Rust Never Sleeps

I find it fun that the first half is acoustic and the second is electric and it opens with the acoustic My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) and closes with the electric Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black). I think I prefer the first half but I like that it has both. I love Neil Young's music and this album is no exception. I love his voice, I think there's a nostalgic element to that for me because I grew up listening to him. Couple of tracks on here that I wasn't such a fan of, but it was still a great album. Fav song: My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) Least fav: Welfare Mothers

Quite like the cover of this, and the general album even though it gets a bit too Native American stereotypey at points (or is that the point?). All I know is that I love Neil Young’s voice Specific rating - 4.2 Fav song - powderfinger Least fav- Pocahontas

Recently we've had Nirvana's last album, Foo Fighter's first album and Hole's album Live Through This- which came out days after Kurt Cobain died. And this is another album that has become linked with his death (despite coming out 15 years before), it's where the line that concludes Cobain's suicide note was introduced: "It's better to burn out than to fade away." There's clearly historical significance to the album and there are lyrics that stay with you, for better or worse. Neil Youngs voice and story telling are always so so good and this album is no exception especially in Powderfinger and the CS&N diss track Trasher. A couple slightly odd songs keep it from being 5 stars. Favourite song: My, My, Hey, Hey (Out of the Blue) Least: Welfare Mothers

Certified bops, but we definitely travelled through genres a little too much

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

enjoyed it, some lovely tracks.

I don’t know if I’ll make it through this album. I’ve heard all these on rock and then classic rock radio for the last 30 years. I’m so tired of Neil Young I want to hate this album. But “ride my llama” is a great song. I guess I can’t say any of this is bad. I’m just over it. I really wanted to hate this album but I can’t. I am over the songs I hear all the time. And there is great stuff on here. I can’t hate it but I won’t listen again.

Buen album, primera canción buena (8/10), última es la misma pero más pesada y mejorada(10/10). En el medio aprobado.

I have never knowingly listened to a full Neil young album before. That was joyous.

I love Neil Young, this album rules. His voice is so distinct in the folk/rock canon. Favorite track: Powderfinger

The Album was a really good all around album. I love the first and last songs! 4.5/5.

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.

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!

Great live album - first neil young proper listen through.

As a Canadian, I am legally obliged to give any Young album at least four stars. Hell, the presence of Thrasher alone gets this album there.

Loving My, My, Hey, Hey. Liked Powderfinger. Great start to the project. will listen to album again.

Ragged folk rock and electric garage rock built on distorted guitars, loose drums, acoustic strumming, and strained, high-pitched vocals shifts between fragile quiet and roaring noise. Listening feels like watching a campfire slowly turn into a wildfire—gentle sparks at first, then sudden walls of heat and crackling chaos. The contrast gives the album intensity and character, though the roughness can feel abrasive.

This Neil Young is much closer to me than On the Beach, which I got here last time! The album is very unusual. Firstly, it's unclear whether it's a live album or a studio one — almost all the songs were recorded live (crowd noise was muted, but it still comes through in places), but the songs are new, previously unreleased. Secondly, it's clearly divided into two sides. Side one is just classic Neil Young, with his acoustic guitar and harmonica. This section is fine, but the album really kicks into high gear on side two, where Neil is joined by his band. There's such a noise here, and the guitars are loaded with so much distortion, that it immediately becomes clear why Nirvana and Pearl Jam admired Young. The decision to loop the album was also a brilliant move — the first and last songs are essentially the same, but the sound and verse order are changed. In general, Neil hasn’t gotten rusty by his twelfth album!

84/100

O único do neil young que já escutei anteriormente (abraços Car Seat Headrest). Na minha cabeça esse álbum é quase como se fosse o sol para a lua que o Nebraska do Bruce Springsteen representa. Acho a metade acústica mais forte que a metade elétrica, porém powderfinger é realmente excelente.

Liked it more than I thought I would

Skjønner ikke helt hvorfor jeg synes NY er så ålreit. Svak 4er altså, men må skille den fra Fleet Foxes som var den forrige. Sånn er det, og sånn blir det.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I didn't mind it!

Neil Young is a Canadian treasure for all his great music. Wonderful artist and album.

Neil Young forever

not in my top 5 Neil Young LPs, but still a solid entry in his catalogue. interesting that this was labeled as a return to relevancy, or a “comeback” album — I can’t imagine a contemporary act springing back into favor with a live album, but times have changed. you get a nice balance of his softer, folk songwriting and stellar guitar playing, along with his louder, proto-grunge work with Crazy Horse.

This man’s voice, the way he plays guitar, and his melancholy melodies are all sublime. I like the acoustic first half and electric back. I could listen to Neil sing the phone book.

Neil Young; Always interesting; some good tracks.

Listened to while running, was nice

Great album. Some awesome songs. Can be a bit hard to listen to so much Neil Young straight (Voice can get naggy). Still love most of his music

Ensimmäinen Neil Youngin levy tällä listalla ja näitähän piisaa. Hyvä niin, sillä kyllähän minä Youngista tykkään. Osittain livenä äänitetty Rust Never Sleeps onkin yksi parhaimpia julkaisuja, joita olen mieheltä kuullut. Ensimmäinen puolisko koostuu herkemmistä akustisista raidoista, toinen puoli on autotallibändi Crazy Horsen säestämää säröistä ryskettä. Vaikka levyltä löytyy useampi loistava biisi (mm. Thrasher ja Powderfinger), on havaittavissa pientä epätasaisuutta joka estää antamasta tälle täysiä pisteitä. Tämä taisi olla ensimmäinen levy tämän haasteen aikana, jonka kuuntelin ihan cd:ltä käsin.

Alright, maybe Gold Rush didn't hit, but this ROCKS. I didn't know Neil Young had it in him. First half - a 3.5, second half is a 5. The SOUND of that guitar makes you forget Neil Young's voice here, and it ain't even that bad! I will come back to this album, maybe I'll give it a 5 then, but I did not expect to love this.

realmente un album q escucharía en un viaje. Me encantó. La primera mitad del álbum es mi fav.

It's good. Very Neil young

Love the guitar tones on the second half of this album. Pocahontas is a standout to me so far. Really need to get into more Neil Young, hes really one of those "grandma when she realizes her pussy is the reason for everyone in the room" artists.

200226 18:47 4

I found that Neil Young was at his best when on stage, solo, with an acoustic guitar. Having said that, the crunching distortion on the last track is iconic. Liked Songs Added: My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue) Pocahontas Powderfinger Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)

Neil Young rocks

This one's great! Feels like the more Neil Young I listen to the more I get it. Also, he's like SOOOO Canadian on this album, it's Crazy. (also it seems this album is where Powderfinger gets its name from, which is some interesting history) Fav tracks: Thrasher, Powderfinger, Sedan Delivery

another very solid one, nearly 5/5

Hey my hey my my hey hey my my.

Great live album

Hey hey my my se quedó por siempre en mi cabeza, Neil young nunca decepciona, casi inventa el grunge en 1979

Yeah okay, no real surprises here. I don't recall listening to this record specifically but I know Neil Young's sound and have enjoyed seeing him play live. What is this, is this still folk rock? I can see how this would have been very influential as it is pretty heavy for that genre. Neil Young is an absolute vibe king and Crazy Horse are solid as. They eclipse The Band and CCR, imo; they're channeling something more exciting, but I suppose it is a whole decade later.

Ride my llama

Альбом, который звучит как мост между двумя эпохами — и при этом сам является эпохой. Янг берёт акустическую гитару на первой стороне и шепчет тебе на ухо истории, от которых мурашки. А потом переворачивает пластинку — и Crazy Horse врубают стену звука, которая предсказала весь гранж за 12 лет до Nevermind. «Powderfinger» — это шестиминутный кинофильм, где ты одновременно режиссёр и тот парень на берегу, который не успеет повзрослеть. Гитара Янга здесь рыдает так, что Курт Кобейн потом назовёт его крёстным отцом всего, что они делали в Seattle. Акустическая сторона не менее хищная — «Thrasher» звучит как дорога, которая никуда не ведёт, но ты всё равно едешь, потому что остановиться страшнее. А обрамление из «My My, Hey Hey» / «Hey Hey, My My» — это один и тот же вопрос, заданный шёпотом и криком: что остаётся, когда ржавчина съедает всё? Ответ Янга: музыка. Она не ржавеет.

Liked this live album (kinda?) much more than I thought. Groovy as hell….My favorites: “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" – Outstanding acoustic intro "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" – Kickass electric outro "Sail Away" "Powderfinger" “Sedan Delivery” "Welfare Mothers" – Bluesy as hell…I like this song way more than I should!!!

Enjoyed the acoustic section much more, however it was still all absolutely brilliant. Out of the Black and Into the Black are my favourite tracks off this album, with Powderfinger also being up there.

The day before, I had Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and my comment was, "Need more Neil Young." Well, the 2001 album generator gods have responded. Always liked "Russ Never Sleeps," not my favorite Neil Young. I'm more of a 90s Neil Young guy. But the album always works. A few songs are a little bit filler and a little bit meandering. But the Horse rarely fails to deliver.

Neil is an incredible song writer and an icon for a reason despite the fact I cant stand his singing voice at all. Some really good poignant songs here even though the only one I'm familiar with is My My Hey Hey.

This is Neil Young leaning fully into the ragged, distorted Crazy Horse sound, and it works. The record balances acoustic vulnerability with electric grit in a way that feels intentional rather than indulgent. There are real bangers here, and I didn’t notice any true duds. Even the longer, fuzzed-out guitar passages feel earned rather than self-important. It’s not polished, and it’s not trying to be. The sloppiness is part of the point. There’s a rawness and urgency that keeps it from feeling nostalgic or safe. That said, while I respect it a lot and would absolutely listen again, it doesn’t quite cross into five-star emotional territory for me. It’s a strong, confident four—gritty, honest, and very solid front to back.

First half is a 5... if not for the awful Welfare Mothers, maybe the album would be a 5. Neil has some true moments of genius: Thrasher and Sail Away especially. But I can't really listen to tracks 7 and 8 without skipping over them.

Dobar album, posebno prvo i zadnja pisma. Ima dobrih harmonika solo-a. ROCK AND ROLL IS HERE TO STAY! 7/10 Najbolja pisma: Hey hey, my my

Listened to the whole album. I enjoyed it. I would listen again. It seems very counter culture but in a folksy rock kinda way

Wow - this takes me back to when I was 16. Liked it a lot at the time, and its still good.

I don't say this because whoever wrote Kurt Cobain's suicide note after/before killing him quoted lyrics from this album but this is grunge. It's grunge before grunge was a thing and is why Neil Young is considered the godfather of the subgenre. I have always been too lazy to look this up but I often wonder if Dave Grohl was inspired by the acoustic side/electric side when the Foo Fighters released In Your Honor. Usually, an album with one electric and one acoustic side starts off with the electric side but Neil Young seems to have flipped that arrangement here. Neil Young seems to change around his side every few years, so it's almost too difficult to say an album of his is a "must hear" before you die. If you like Neil Young then pretty much every album is a must-hear. This one is no exception. I can tell that Neil Young was not necessarily getting bored at this point in his career but he was open to exploring different sounds and just doing something different. For Neil Young casuals, they may only know My, My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) but to his fans about half of this album contains songs that define him as an artist. The electric part of the album fades a bit with Welfare Mothers and Sedan Delivery, which causes me to believe this isn't necessarily one of Neil Young's classic albums. It's still very good and worth a listen. My favorite tracks: My, My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) Pocahontas Sail Away Powderfinger Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)

Great album but some tracks are weaker

The sound mixing is so good that I forgot this was partially a live album several times

Rust Never Sleeps is one of those albums that takes time to start getting really good. It already is pretty interesting that this album was part live album and part studio album but the main difference between the songs is what styles they took on. The first half was a soft country rock album and the second half was more hard rock. And considering my history with these albums, i bet you know which style i prefer. The country rock portion was kinda meh and is a bit inferior to Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere but the hard rock part was where this album shines as i enjoyed each song there. It really is a case of an album being simultaneously a 3 and 4 star album so combining the scores gets me a 3.5. Best Song: Powderfinger Worst Song: Ride My Llama

Hver gang æ høre Neil Young synge tenke æ «å ja, det va sånn Neil Young høres ut når han syng», for en rar stemme han har. Men æ likte det her langt bedre enn æ kanskje hadde venta? Og sistelåta minte litt om nokka æ ikke helt kan sette fingeren på men kanskje e Modest Mouse? Nokka i den retninga.

Album au top !

This is one of the best-mixed live albums for me, up there with Arena and Live Killers. Why some people don’t like Neil’s voice is beyond me. Whether acoustic or electric, he nails the harmonies and the screams. The band sounds great too.

The hits just keep coming, I've been on a quite a streak with music from this list lately. Just having 'My My, Hey Hey' bookend this album is enough for me, a sandwich is only as good as it's bread after all. The fillings are just as good, and having a part acoustic part electric thing going on, I really love it all. I was lucky to see Neil live not long ago and got treated to a few of these gems.

Doesn't quite hit the heights he can hit, but it's still a brilliant album.

When to listen: Feeling oldies melancholy. Not sure how I'd feel about it paired with a rando guy doing magic tricks.

top 3 - My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue), Welfare Mothers, Sedan Delivery. Enjoyed it more than I expected ! I really, really liked the instruments on this one. Feels like there’s something missing though and I can’t tell what it is.

The album in which Neil invented grunge? Great album, not my favourite Neil Young however. Still a great album. That second version of my my, hey hey is great. The fuzz, the fuzz.

Great quality for a live album and just great 3.5/5

Harder than I expected.

7/10 Favorite: My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)

Classic Young album. Instead the f recording his new material in the studio, he performed it live and released that as his album. Favorite song—Pocahontas. Second side is a little weaker than the first, but overall a great album.

album fell off at the end but giving 4 stars anyway bc neil’s the goat

I usually listen to Neil Young quite a bit, but I had never heard this album until now. It really helped me concentrate on work and made me relax. This is peak Neil Young to me. The mix between studio and live recordings was also something I enjoyed.

Pretty ok Neil album but it has crazy horse so +1

I liked this despite Neil's muppet voice!

A good rockin’ album from Neil Young.

Neil Young's voice sounded pretty solid on this album

nice

Neil Young is national treasure

The remastered version is book-ended by versions of "My My Hey Hey", an absolute classic and I can only imagine how powerful it must have been in 1979, when this came out. "It's better to burn out than it is to rust..." means so much more to me now that I'm getting older.

Neil Young is one of my favorite artists. I have 65 songs already liked by Neil across his whole career (not counting CSNY). I've seen him twice in concert - once on a solo acoustic tour in the early 90s and once with the Chrome Hearts band on his Love Earth tour last year (2025). 2 of his albums are on my Perfect Albums list - "After The Gold Rush" and "Everybody Knows this is Nowhere". I have "Harvest" as a near Perfect Album. His compilation album "Decade" was my Neil gateway drug, that led to exploring his early albums. Prior to this project, I had already liked 4 songs off this one - "My My Hey Hey", "Pocahontas", "Powderfinger", and "Hey Hey My My". If you have never listened to "Powderfinger" before - you must listen to it 3 times and read the lyrics. It's so good! I love story songs with no chorus - and this song fits that perfectly. How many songs have a narrator who is dead, singing about his demise? So cool. Actually because of this 1001 Albums experience I have already listened to the Marty Robbins song "El Paso". SPOILER ALERT: The narrator dies in that one to. New observations: "Thrasher" is freaking great - after listening a few times and reading the lyrics. How did I skip this one before? I absolutely love this song. I think it's describing how you just have to go your own way and keep moving forward even if most of the people in your life are stuck in their ways, inside their comfortable bubbles. He doesn't blame them, just recognizes they are on different paths. Don't become a "rock formation" or a "park bench mutation" folks. Kinda the "road less travelled" concept in a song without a chorus. It's simply brilliant! Also like "Ride My Llama" and "Sail Away". I have no idea what "Ride My Llama" is about and I'm not sure Neil does either. It's still cool nonetheless. Don't really like "Welfare Mothers" or "Sedan Delivery". Liked songs on Spotify: 7/9 - so this moved it into the "Near Perfect" zone Rating: 4/5

Great Neil Young

Liked this a lot more then when I last heard it. The electric side is really ace.

Good

Fav tracks: My My Hey Hey, Powderfinger. Neil Youngs voice is generally not my cup of tea but like the flow from acoustic to the grungy electric songs at the end of the album.

(6/7) My my hey hey, this one really rocked!

My my, hey hey, Thrasher, Pocahontas och Powderfinger hade jag på min Neil Young-playlist sedan tidigare och det är alla bra låtar. Övriga på skivan håller väl inte riktigt samma nivå men är hyfsade ändå. Eftersom My my är enastående bra blir det en fyra, men åt det svagare hållet.

Ein wilder Ritt zwischen akustischer Poesie und elektrischer Rebellion: Rust Never Sleeps beginnt ruhig mit Songs wie „My My, Hey Hey“ und endet laut mit verzerrten Gitarren in „Hey Hey, My My“. Das Album ist roh, ehrlich und einflussreich – ein Vorläufer des Grunge und ein Meilenstein des Rock. Nicht auf Amazon Prime verfügbar, aber definitiv hörenswert.

I am a big Neil Young fan. This is him and Crazy Horse in optima forma. Ranging from small, intimate songs to full on grunge, angrily slapping the guitar heavy on distortion. This band was versatile. The opening en the ending versions of My My Hey Hey capture this perfectly. I would recommend listening to Live Rust though. It is Live Rust, but contains more tracks including a couple of absolute classics.

Um bom álbum para ouvir enquanto tenho reunião o dia inteiro. 3/5 (ouvi dia 23 de janeiro de 2026)

Dope

4.0

Like all of his albums there is great and some filler. This stands as mostly great!

I have heard some of these tracks before. I think maybe I had too high expectations for this. I had assumed this was some radical departure from his normal stuff, but it still sounds like him. The electric side is fine. 3.5 rounded up Heard before? Some Owned: Yes: 44/177 (25%) Will I get. ?

I liked it because I like Neil but it shouldn’t be on the list

Proper journey of an album - opening and closing with variations of the same song made it feel complete!

4.5

⭐⭐⭐⭐ En av Neils bästa med spår som My my, Thrasher, Pochahontas och Powderfinger. Intressant med live elementen som ger en extra nerv. Är ingen fan av Welfare Mothers och Sedan Delivery som drar ner lite i slutet av albumet vilket gör att jag hamnar mellan en svag 5a och en stark 4a.

I think I like Neil Young music

Woof woof woof. Album Fab - reminded me of Glasto with Kendra and the fact Neil young kinda reminded us of Nana! Also playing this and letting all the recommended tracks play after was a treat

Schönes, intimes Album. Sehr minimalistisch arrangiert, dadurch wirken die Songs sehr stimmungsvoll.

A great album. I prefer the acoustic first half. Less bothered by the fuzz rock side, otherwise would be a 5.

I got this one and was a little happy. I am not a Neil Young aficionado but I've always liked his stuff. I'm generally not a huge fan of live albums, but this one seems pretty intimate. It's warm with the occasional cool breeze. Again, I'm not sure I could name many actual Neil Young albums off the top of my head, besides Harvest Moon, but I always connect with his stuff. I don't like how many tracks have a fadeout -- maybe ironically, given the aforementioned preference for studio albums -- but the fade atop a live performance sound kinda irks me. But this album definitely hits pretty well. It's like a well-worn denim jacket. I also think there are better Neil Young albums. I'd give it 3.5, but since we can't do fractionals, I will give it a 4; it sits above some of the albums I'd consider middling/three-star territory.

C'est dans le spectre vaste des bons Neil Young.

Looking forward to this one. Enjoyed this one. Did not disappoint.

Great album. Neil is an awesome songwriter and the transition from acoustic to rock keeps you engaged.

Kinda hit and miss, but overall good.

man i do love some neil young. his guitar sounds impeccable. i love his voice as well. sail away and my my, hey hey chill as hell! powderfinger is SO CHILL omg. loving the drums and the more quiet vocals and oooh's. the imagery that is popping into my head from the lyrics and the lead guitar is BEAUTIFUL and SHINY and GREEN and FRESH. loving loving the lyrics. powderfinger is genuinely so beautiful. sedan delivery is wonderful!!!! LOVE the tempo change.

A gem of an album.

I think I might need another listen to this to be sure, but I'm pretty certain that I loved this. High 4 stars, almost 5.

Feel that crrrruuunnnnccchhhhh? A seminal pre-grunge, pre-lofi effort. Neil Young’s last front-to-back masterpiece. My My, Hey Hey and Powderfinger alone have enough imagery and emotion to carry an entire album.

It's a good album, clearly not the best in my opinion. Good lyrics and music just not my type

Classic Neil Young vibes. Great lyricism.

Neil being Neil. I don't like this, but can see how it inspired other artists.

harmonica is so tuff

Intressant variation, IKONISK röst och överlag ganska välljudande!

Oh yeah! Gillar greppet med att avsluta med omvända versionen av toppenlåten albumet inleds med. Hela detta album riktigt behagligt att lyssna på annars också!

cool concept

Good music, especially the B side. Also Neil Young, even at the ripe age of 80, is so openly leftist I love him.

This is a great album with some truly fresh (at the time) riffs and sounds. Loved how the album was bookended by similar songs, and I loved the cohesion. One of my favorites from Neil young I think.

I’ve heard so many of these tracks over the years but never listened to the whole things all the way through. Has to be one of the great live releases.

Excellent album, but has a few skips.

My My, Hey Hey

Another great album from Neil, this time accompanied by the band Crazy Horse. This album perfectly shows off the two sides of Neil's music - the A-side is an acoustic set, with Neil singing his songs alone with just acoustic guitar and harmonica, and the B-side is an insanely heavy electric set, with guitar tones so raw and crunchy you'd figure they were from 90s grunge instead of 70s folk-rock. As ever, Neil's songwriting chops are on full display. The acoustic numbers deliver on sadness and pain, while the electric ones display that rawness and fury. Especially poignant are the bookends to the album, "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" and "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)", which are nearly the same song but with a few lyrics swapped and the instrumentation switched out. That this song works so well in both styles is a testament to Neil's songwriting ability.

The front of this album is a 5 to me and the back is a 3 so we meet right in the middle with a 4. I enjoy the guitar distortion and effects for the novelty, but I'm more Thrasher and Pocahontas than Powderfinger.

3.75

Songs 8/9 Very very good. Love how the album gets heavier both in theme and distortion.

This album had Bar Rock vibes and I really liked it. I especially think it was cool how it started and ended with the same song slightly altered

Late night drive type of album

If you like Neil Young, you will like this album. Amazing artist, great album.

Loved it classic roadtrip rock album

I like the beginning more than the end but overall pretty good

I think Fred loves Neil Young. It's good. I don't know if I've heard any of these songs before.

Grunge is born!

My My Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) is one of my favorite songs. The rest of the album is good, but what a banger to start with.

New to Neil Young - love the political lyrics

top 3: - powderfinger - thrasher - pocahontas

Good shoot

surprisingly enjoyed this

OTROLIGT fet andra halva, tungt gitarrsound!

Detta nosar på en 5a. Glad för första Neil Young hittills.

Hann bara en lyssning men den lyssningen var fet! Mäktigt med live.

Älskar Neil Young.

The feels very chill and enjoyable so far. I'd play this on an indie road trip tbh. Very fall hanging out the window vibes. Even the ones I don't like the vibes are still very good. I love 70s rock I'm glad this has so much. Favourite: My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue) Least favourite: Sedan Delivery

i like a lot of the tracks on this album and it feels like quintessential neil young. some of the tracks are a miss for me sonic wise.

Neil Young is definitely growing on me, both chilled and energetic

Love it! One of favs.

I always thought this was a live album and never listened. Woe is me. This is a great album. Good build and book ends.

Another great neil young album, not my favourite, but certainly one that I will revisit. 4 stars

Has some all time bangers and then some duds

This kicks way harder than I was expecting

Better than I remembered. Pocahontas, thrasher, sail away, powder finger all bangers. Sedan delivery not great.

Solid throughout. But again, it is Neil Young afterall.

8/10 Favourite: Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) Least Favourite: Sail Away

Great album that showcases the various sides of Neil Young. Highlights: "My My Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) and "Powderfinger"

first song was so good. across the album, i loved the harmonica moments. i liked the first half more than the last half. in general, i liked this album so much i gave it a second listen immediately. i could see this rating increase over time! sidenote, i love the top reviews on this album

гытьё какоето

Listened Before? N WOW! This one was great! Feels like Neil had hit his stride as a solo artist here. There's a huge variety of sounds from folk to punk. I really loved this one. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue), Thrasher

Love My My Hey Hey (both versions). I like how it starts more folksy and progressively gets into heavier rock. Great album.

4/5

This album is based on the concept - not unique but well done in this case- of talking tracks recorded live and finishing them off on the studio. As you might expect this created a very immediate feel, a kind of intimacy even on the numbers with the band. The album has a plaintive and nostalgic feel, and lyrically there is lots of regret, though his voice tends to have that feel anyway. What is remarkable is the simplicity of Young’s writing. He seldom reaches beyond four or five chords and four four rhythm; lyrically he shows interwoven rhyme in nearly every song. But the simplicity makes for an effective vehicle for his ideas, from the First Nation American experience to gun violence. The disturbing song Sedan Delivery, about a young drug mule, shows that Young was not entirely immune from the influence of punk, quite apart from the reference to Johnny Rotten in the opener. All this leaves you with a slightly disoriented feeling, like the Neil Young of the acoustic solo numbers, the rural nostalgic, is occasionally transmuted into this drug addled urban lunatic who sings about the underbelly of the city. Disorientation is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when disorientation and dislocation are the point of the songs. The album is cleverly topped and trailed by two very different versions of the same song, The first is Hey, Hey, My, My (Out of the Blue) which gets an acoustic treatment, the closer is Hey, Hey, My, My (Into of the Black) with the full band and bucket loads of distortion. The journey from blue to black and from acoustic to electric is the shape of the album, the blue side and the black side. Heard together they give a renewed sense of Neil Young’s range, ambition and seriousness, as a songwriter and as a performer.

Simppeliä mutta toimivaa, upee lauluääni. Mies ja kitara. Tämä kelpais leiritulella.

Classic as hell. From the first line spoken, this album’s a classic. Really nothing bad to say about it. I still don’t understand what or who Crazy Horse is but I fucks with him.

Was unenthused about firing this up but it's actually really good. Love the mix of studio and live recordings. Also dig the distinct two halves of the album. 9 songs, 38 minutes, sign me up. Neil Young loves reprises huh?

I love Neil Young and this album has some of his really great songs, but I’m not keen on the acoustic-then-band two sides album concept. I know nobody else is bothered by this, but for some reason it doesn’t sit well with me. Pocahontas, Thrasher, Hey Hey My My, Powderfinger. These kind of songs belong on a 5 star album but even though I also like the rest of the songs too, Rust Never Sleeps doesn’t for me quite reach its potential.

I really don’t know what makes me enjoy some vocal-focused records. Like, I usually don’t, but sometimes it just clicks for me for some reason, but I can’t explain what that reason is. This is one of the examples. It’s a pretty typical minimalistic folk/country album. I don’t like this style, but this album just flows so well. I like the vocals, and the lyrics are so poetic and pleasant-sounding. I can’t fully explain it. It’s not the type of music I usually like, but this album was very enjoyable, for some reason.

More like 3.75 I think I quite liked it. Definitely feels like mom and dad‘s music but music that I can get into. Some of it felt a little bit like the same sort of stories as the Johnny Cash songs. I liked some songs more than others, but it was fun and folksy.

- Always find Neil Young very listenable but rarely incredible. - There are some great moments here but it feels a bit muddled; at times it's all sweet and lyrical then it's got some pretty heavy moments. Ironically home to the classic line 'it's better to burn out than to fade away' but it's a line that does sort of fade in one of the less memorable tracks of the album. - I do feel it's better than my 3-rated albums but it's not one of my stronger 4s.

First handful of songs were slow and repetitive but halfway through the album it switches to hard rock, groovy guitar riffs, overall solid music. Not my favourite Neil Young work but still pretty good

The opening track may be one of my favorite songs I’ve heard before!

Fort sympathique ! Une moitié acoustique, l’autre moitié presque hard rock, c’est une bonne surprise et ça donne envie de découvrir davantage Neil Young !

A highly regarded Neil Young album that was (supposedly) his raw response to the emergence of punk rock. The acoustic songs work better for this purpose, and there are some great ones including “Thrasher” and “Pocohontas”. The electric Crazy Horse second half is a bit weaker, mostly because the songs are weaker. All in all, it’s a fine effort but pales into comparison to Young’s best work, almost all of which preceded this record. And things went a bit off the rails after this one …

Pretty solid album. Consistent sound across, nice and relaxing country(?)/folky sound. could put on in the background of a drive across the Manitoba plains and just stare out the window.

uhhhh this was awesome? why did no one tell me neil young was so awesome? this is the first time i've ever listened to one of his albums. i think in my head i always thought neil diamond and neil young were the same person. i'm not sure but this 1001 list might be changing me.

Great music

I'd give it a 4 too! I thought it did a good job keeping its momentum up throughout, and it was the first album where I knew the last song but not the first. I liked the country/rock blend and liked his voice and the instrumentals. I cant see myself seeking it out again, but I did enjoy it for what it was.

A striking mix of acoustic vulnerability and electric grit. The album feels like a meditation on rock’s past and future, with “My My, Hey Hey” bookending the journey. Not flawless, but bold and timeless.

Started really strong, became more generic as it went on.

Growing up, my dad had Neil Young on all the time. We'd be out in the garage, doing some kind of work to hide from mom, and he'd teach me stuff. He'd tell me stories about his life, and even taught me some magic tricks when we ran out of stuff to do. One of his favorite stories was about his local bar. He tried to pickup women with the same magic tricks he taught me. I don't like Neil Young as much as my dad did, but maybe I'll go to that bar and play some in his honor. Who knows, maybe they'll like magic, too? 4/5

Neil Young is really the king of his folk-rock-country sound. I really like it because it's simple and straightforward but also just plain sounds good. Awesome guitar passages, great songwriting, wonderful singing. It's very consistent and impressive without falling to the generic territory. One of my favs from Neil Young

Long live rock n roll

Always a 4/5 for Neil!

It was a good listen, great storyteller

Nothing needed to add, it's Neil Young, it's fantastic song writing.

Not my favorite Neil Young and not necessarily revolutionary for his style but I love it all the same. 4/5

Really liked this one. Good listening in the background as I worked. Can't really articulate it, but the vibe just hit right. Like the sort of echoing, live, full bodied nature of the recording. Would listen again.

I have heard of Neil Young but never sat down and listened before. It was pretty great! I do think the songs had all the same vibe and wasn’t particularly blown away by one, so I rated 4. I would listen again.

Proto-grunge protest music with thought provoking lyrics. Neil Young is a legend for a reason.

Day 12: Best tracks: Powderfinger, My My Hey Hey, Thrasher, Pocahontas WOW. What an album, and exquisitely produced. 9/10 for sure. Possibly a no-skip 10/10 - I'll need more time to determine. Does it belong on the list? 100% Yes.

Rust was actually the nickname Neil Young has for Len Houmous. He was of course referencing one of Len’s famous acid trips when he made this album. 4.3 7/9 Welfare Mothers

I think I might officially have Neil Young fatigue from this list. I have one more album from him, but I'm over it at this point. I really loved him in the beginning, and to be fair he does have some fantastic albums, but the last couple I got I haven't been super impressed with. This one was okay. I loved "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)," "Thrasher," "Powderfinger," and "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" but some of the other songs were a mess. I guess "Pocahontas" is beloved by his fans, but it didn't work for me. And what the fuck was "Welfare Mothers"!? Not only did it ruin the flow of the album, but the lyrics were ridiculous. There's a Dana Carvey special from the 90s where he parodies Neil Young songs, and this album really felt like that parody in many spots. Earlier in his career I think he was really on the mark lyrically, but the later I get into his discography, the less impressed I am. He really does sound like a parody of himself at times. There are still some gems, but they are less profound and less frequent. I'd give this album a 3.5 if I could, but I think I have to round up because, while I found many faults with this album, the good songs here are so strong that it carries the album.

8.5 / 10

4/5

Neil Young with Crazy Horse just hits different.

I was annoyed that it was an acoustic live album at first, but it honestly started to grow on me and by the end I was looking at the past 40 mins like it flew by.

Decent folk

pretty good album, some songs are VERY strong, some are not so much. but i have my favourites, and some of the tracks are definitely entering my rotation. 7.5/10 favourite tracks: my my, hey hey (out of the blue), welfare mothers, sedan delivery, hey hey, my my (into the black)

4* but only just. I found the acoustic side weak (with the exception of hey hey my my) and it was rescued by Powderfinger et al.

Rv/g

Solid, enjoyable, great guitar.

«My my, hey hey, rock and roll is here to stay.» Vil Neil Young egentlig ligge med Pocahontas? Og har han tenkt å invitere Marlon Brando med på det? Han synger mye om å bo i tipi og ri på lamaer, «Ride My Llama» høres jo nesten ut som parodi. Tekstene er tidvis ganske cringe, og det preger egentlig mye av det Young har gjort etter denne plata også. At store deler av grunnarbeidet er gjort live, redder mye. Det låter rått, både den akustiske og den elektriske siden, på hver sin måte. Naturligvis best illustrert gjennom de to versjonene av «My My, Hey Hey». Jeg tenker på Dylans go electric-periode, da han kombinerte akustisk og elektrisk, hvor The Band (da The Hawks) kom inn i del to. Selv om Dylans akustiske sett har en nerve og intensitet, så sitter jeg ofte bare og venter på at The Band skal slå seg på, fordi jeg vet at det er så innmari mye bedre. Det samme skjer på Rust Never Sleeps. Men hos Young sin akustiske del føles det som han står og tripper og venter på at Crazy Horse skal entre scenen. Den delen mangler retningen og intensiteten Dylan hadde alene, og tekstene blir mer utsatt uten støyveggen bak. Da merker man lettere hvor klønete noen av linjene faktisk er. Når Crazy Horse først smeller til, er det derimot helt magisk. Det føles som rocken får nytt liv og jeg glemmer nesten all ventingen. Kanskje det er all vrengen som overdøver de kleine tekstene, og takk og pris for det.

Neil old

Classic

Neil Young, for me a neglected saint of the old folk pantheon. I can tell from My My, Hey Hey that I need to slow down and listen to this one. I sense great depths. I see a young man surveying a landscape of bloodsoaked Americana, singing songs of mourning, and of foreboding, of wheat before the thrasher, a gunship on the shore, the encroach of modernity. I know from his political comments, almost 50 years later, that he remained an empathetic American and ineluctable prophet of doom. The ship still looms, blood still runs. He must be tired.

It erased my review I wrote as I listened but the basics I remember are: His affinity/obsession/idk with Indians is weird. Welfare Mothers sounds good but the lyrics are not it. Sedan Delivery may be my favorite. I know Neil Young was in like 57 bands so his style sounds so much like those other bands but he has a lasting sound. There are contemporary bands I listen to that definitely are influenced by him. I enjoy his overall sound. I think the guitar parts are cool. I like his voice.

Lowlight: thrasher, ride my llama, welfare mothers Highlights: everything else Neil Young was someone I never listened to much until my mid 30s, so was happy to hear something I hadn’t heard from him yet. I loved this album and its messages of trying to reclaim yourself and violence that’s just imbedded in American culture. Splitting it between acoustic and electric is probably just a hold out from the record flipping days of one side being acoustic and the other electric. My my hey hey, is a song I have heard and I liked the wise but not tired message of trying to maintain your fire and if not, better to burn out then fade. Thrasher is just a bit too long and ramble and as much as I like Neil young, space music is not his forte and ride my llama is proof Pochhonfas was interesting in the sense that he’s of two spaces in time, being a Native American time during American expansion and talking to Marlon Brando. Sail away is a bit more fun, which is a nice break between all of the heaviness. Powderfinger blasts in with the guitar and the unfortunate story of a young boy being forced to war. Welfare mothers honestly, got kinda boring and reparative Sedan delivery was fast and hard and rocking that you need before the last proto grunge track of hey hey my my. It’s not my favorite Neil young album(Harvest, everybody knows, and on the beach juggle for the top spot) but this was a great continuation of his work and showed that despair being like a decade on the music business he could still make meaningful, striking, melodic and loud bangers 4/5

Not too bad

need to listen again

Solid album

Relaxing yeehaw Nice vocals and instrumentals A pleasant listening experience

So good. Powderfinger sounds like proto-MJ Lenderman

Favourite songs: My My Hey Hey, Thrasher, Sail Away, Powderfinger, Hey Hey My My Least favourite songs: Ride My Llama, Welfare Mothers Rating 7.5/10

Really like Neil Young

Neil Young...he just keeps on Neil Younging...and that is a good thing. Hard to find nits in the Youngster. 4/5

if only i have become rust. then i can stay up and exchange information with people on the other side of the earth all night long. i have very bad postures and i'm so ugly. that is ok because so are you. do you want to burn out or fade away? you ask, i keep silent because i am afraid. i don't want to walk out of the blue because i have always been descending into the black. sex pistols broke up. johnny rotten was reborn as john lydon. john lydon formed PiL. the king is dead. long live the king. 4/5

The first half was incredible. Powderfinger is also fantastic. Didn't rate the second half as much but that's a mood thing for me. A strong 4.

Very mellow music. Solid

This sounds more like a late career post-grunge renaissance than from the actual real life 70's. Really good

I love Neil Young and even I'm feeling, "Enough with the Neil young already"

The godfather of grunge. Great album.

Good album haven't listen in a long time

Wonderful album! I really felt it ended on a high with the last couple of songs! I'd give it a 4.5 if possible.

è live!?!?!!?!?!

Очень хороший альбом, вокал не выделяется, отличный инструментал кроме губной гормошки на которой то ли играть не научились то ли не поняои как она звучит со всем остальным, есть еще несколько косяков но альбом очень хорош 4.4

Good album with some classic song. I’m not the biggest fan of Young’s vocals but he’s a legend.

Excited for this one out of the gate. I love Neil Young and his annoying voice. My My Hey Hey versions opening and closing...chef's kiss. Didn't love all the tracks but will listen again. Given how prolific Neil was, these aren't his best tracks, but I love the feeling of this album. Better to burn than to rust! Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): My My, Hey Hey ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loved it. Saved some tracks

awesome except for the song where he is totally out of tune with his vocal

Classic Neil stuff. I’ve heard most (if not all) of these tunes before. Great stuff. Hey Hey bookends fucking killer.

Neil Young sabe lo que se hace. Me ha encantado la apertura y cierre con la misma canción pero distinto color. Abre en acústico y cierra a tope.

Love Neil Young although this album is a mixed bag with some great songs and a few average ones. Still a great listen overall.

Realised I don't know that much about Neil Young. Really got in to this, caught me off- guard for sure. Hells yeah, get that fuzz.

Reinforces my comment on previous album. Exceptional guitarist, great song writer, barely mediocre vocalist. I understand vocals are very much down to personal taste so this is just an opinion. Despite the above observations I did enjoy

Nice variety of Neil in one place, good listen, good length before the sound wears me down

Have always liked Neil Young. Voice is not classically the best but the rawness of the melody makes it work well.

If Neil Young actually had a Crazy Horse this would be a 5 Star for sure.

Slaps

Raw grunge, a great look into Crazy Horse and Neil Young. Some real classics on here. -Thrasher -Powderfinger

Sorprendentemente me ha gustado. Tengo que profundizar más en la música de Neil Young

Pleasantly surprised at this one. Not a Neil Young fan, but enjoyed this album.

I haven’t had an album below a 4 in so long please give me something awful to enjoy

This feels like the missing link for me. It's a solid step between the thought out lyric/vocal combo of folk oriented beginnings of rock, and the freedom of amplified electric technology. I'm impressed with what I've heard, and I'm still feeling like I need more listens to digest this properly. My rating may fluctuate with time. My mental image of Neil Young was a variety of Hollywood Neils before today. There's a lot more respect now. 3.6/5

I’ve always enjoyed Neil’s songwriting, though I’ve never listened to a full album before and I’m not sure a live album counts. I enjoyed this, and I'm aware he’s got other albums on this list so I look forward to listening when they come up.

My My

I preferred the acoustic first half, but still lots to love in the back half. Great listen.

Started out with my favorite Neil Young song and everything else was ok. His work with Crazy Horse is def his best.

A decent album, better than I expected. This album was a lot more popular in the 70s/80s but for some reason it’s fallen in the ranks in recent years. Is Harvest better than this? I’m not 100% certain it is.

Was already familiar with Young's work. Knew three of these songs already. Clean, well-executed album with lots of lyric creativity on Young's part. What's really fun is listening to the B-side... you can hear grungy guitar licks that seem 15 years ahead of their time. Young and Crazy Horse were always inspirations.

Нил Янг никогда не разочаровывает. Отличный альбом, начинающийся с хита, вначале блюзовый и мелодичный, к концу становится бодрым и роковым. Классный, кайфовый, американский альбом, приближающий своим звучанием к земле и природе. Rock'n'Roll will never die.

Neil, es Neil y eso es suficiente

Really good, he has a very nice voice

sympa

It's not my favorite Neil Young, but any Neil Young is pretty great.

Just good-ass American music.

Good, very listenable album.

Great album. Proto-grunge is a cool name for a genre and can hear the early influences here.

Cool album. I enjoy the acoustic and electric halves of it. Is it supposed to be live? I can’t totally tell.

This is my 3rd or 4th Neil Young album so I knew what I was getting coming into this. That being said, surprised by how heavy the second half was. 7/10

Hey hey

This influenced so much

Lovely stuff! Saw a lot of this live, which was tasty. Simpsons: Yes

Solid album.

blast from the past for me

Really enjoyed it, never heard of the album specifically but knew the first song. Very cohesive, gave my The Who vibes at times. Listened at work so didn't have my full attention... But definitely worth another listen through. Can I come back and edit these reviews later? Testing...

Good

Neil has never completely clicked with me, but this is a great record. The last half is better than the first half, and the distortion on the closing track is great.

My My Hey Hey and vice versa, along with Thrasher, Pocahontas, Sail Away and Powderfinger are great. But I tend to lose focus on the other tracks, making this a 4 star instead of a 5.

Nice stuff. Loved songwriting. Didn't liked structure. Probably would work better if acoustic and electric songs followed each other, not divided by sides. Fav song: Pacahontas.

A solid summer backyard album. I'm not the biggest fan of listening to live recordings, but the live tracks blended in well with the studio recordings.

Back to "new to me" albums today, or at least "I've been meaning to spin that one" albums. I'm familiar with Neil Young, obviously (both through CSNY and Harvest), but I haven't investigated any of the later stuff, and certainly not anything from the Crazy Horse years. Favorites: Powderfinger, Thrasher, Sedan Delivery. A "sorta live" album - side A is much more acoustic and folk-ish than side B, interesting way to structure the album. Love the bookend tracks in both styles.

Bookended by one of the greatest songs of all time, can't go wrong. The rest isn't jazz is great folk moving toward out there jam rock. Big fan.

Classic Neil Young sticking it to the disco era.

Dürfte ein sehr gutes "Autobahn"-Album sein. Gute Riffs und nie langweilig

I love Neil Young

Zuhause, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Sehr fein.

The mix of live tracks and studio ones is a bit confusing, but the album overall showcases solid guitar work with Neil Young's signature vocal style. Overall pretty solid, though not world changing.

Nice album of the godfather of grunge who shows why he is called like that. If you don't like his voice you will give this a 1 start, otherwise you cannot deny his capability of writing great songs.

I like the first half of the album with just Niel more than the last half. The last part is interesting but with the clear comparison to the first part I find that the fist part connects more with me Standouts My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue) Pocahontas 4/5

Enjoyed this quite a bit

Neil Young finally got me tonight. Especially loved the repeating intro and outro tracks. The outro is pleasantly heavy.

This was actually quite the surprise and very enjoyable, despite my fears when I took note of this being a mixture of studio and live tracks. The end result is a well-assembled package which sailed by pleasantly in my ears. The stripped back, gentle acoustics combined with infrequent, reflective bursts of harmonica really do provide for some heartstring-tugging moments throughout, with the album coming out of its cave and taking on more optimistic, hard rock tones as it advances. Wikipedia describes Rust Never Sleeps as "proto-grunge", but I'm not sure I'm getting much of that from it (thankfully) - rather, it feels like a precursor to the exploits of bands such as Built to Spill, Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, Sebadoh et al. The opening track has a veil of darkness shrouded over it in a way quite unlike anything else on the album, probably taking the cake as my highlight. I was also pleasantly surprised by Neil Young as a vocalist - for whatever reason, I was expecting some gravelly, two-pack-a-day smoker groaning, but he has a smoother vocal style much more aligned with vocalists of the 90-00s alt/indie persuasion. Would I put this on again? If the circumstances called for something of this ilk, then yeah, I'd probably reach for it.

La segunda parte del disco tiene una fuerza impresionante. Parece que estés escuchando dos discos de dos artistas distintos. 8/10

Not my favorite Neil album but still a good one. A bit jammy for my tatses

Hey Hey, My My, this album will never die. Yeah this album is pretty damn good. I’d heard Live Rust before, and it was also really good, and also longer than this one. Neil Young really does do some of his best work live. Not only on this album does his music excel, but his lyrics are superb on this album. Songs like Hey Hey, My My(Into The Black) or it’s mirror on the first side of the record, or even songs like Thrasher have really vivid lyrics. The songs are also very musically interesting, with Neil’s harmonica taking center stage in many songs. Crazy Horse also serves as a great backing band, with all of the members supporting Neil in their own ways. The album also has an interesting thesis, “It’s better to burn out ‘cause rust never sleeps”. That’s a sentiment that I’m not sure if I agree with, but it makes for a very interesting theme for the album. Overall, this is a great live album, and a great album in general, now, I’ve got to be headed out, hopefully, into the blue of another good album.

Just a rock and it's some solid rock

Sound album 😌

Top 10 live record - combines every style of playing and performance that Neil has at his command.

This album highlights what I love best about Neil Young - his ability to excel at crooning like a lonesome cowboy at one moment and then turning around and knocking you back with an absolutely blaring, fuzzy, electric chord the next. Solid from beginning to end - I would have liked a bit more mixing of acoustic and electric, but as an intentional two sides of a band, I get it. Truly one of the greats from one of the greats.

I have never listened to Neil Young, this album surprised me. Sorry for the backwards comparisons, but I am from a younger generation. Songs like "Thrasher" remind me of The Mountain Goats, and as crazy as this feels to say, and it is not something I was expecting at the tail-end of this album, "Sedan Delivery" sounds like an early prototype of Pixies. Very Francis Black-esque vocals, and while the instrumentation isn't as "strange" as a Pixies song might be, the tempo changes are there. Really neat album considering the the time period.

Good

Hey hey, my my is too good

I didn't really like the last Neil Young I got (Tonight's the Night) but really dig this one for some reason. The ear works in mysterious ways.

One of Young’s best - which is saying a lot, considering the quality of his work. A favourite of mine for years, especially the opening and closing tracks, ‘Pocahontas’ and the outstanding ‘Sedan Delivery’. Solid and essential.

So, only one Neil Young album gets a perfect five. But this is very good: turn on Neil Young, watch Inherent Vice, read Vineland, mourn the 60s

Much like Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home, Rust Never Sleeps has both an acoustic and an electric side - and it’s all the better for it. The latter even proved formative for the sound of grunge that would blossom in the ’90s. Partly tracked live and later overdubbed, these recordings sound raw and yet fantastic. Plus, the collection features some of Neil Young’s absolute finest songs (Thrasher, Pocahontas, Powderfinger, Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)). Man, does he shred on the B-side with his Les Paul. I’m not particularly crazy about Ride My Llama, Welfare Mothers and Sedan Delivery, as they pale in comparison to the other towering songs on the album. But that’s really just nitpicking. Neil Young reportedly included “rust” in the title of the previous tour as a metaphor to avoid artistic stagnation - however, if you’ve got these songs sitting around, one does wonder what exactly he thought he was rusting into.

I’m really not a fan of his voice, in fact it reminds me of Kermit but worse. This album strangely grew on me over a few listens though. A surprising 4 stars

An all-time great album with songs that will be played forever.

The 1980 pressing of this that I have is from across the iron curtain in Yugoslavia, where Young seems to be sped up slightly, despite the clear 33rpm labels. I guess it shows just how big he’d gotten in the ~10 years since his debut to be distributed and (probably) well-received across the blue/red divide. Well, a slightly pitched-up version of him anyway. The main stories about this album need no introduction - the acoustic A side and the electric B side, the sort of hybrid live/studio feel, and of course the infamy that now besets My My, Hey Hey - Kurt Cobain’s suicide note. On the acoustic A side you’ll find the crushing opener of My My, Hey Hey to lend itself well into the subsequent, almost as impactful Thrasher, through seldom talked about Ride My Llama, and into the more bright and optimistic double feature of Pocahontas and Sail Away. The electric B side does everything the A side did so brilliantly and then some - from the cascading riff of Powderfinger through to the bookending abrasive sign-out of Hey Hey, My My, not letting up in energy or indeed quality once. That’s right, there isn’t a dull moment on either side, despite what you may hear about Welfare Mothers and Sedan Delivery, it’s better to really appreciate these two rather than just waiting for the gap between the more popular tracks 6 and 9 to end. That is the beauty of the album format after all. Rust Never Sleeps sees Young round out the 1970s with an unabashed reaffirmation of his songwriting genius, and Crazy Horse provide the engaging backing to propel it into deserved “greatest of all time” discussions, which I still refuse to partake in. You may have had marginally less time to focus on Young’s lyricism if you were living in Sarajevo at the time of its release, but that needn’t matter when you can just flip your record over and start again, right back out of the blue.

I don't love Neil Young and I don't love live albums. However, this hits some kind of sweet spot, the recording is great, and what's included comprises a set that is varied and succinct enough to give you a good sense of the multi-faceted Neil Young without it feeling like it's hitting you over the head being overly long. I quite enjoyed this.

Good music

Love it!