Ragged Glory

I wish Spotify would dump Joe Rogan so I could listen to this album.

I don't know what it is about Neil's voice but it just turns me off. Every song he opens his mouth in gets ruined.

I'm so sick of Neil Young's bullshit. "You know what we do too much of? Thinking about making good music. Let's just play some stuff in a barn. People will buy that." Screw you, Neil Young. This albums sounds exactly like what it is: a half-assed attempt to milk the wallets of his misguided fans. Every track falls flat. There's no energy in any of these songs. They're flaccid. At the same time, they feel bloated. Every song laboriously plods on for at least a minute longer than it should. "Ragged Glory" is a waste of everyone's time. Doubly so since I had to go hunt the album down on Youtube because Young threw a boomer-tantrum and pulled his shitty music off of Spotify.

This man can't sing.

It's easy to forget just how insanely good NY's guitar is, but this album really showcases it.

I always forget that Neil Young had a weird garage rock phase in the 90s… honestly, it always felt like the worst of both worlds for me.

One of the few albums I've had to stop because I simply couldn't handle it. The uninspired, noisy, but dull country rock just makes for something I cannot stand. I like Neil Young's songs, such as "Old Man" and "Needle and the Damage Done", but this is literally unbearable. Sorry

that voice ... i just can't.

Next time it’s sunny and warm outside on a Saturday or Sunday, this is what you need to do: -Get in your car -Get on the highway or an open back road with nowhere to go -Roll down the windows -Put on Ragged Glory -Turn it the fuck up If you’re not convinced this is a 5 star record after that, well…there’s no hope for ya. This is the sound of freedom.

I know I have this CD somewhere or somebody has my CD of this somewhere. I am a big fan of this album and his previous one, "Freedom", sort of his comeback from somewhat less-than-critically-acclaimed 80's albums. By the way, I've never dug into his 80's albums to refute or back those reviews. Not a big fan of "This Note's for You" though. His 6th album with Crazy Horse. Recorded over a two week period with sets of songs being played twice a day (sets never repeated) with the best takes put on the album. Critics called this album "garage" and that recording approach is pretty "garage". Well, it sounds raw and like Neil basically said "Let' Er Rip, Boys." And they did. All songs are pretty much straight-forwarded rockers. "Mansion on the Hill" was the only song I remember being played on rock radio. The first two songs, "Country Home" and "White Line" were written back in the 70's. "F*!#in' Up" or " Fuckin' Up" is my favorite rocker on the album with those sloppy Crazy Horse backing vocals and a song covered by a lot of other bands. Don't know why he just didn't spell out fuckin on the album. Maybe, Tipper Gore fear at the time? Neil goes "Cowgirl in the Sand" on two 10-minute epic jams, "Love to Burn" and "Love and Only Love." This album was a welcome relief on this Friday!

Every song sounded pretty much the same!

Neil is the absolute best at making songs that are beautiful heart-rending pop songs, and then playing them with a punk rock spirit. It sounds like they are having great fun.

Gloriously sloppy.

Young was not generally known as an artist who evoked the past this much, but if he could extend his creative rebirth with music this exhilarating, no one was likely to complain.

A while back, Neil Young teamed up to record "Mirrorball." People have argued about them as his backing band and thought Crazy Horse would have done better. Honestly, I always felt they play too simple, to let Neil roam free with the guitar. He does that a lot here in "Ragged Glory." As I listen to the drums in the first song, "Country Home", I hear that a lot, the same beat over and over, and not much else... it does bother me a little, but the song is just so damn good it doesn't matter. Am I being a little picky? Maybe, it's just that I listen to so many other drummers doing interesting things that drummers doing boom pap boom pap the whole song irks me. Even with that, the album is really damn good, even with the goofiness of "Farmer John". In case people thought he didn't have a sense of humor, right? Strong effort, really enjoyed it. I don't know if I would think of it as a classic, but it has so many great pieces. It creeps up to classic level because of those songs, even with the simple drums and such. Maybe I'm just being too nitpicky. 5 it is.

I didn't expect to like this album because of Neil Young's vocals, but I liked how he sounds on this album much more than a project like "Harvest". The songs are very catchy and it's a super fun alubm.

There are greater albums featuring Neil Young, and there are ones that I listen to more often, but none of them combine his most volcanic guitar-blast with such a consistent set of driving, glorious rock songs. Regardless of what some of the twerps here blather, many of the bands I see them lionising elsewhere recognised “Ragged Glory” as majesty at the time. Sonic Youth toured with the band, Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr idolised them, Albini approvingly called the record out as an example of age not dimming an artist, “this is his most fucked-up album yet” or somesuch. The performance of “Fuckin’ Up” on “Weld” climaxes with one of the most ferocious, thematically bang-on guitar solos in existence. Also, the B-side to “Mansion on the Hill”, “Don’t Spook The Horse” may be better than anything on here, but this album is still a masterpiece. This is arguably the best album to come out in Grunge’s environs and it was made by Boomers. Still, my generation has Elon Musk, so I guess we win! I saw Neil Young and Crazy Horse play the O2 Dome a decade ago; the acoustics were terrible, the band were shambolic, the set full of moments when I thought things like “I think they ended that chorus too early” and “Molina sounds like he’s wandered into the wrong pitch-black hotel room”; Young at the end cheerfully apologised for their being a little crappy, “but that’s who we are”. They were transcendent!

I bought this album around the time it came out and I enjoyed it very much at the time, but never went back to it over the last thirty years or so. It was a rare treat to revisit today and I actually enjoyed it even more than I did. I love Neil Young's voice, the garage-rock sound he goes back to here, the (slightly nonsensical) lyrics, there's nothing to fault. Easy 5 stars.

Fantastic album.

I’m thankful for my country home, gives me peace of mind, somewhere I can walk along and leave myself behind..crunchy guitars..the 2nd best NY & Crazy Horse album after Everybody Knows This is Nowhere. love it!

One of many great NY albums

Fun album. I'm familiar with Neil Young but haven't spent a ton of time listening to Neil Young. Definitely something I'd listen to again. There are a lot of bands that I do listen to - Band of Horses, Kings of Leons, Airborne Toxic Event - that suddenly I'm like "...oh, they probably grew up listening to Neil Young"

Nr. 142/1001 Country Home 3/5 White Line 4/5 Fuckin Up 4/5 Over and Over 3/5 Love to Burn 3/5 Farmer John 2/5 Mansion On The Hill 3/5 Days That Used To Be 3/5 Love And Only Love 3/5 Mother Earth 2/5 Average: 3/5 Liked most of the instrumentals. The vocals not so much.

Wow as someone that considered themselves a fan of Neil Young's older stuff I really do not know what the hell is happening here. I guess they wanted to "go back to the roots" of music and just make garage rock? The problem is that it achieves just that. Not only have I heard garage bands that are just as good as this, I've heard garage bands that are quite a bit better than this. Everything falls flat, the passion seems half-assed. I'm sure this would be fine for a random Saturday with a couple of buddies jamming, but it just really doesn't work for a whole album. The vocals are reeeeeaaaly trying here, they are so strained. It just feels like an old man band at a bar in the middle of nowhere, although I would honestly probably appreciate that more just for the grit and love of the music that I'm assuming those people bring. This just rings hollow to me. Low technicality, low effort, and god if every song didn't just drag on. 1/5 Just okays: Over and over, Days That Used to Be Least favorites: Fucking up, Love to Burn, Farmer John, Mother Earth

I love Neil Young, but not some of his later stuff. This one had escaped my attention and it’s fantastic. The band is clearly rejuvenated and trying to rock just as hard as their younger peers.

I'm a Neil Young fan and wouldn't have previously considered this one of his best albums, but listening again with a critical ear, I loved it. Hearing him rock out with Crazy Horse is a blast and although some tracks are a little long, I don't get bored. Also the final track Mother Earth is an interesting preview of a priority we see more in his later songwriting.

Surprisingly enjoyable grunge album. Not super grungy. Some more classic rock elements and a bit of country influence. Favorite tracks: Mansion on the Hill, Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)

I didn't know Neil Young could jam

Great anarchic album. Neil expressing his true self.

I Never listened to this record but it is like the others which came before it. Just great rock music

I wasn’t sure I needed another Neil Young album after just listening to On The Beach, but this was pretty different and I enjoyed it more. Lots of good jams!

Ragged glory - Neil Young The guitar on the first track: S U P E R B. Feels like a concert (and on reading, I find it sort of was). Oh the warm and soothing sounds of Neil Young. He constantly evolved, (he has done so much over the decades - I love his “Harvest Moon” version). Apparently this album was another renewal. It certainly sounds like wonderful jam session among friends (the internet explains they recorded all their “sets” across 2 weeks, and chose the best version of each song). They capture a polished yet “live” and natural feeling very well. It works, and you feel invited to be right there. Quirky, homemade, and real. Just go with it. Let it work. And I love how they sound somehow celebratory and carefree... "it gives me peace of mind, and leave myself behind" Apparently they call this ‘garage rock’ A full throated 5 from me.

Rockin Neil Young. The crazy horse stuff is always the best

Neil Young definitely went electric for this one.

Didn’t listen to this one because it’s not on Spotify but 5 stars BECAUSE it’s not on Spotify and it’s nice when celebrities have values and stick to them

9/10. I put this off for a while because it's always annoying to have to leave Spotify, and I didn't like the last Neil young + Crazy Horse album I had. But now that I finally got around to it I really enjoyed this album.

Am I a real Neil Young fan if I consider this, a later (mid) career with no hits, among his best? Do I give a fuck? No. the guitars rule. The songs are fine. The guitar rules, did i say that? The horse is wild. This is excellent music.

I still can't get over the fact that Neil Young released this a year before grunge broke. Such a good dirty sound sounding album especially F'ing Up. I wish I had paid more attention to it when it was first released

Certified friggen rock dog. What an absolute demon guitar player. I love 90s Neil, he is the embodiment of looking good doing it. Crazy Horse can harmonize too. Also gotta mention the drummer absolutely riding that bell - can't help but air drum the fuck out of it.

Awesome album from start to finish. Classic sound for a 1990 album. Missing a big hit but it doesn't really need it

rocking. free.

90s high point in the career of Neil Young accompanied by Crazy Horse…

It was good. I like the name Crazy Horse. Neil Young is growing on me. Maybe because I think he's supposed to grow on me.

Nomás por country home se gana las cinco estrellas. Ya lo que venga después está de más.

"Mother Earth" is very similar to "La balade Nord Irlandaise" from Renaud. You should check it out. I really like the album!

NICEE

Dinosaur Sr.

An album I have known and loved for years. Neil Young in his peak grunge sound, just fuzzed out and distorted all over the place. Many songs hold melodic hooks that make you dance and move while the rest of the band makes you bang your head. F*!#In’ Up is fun, while Love to Burn is an extended grungy jam. Farmer John is a real foot stomper. The last three tracks could all be album closers with their anthemic feel. Great set of songs!

A good Neil Young album, but certainly not his best. Some songs really don't click with me (farmer John for example), but they are compensated with truly great songs such as Country Home and mansion on the Hill. Will listen to this some more in the future.

I enjoy a lot of Neil Young's music and always appreciate his range of musical styles and genres. I am not sure I listened to this album when it was released. As I listened through it, I was not familiar with these songs so I think I had not heard these tracks. I really, really like this album. To state the obvious, the style of this album -- kind of hard rock/garage rock -- has been countless times before and after this album but there is still the unmistakable signature voice to it that is uniquely Neil Young's, and I don't just mean the vocals. This album enjoys the imprimatur of Neil, and I am pleased. I like that it's just Neil and the three members of Crazy Horse. I don't hear overdubs, multi-tracks, etc., and the Wikipedia entry on the album explains why it sounds exactly like it is, which is a four-member rock band recording "live in studio". From the Wikipedia entry: The Ragged Glory sessions took place in April 1990 at Young's Broken Arrow Ranch. The band played a set of songs twice a day for a couple of weeks (never repeating the same songs in a set), then went back, listened and chose the best takes. According to Young, this approach "took 'analysis' out of the game during the sessions, allowing the Horse to not think". I love that.

The title of this album describes it perfectly; it's rough around the edges but also glorious. One of Neil Young's best. Mostly raucous rockers, with a beautiful, majestic ballad to close the album. 4 stars.

I like this sound, even though Neil Young's voice sounds somewhat out of place to me. The tone of the guitar made me wish I could pick it up and play along.

A fuzzy sonic blanket of a record from the Godfather of Grunge. If you like glorious understated guitar riffs over CSNY-effacing country slop rock this is probably the one. Is Ragged Glory a great album? Nah, not especially. But it is a cool listen.

It's a decent sounding Neil Young album but nothing too spectacular. One song sounds a lot like "My Back Pages".

“Ragged Glory” features a heavy twanginess in the electric guitars that echoes in a lot of late 90s and 2000s alt-Americana. Unfortunately, there are too many overlong epics on “Ragged Glory.” “Over and Over” is quite an on-the-nose to call an 8 minute song with a really repetitive chorus. And then to immediately follow it with the 10 minute “Love to Burn?” I think by the sixth minute my love was all burned out. “Farmer John” got shorter, but jeez I hope Farmer John gave Neil his blessing so the moaning would stop. It’s that run in the middle that really hampers this album. Though the overlong problem opens and caps the album, “White Line” and “F*!#in' Up” are decent efforts in the first half, and “Mansion on the Hill” and “Days That Used to Be” are strong after the dragging middle. (Even the too-long “Country Home” and “Love and Only Love” are good until they don’t know when to quit.) Young was a major influence on Pearl Jam, and among the other Young covers they play “F*!#in' Up” is one of my favorites. And while the original is fine, PJ takes it to a new level and injects fitting passion, agony, and anger that’s not quite there in the original. Check it out at the end of “Live on Two Legs.”

er zijn een hoop betere gitaristen er zijn een hoop betere zangers er zijn een hoop betere tekstschrijvers er zijn er weinig die mij meer raken dan Neil Young

great

It feels like bread and butter at this point, but I’m still into bread and butter and you can eat my farts if you’re not.

A scorching reunion album. They sound refreshed and vital again. Like Neil had come back from the wilderness.

Neil Young is such a treasure. Folksy, rockin, young, old, he just seems like a true blue dude. I really like White Line. There's a timeless indie melancholy to it. A drama. Feels heavy but hopeful. Really simple and solid chord progression and melodies. I think this might be my favorite Neil. Some moments on here feel 90s, like down the hall from Dinosaur Jr, but of course for the most part its got Neil's sound, so it ebs and flows where it wants and can't be tied down. It feels both core and fringe at the same time. Somehow Neil's guitar solos aren't obnoxious, haha. Legendary.

Can't wait to see this old hero at Glastonbury this summer!! Love love love this album.

I REALLY enjoyed this. Favourite track was Mansion on the Hill. Bit sad I won’t be going to Glasto to see him now!

I consider myself a Neil Young fan, but this is an album I had no experience with. God DAMN is it a banger. Classic Neil with Crazy Horse sound.

This doesn't sound like an artist making art. This sounds like a performer in his comfort zone, playing music because he enjoys playing. That's kind of infectious in its own right. "I enjoyed making this music," this album says to me. "I hope you enjoy listening along." It feels like I'm being treated to a living room concert, and that's fine with me: I like living room concerts – casual affairs from skilled performers. This is definitely growing on me. I'm not sure if it's really good, actually great, or I'm just enjoying the novelty of the intimate performance.

Cool

This was super rocking. Why had I not heard this before!?

Album 683 of 1001 Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Ragged Glory (1990) Rating : 4.5 / 5 Great album. A blend of grunge and rock. it features extended guitar jams, gritty vocals, and a sense of spontaneity that "captures the essence of Young's collaboration with Crazy Horse." Great energy. Neil really showcases his guitar abilities.

Love and only love will endure. Hate is everything you think it is.

Bloody amazing, as all Neil Young & Crazy Horse is.

near wall to wall songwriting monolith...some licks and melodies and chords that i swear ive heard before but i know i havent, theyve just been plucked from something so earthy that its like an inheritance of being alive. the stages set for soloing are almost as amazing as the soloing itself...always this meaty sturdy foundation upon which everything just Makes Sense. super rich and inviting music, every time i encounter neil young these days i feel like my mind is just blown. more indepth examination and appreciation should be On The Way

Loved it.

Das perfekte Rockalbum. Neil Young begleitet mich seit dem Teenageralter. Unzählige Male wurde die einzige für mich erreichbare Originalkassette von „Harvest“ gehört. Unmittelbar nach dem Fall der Mauer konnte ich Neil dann besser kennenlernen. „Ragged Glory“ War dann mein erstes selbst gekauftes Album. Es ragt unter den vielen Platten immer noch heraus und wird oft aufgelegt. Volle Punktzahl!

Love Neil, a big influence on a lot of people

Fantastic album. Folk meets grunge, Nirvana were big fans and no wonder!

Totally biased as this is my fav Neil album. After some weird stuff in the 80s, Freedom and Ragged Glory brought him back to life. Released about a year before the grunge albums took off...Grandpa grunge delivers epic feedback and raunchy sloppy guitar sounds like only Crazy Horse can deliver.

Thrashy and grungy, nothing polished here, long sprawling solos and a pure live garage rock feel. An album I've listened to lots before, one of the reasons Neil is called the Godfather of Grunge

Wow, I really enjoyed this album. I never thought Neil Young could make an album that I’d enjoy as much as this one. The best way to describe it is folk rock with heavier, distorted guitars. That might sound like a strange combination, but he balanced all the elements perfectly, making it come together cohesively. Even though it’s raw and gritty, it still carries his trademark sound, so longtime fans can connect with it, while the heavier edge gives it the potential to reach a new audience.

I have to say I really enjoyed this grunge/blues/rock mashup. Top tracks: Country Home Love to burn Mansion on the Hill Worst tracks: Farmer John (this song alone nearly dragged this album down a star)

Why do I keep fucking up?

Ragged Glory by Neil Young is a raw and powerful return to his electric roots, capturing the energy and spirit of his earlier work with Crazy Horse. The album's unpolished sound is intentional, with gritty guitar riffs and extended jams that embody the essence of garage rock. Tracks like F*!#in' Up and Over and Over are standouts, filled with relentless energy and a sense of reckless abandon. Young’s vocals are as passionate as ever, delivering lyrics that resonate with a mix of defiance and nostalgia. The album's rough edges and live-in-the-studio feel give it an authenticity that is both refreshing and timeless. Ragged Glory is a celebration of rock's raw power, with Young and Crazy Horse at their loudest and most unapologetic. While it may lack the polish of some of his other albums, its spirit and intensity make it a standout in his extensive catalogue. It's a testament to Neil Young's enduring ability to channel pure rock and roll energy. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 7 STAND OUT TRACK - Over and Over

Not sure it's grunge, but it is glorious.

Musical Brilliance. Love the grungy guitars this album. love and only love. Brilliant! 👍👍👍 Best track ... Love to Burn 😎 Just a great album. Raw and rockin' and brilliant

Music was good but they overstay their welcome with how long some of them are

Great album.

Neil is on my rock and roll Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse Neil is the best Neil.

Just another easy 5. I love Neil plus Crazy Horse. I listened to this after finishing Everyone Knows This is Nowhere and loved it from the start. It's not the 'best' of the records from Young I've heard, but it is the one I throw on the most. It sounds so alive. Farmer John, Love to Burn, Days that Used to Be and Fuckin Up are my favorites.

i love a good long song. when I listened to "everybody knows this is nowhere," i immediately took to 'cowgirl in the sand.' this is an album where every song is 'cowgirl in the sand' so why wouldn't i like it?

45 year old Neil Young put out one of the best grunge records of the 90s. Its spot on dirty garage rock, with highlights being White Line, Love and Only Love, F&%in Up, Love to Burn, Mansion on a Hill....some of Crazy Horse's best stuff since the mid-70s. I guess this was heavily influential on Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain, right before their big breaks. I'm obviously a Neil Young & CH fan, but I didn't fully appreciate this album until just 3 weeks ago, when I saw the band live -for the first time - down in Huntsville, and they played three tracks from this one. They still rock hard and put on a helluva show, it was incredibly special.

Perfect. 5

Ragged Glory indeed. Just what I needed this morning.

Great grunge psych Neil with long rambles at the farm.

Garage rock at its finest.

I think that the overwhelming view of Neil Young as an artist is that of a songwriter, rather than than that of a musician. He’s a great lyricist, he’s able to compose great Folk-Country songs like those found on his best-selling album, Harvest. And as accurate as the assessment of him as a great librettist and composer is, it forgets an equally important part of Neil Young’s legacy. That part is that, as a lead guitarist, he fucking rips. Ragged Glory is ultimately a Jam record, an album that works best when considering that it was made by a group of experienced musicians who are simpatico with each each other. And as such, I think it works much better than other albums by similar groups of jamming musicians, firstly because it’s an album where a group of tight musicians allow themselves the opportunity to jam for the first time in forever, and secondly because they have the grounding of Neil Young’s songs, a luxury that a lot of Jam bands could try harder to achieve. Seriously, the only reason Jam bands are a thing is because they can’t write decent songs. Most of all, there’s a sense of fun that Young hadn’t had for a while, a sense of just making music for the fun of it, rather than trying to experiment for the sake of it. And it’s pretty infectious, this is just a fun album to listen to. And for that, it’s one of my favourites

CD

Was there anyone as excited by the 90s grunge boom as a middle-aged Neil Young? Long the flannel-clad, scraggly-haired, in-your-face rock drifter, the elder Young was readymade for this moment in rock finding new inspiration and peers in the likes of Pearl Jam, and J Mascis much as he had in the late-70s with the Sex Pistols and Devo (hear “Sedan Delivery”). Released one year before Pearl Jam’s debut, “Ragged Glory” actually finds Neil Young at the forefront of this rock moment; rejecting the stale precision of late 1980s rock albums in favor of an off-the-cuff, garage rock sound fueled by passion and spontaneity, and littered with extended, freeform jams. The whole rock world seemingly heard this, and listened. Some thirty years later I would see Neil play a headlining festival set where crowdmembers were begging for the septuagenarian to play beloved classics like “Old Man.” Instead, Neil played just three songs: it was one raucous, extended guitar jam after the next. The man barely even sang. It was pure, loud, and wild. An “atavistic garage stomp" that made “good on…eternal renewal and the guitar as shibboleth." That’s the Neil I know and love. That’s the Neil I hear most clearly on “Ragged Glory.” https://youtu.be/fwuhk5W3_q0?si=SgRImgcKe5BVqPvW

Neil at his electric best. 4 guys in a room - guitars, bass, drums, turn it up to 10 and play.

Love Neil Young and love that fuzzy electric guitar sound. Such a great album.

This album was not on Spotify but I really like what I hear of Neil Young.

Some great songs on this that I hadn’t heard

Awesome