Neil Young has been a very significant presence in the music biz for a long, long time. He was part of Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young as well as Buffalo Springfield. His solo career has been utterly masterful. So at 79, he is a bit of a senior statesman figure of sorts. Years ago, Young was a perfect choice to mentor a band. It's almost hard, maybe impossible, to categorize him, though.
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Per faroutmagazine.co.uk, "He defies all conventions of a normal or trained vocalist...Simply put, Young doesn't have the best voice in the world, but I don't want to hear anybody else sing a Neil Young song."
Neil Young Mentored Pearl Jam
How'd that happen? Well, Young and Eddie Vedder became pals, it seems. Per the outlet, Vedder said, appreciatively and graciously, "Everything he taught us at the time resonated and came at a time when we needed to be taught. We needed a North Star and a bit of a compass, and he provided both. The best teachers are the ones who you just kind of learn from example. Just in his stories, you'd figure out a few things."
In 1992, The Band Was Riding High But A Downside Loomed
Pearl Jam's album, Ten, was a hit back then and they were the darlings of the rock ecosphere. Of course, some people love to pull down anyone who is at or near the top. Young knew that. Vedder shared, "He [Young] said, 'Hey, just so you know, there might be some people that'll try to pull you away from this group, but you guys, the sum is greater than the parts. Remember that. I'm sure that's probably already happened to you.'"
More About Neil Young
Rolling Stone summed up Young nicely. "Singer/songwriter Neil Young is sometimes visionary, sometimes flaky, sometimes both at once, but he has never been boring." Complex, artistically intrepid, and sometimes unapologetically controversial, he is truly a legend without peer.
Surprisingly, he is also a one hit wonder. Young's sole chart-topper was "Heart of Gold" from his Harvest album in 1972.
He has never been conventional or predictable and never will be.
