Why aren't there more knockout Neil Young cover songs?

Grace Potter - Cortez the Killer

 

Here's an endearing one. Mac really needs to polish up on this but I like his work. He could nail this with practice.

 

The Wedding Present covered it too, but it's not wonderful even though they are one of my favourite bands.

 

Sonic Youth -- Computer Age

 

Teenage Fanclub again. This was the first version I heard.

 

Wow. Great pull! I have to find this album now if the rest measures up to this.

 

Psychic Tv - Only Love Can Break Your Heart

 

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Helpless

 

Pearl Jam regularly performs Rockin in the Free World




Matthew Sweet has covered multiple Neil Young songs with and without Susanna Hoffs

 

Of course! This was a big hit in the UK.

 

Sonic Youth’s cover of “Computer Age” is pretty outstanding.

 

always thought this is best cover track on this album

 

On the same piano is was recorded on.

 

equally as good

 

Matthew Sweet - Cortez the Killer (live w/ the Indigo Girls)

 

Not great, but I respect that they tackled this. Neil himself has some fabulous live acoustic versions of this song.

 

Right, gotta sing it shaggy like Neil does.

 

Amazing cover released earlier this year by the extremely talented Everything Everything:

 

Buddy Miles - Down By The River

 

With all these excellent postings of cover versions, this thread is swerving away from and implicitly arguing against the OP’s assertion that there are fewer Neil Young covers than you might expect. Given how prolific he’s been, it’s a valid question that I’ve thought about a lot over the years.

I think part of the answer is that Neil is the epitome of personal autobiographical singer-songwriters who narrate their own idiosyncratic lives and times — pretty much the opposite of writing in the tradition of standards and universal folk songs, despite obvious exceptions. Weirdly it’s something he has in common with the rap and hip-hop diarist mode. Who pulls off covering a Tupac or Eminem or Kanye track, given how specifically personal and individualistic they are? Same deal with a lot of Neil Young songs. It’s hard to image someone successfully inhabiting the autobiographical verses of “Ambulance Blues,” even if it’s actually been tried.

 

that is an amazing cover, can't say I know much about Scaggs other than his 2 UK hits and I believe he worked with Fagen n Becker sometime ago.
Thank's for posting this, I may go on a wander through so of Scaggs work and see what else I like of his. Thanks again.