Search - Neil Young :: Lucky Thirteen

Neil Young - The Experimental Years Compiled

Steven Sly | Kalamazoo, MI United States | 08/13/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Lucky 13" is a compilation album of tracks from albums that Young recorded for Geffen in the early to mid 80's. Ever the chameleon, Young signed with Geffen records in 1981 after having a huge career during the 70's. Instead of sticking with the status quo Young put out a series of experimental albums that eventually got him sued by his own record company for not being commercial enough! These albums included "Trans" which was mostly electronic music, "Old Ways" which was basically a country album, "Everybody's Rocking" which was a rockabilly album, "Landing On Water" which was a new wavish pop rock album, "Life" which was a rather average recording with Crazy Horse, and "This Notes For You" an album of blues. None of these albums did that well at the cash registers and it did not help that as soon as Young left Geffen he released his big comeback album "Ragged Glory". A lot of people missed out on the Geffen releases but there was some nice stuff to be found on them and I personally thought "Trans" was great. In fact "Trans" is the album that first turned me on to Neil Young which most people find very strange considering the album is so different from anything else he has done before or since. The tracks on "Lucky 13" are a mix of the original album tracks and some live stuff, but it all comes from the Geffen years. The only real hit to be found here is a live version of "This Notes For You", Neil's protest song about classic rock being used in advertisements that managed to get quite a bit of radio play at the time. Although most Young fans look at the Geffen years as a low point in his career I think this compilation is packed with solid songs. "Sample And Hold", "Transformer Man", "Depression Blues", "Hippie Dream", "Around The World" and "Mideast Vacation" are all great. The rest of the tracks are decent too and the whole thing shows what an incredibly diverse artist Young really is. If you are a Young fan and looked over the Geffen albums this little compilation is worth checking out. I always enjoy it when I pull it out from time to time."

Neil, laughing all the way to the bank

Mike | San Jose, CA | 04/15/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The single most frustrating aspect of Neil Young's career is the degree of loathing he has for his fans, his closest friends, and himself (read Shakey: Neil Young's Biography if you have no idea of what I'm talking about, and pay particular attention to the "Tonight's The Night" tour, plus his relationships with Stephen Stills and the late Nicolette Larson).



Amazon nailed it in their product description: Lucky Thirteen captures a "lamentable stretch with Geffen Records" and is "a must-own for true fans of the man." This is Neil's Metal Machine Music, an unbelievable act of contempt toward the fans who bankrolled the purchase of that sprawling ranch in Redwood City. Bravo, Neil...bravo.



David Geffen later sued Young for producing a 10-year stretch of flops that "didn't sound like Neil Young." Young, of course, found this to be hilarious.



Without question, the Geffen records encapsulate the worst of Young's 4 decade-plus career. Big joke to Neil, bigger rip-off to his fans."