybody's Rockin' and it still a pretty decent album

 

Trans

 

Earth

 

4 way tie
Everybody’s Rockin’
Old Ways
Americana
LetterTo Home

 

If I would've included live albums on my list Earth or Road Rock Vol 1 would've been at the bottom (top?). I like Earth just a bit more because at least he's trying something...Road Rock just seems bored.

 

Wow. To even give an opinion on which would be his weakest album would mean that you would have had to have listened to every single one from front to back.. That's a whole lot of listening Walter.. I've got a ton of Neil's stuff, records, cd's. dvd's, etc and come nowhere close to owning everything he's put out.. And for fear of repeating the old music\favorites are subjective and personal I'll give you one example. A lot of people don't like 'Greendale'. I love it.. I have both copies, the one with the making of Greendale and the one with the live solo acoustic show.. Love them both for some reason that I can't explain..I can't explain it because I don't even know why I do.

 

This is tough seeing as he has very few "strong" albums in the last 20 years. His earliest "weakest" albums for me would be from the 80's with "Trans" then "Everybody's Rockin'" and "Life". In the 90's it's probably "Broken Arrow". 2000's is definitely "Living With War" and the abysmal "Fork in The Road". 2010's is almost all rubbish save for "Le Noise", "Americana" and "Psychedelic Pill". His worst are absolutely his latest three albums with "Peace Trail" taking the cake bar the wonderful title track which is probably IMHO the worst album he's ever made. All I can say is thank God for "NYA"

 

Landing On Water. 1986.

 

Probably Everybody's Rockin' or A letter Home.

His last few albums haven't been all that great either, but in my mind they're so non-descript that they barely exist for me.

 

Eh, I like Trans and Life myself. But I totally agree about his latest run of albums. I don't find them very memorable at all.

 

If weakest means the album that I like the least I would say Trans.
If questioned I would not want to try to explain why I think any of his albums are "weak".

 

Thanks for helping me make my point

 

Back in 1996 I would have been able to answer this question by simply saying "Everybody's Rocking". Now with 18(!) new albums he has released since then I honestly have no idea. Because in 2021 I'm in a position where I haven't heard half of his catalogue....

 

Too many to mention. His 80s albums (eg Trans, Everybody's Rockin or Landing on Water) are interesting at very least. Stuff like Are You Passionate? or Prairie Wind don't do much for me, elsewhere.

 

In 2020 i decided to use NYA and actually listen to every album there chronologically. Everybody's Rocking was just so bland and abysmal to me. Maybe it was because it was the first truly awful album after a pretty solid run. Hawks and Doves isnt amazing but has some good moments, Reactor honestly did little for me but it didnt outright bore me and Trans was surprisingly so weird it was interesting. Going into it id only heard Neils 60s 70s and 90s stuff and just assumed because of what it was that Trans would be the one id like least, but id take it anyday over Everybodys Rocking.

As for post 2000's albums I find slightly more to like than most be agree they are pretty nonmemorable. While I think some of his recent albums have some of his lowest points they all usually have a couple of songs I like. Everybodys Rocking honestly doesn't. I could envision myself sitting through any of the recent albums again. If I never hear Everybodys Rocking again I'd still lament that I heard it once.

 

I'll state that most of the NYA physical releases have been spectacular. But, I honestly couldn't tell you what his last 3 albums with new material are. I've seen them and every time it's happened, I've bought the NYA releases instead.

 

I vote for Old Ways. Has its moments but is nowhere near as good as you'd expect a Neil Young country album to be, especially one that includes Waylon and Willie.

 

So much hate for “Everybody’s Rockin” and it gave us my absolute favorite Neil Young video, the loopy, lovable “Wonderin’ “.

At least I can remember that album, some of his post 2000 LP’s I can’t remember at all unless reminded.

 

True, my answer would be all the albums after Psychedelic Pill, but they don't count. So, Everybody's Rockin' it is, a dreadful plastic 50s rock parody created to spite David Geffen at the expense of his fanbase.

 

About the only good song on the album. Yes, the video is goofy.

 

HARVEST. Too country.
ON THE BEACH. Too many honey sliders.
RUST NEVER SLEEPS. Too live.
HAWKS AND DOVES. Too Reagany.
OLD WAYS. Way too country.
FREEDOM. Too far gone.
EVERYBODY’S ROCKIN. Too long.

Honestly I don’t get the point of these negative threads. Maybe I’m just jaded after twenty years

 

You totally forgot those two subpar pieces of crap that are "Tonight's The Night" and "Ragged Glory". One is just drunken ramblings the other "grandad goes to the Grunge club".

 

Trans or Le Noise