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[Pookmunki]

Love The Boss but this has to go to Neil - saw him in Nottingham a few years ago and it was phenomenal.

 

[AlteredBeast]

I do like Springstein. But there is one man gaf always forgets, and doesn't give attention to, and this is;

He is Jared Leto. Currently in the most talented and creative band

Running gags are less and less funny over time.

In other words: get that garbage out of a thread discussing real musicians.

Neil Young all the way for me. I enjoy a good deal of The Boss, but something about Neil Young's voice and guitar playing gives me those great mellow vibes.

 

[strobogo]

Neil Young. I could never get into Bruce, and I've tried multiple times. There are a handful of songs from him I enjoy, but the rest bore me or make me cringe. I just don't relate to his lyrics at all. I don't really relate a whole lot to Neil's, either, but I enjoy them much more.

 

[Crag Dweller]

I saw Neil Young at Notre Dame 10 days before he filmed the movie Rust Never Sleeps in 1978. It was my second concert. I still remember getting Rust Never Sleeps when it came out the following year and thought to myself "Holy Fuck, Thats some of the songs we heard at the concert last year!

 

[Chuckie]

Bruce Springsteen. I always get a serious case of melancholy (sp) when I listen to his songs. Even though I cannot relate at all to them.

 

[Agnostic]

I've been digging Springsteen even more with his recent albums.

 

[C4Lukins]

Neil Young time a thousand.


I mean he was a part of one of the best American bands, and then he left them in the dust. Oh yeah and he is Canadian which makes up for a lot of the garbage those people have put upon us. He inspired the best song by a Southern rock band in the US without actually writing it.

Neil Young is a bad ass. And Bruce is not terrible, no ragging on Bruce here, but he is just on a lower level.

 

[jonnyp]

Baffling topic to me.

Young every day of the week.

 

[Fjordson]

Neil Young by a country mile. So many amazing albums over the years and a fantastic live performer.

Never been a huge Boss fan really.

 

[KidA Seven]

Young all day.

 

[maquiladora]

Has to be Neil Young.

 

[CTE]

Since someone made a Joni Mitchell vs. Stevie Nicks thread, I thought this one would be a fun debate.

Whom do you prefer? Both have been working for over 40 years now, and are accomplished singers as well as songwriters.

I would have added Bob Dylan to this discussion, but that would not have been fair to everyone not named Bob Dylan.

So, who is better? Springsteen or Young?

Weird fact. Joni and Neil both got polio from the last epidemic to go around Ontario back in '51. Joni was 9 at the time. Strange connection to have, that's for sure. They also played in the folk clubs together around Canada.

I'll go with Neil of course since also I grew up in Winnipeg. In fact, my son went to the same school that Neil did, "Earl Grey". Now it's an elementary school and daycare. My son went there for daycare.

 

[Henke]

Neil Young is so much better than Springstein that this topic shouldn't even exist.

 

[SmashN'Grab]

I'd go with Neil Young, though I do like Springsteen a lot.

I have to say, Decade is the best "best of" I've ever heard. It's amazing.

I usually loathe "best of"s, but Decade actually flows better than any of his individual albums. He chose the track listing himself, writing the liner notes on each song. I love it.

So prolific too, his output quality-ratio in the 70s trumps even Dylan in the mid-60s. And I do not say that lightly.

 

[CTE]

I usually loathe "best of"s, but Decade actually flows better than any of his individual albums. He chose the track listing himself, writing the liner notes on each song. I love it.

Heart of Gold = This song put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore, so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there.

 

[mattiewheels]

I think Bruce is an incredible performer, I just don't like his songs.

One thing I always wondered about Harvest...was that album mixed unevenly originally? The orchestral songs on my new copy are so much quieter than the songs with the band, I end up turning the volume up and down so often with it.

 

[Fry]

Both are fantastic. But only one of them wrote Old Man and After the Gold Rush, which are some of the best songs I've ever heard.

 

[ledman]

Young.

 

[Omegasquash]

Why choose one when you could choose neither?

I know, I'm a godless heathen, but I don't really like either of them. That said, they're both fine artists. Just not my style.

 

[ledman]

Both are fantastic. But only one of them wrote Old Man and After the Gold Rush, which are some of the best songs I've ever heard.

Listen to the Old Man version in the film Heart of Gold , it's incredible.

 

[injurai]

Bob Dylan

 

[Riggs]

Is this seriously being asked? Neil.

 

[Subprime]

Young. hands down. Springsteen is a singer primarily, but young is actually a great guitarist. his guitar sound on everyone knows this is nowhere / ragged glory is just incredible.

 

[teruterubozu]

Neil Young is real.
Bruce Springsteen is fucking fake.

 

[strobogo]

I think it is the saxophone that makes me not like Bruce. A sax makes me instantly tune out.

 

[mattiewheels]

Bruce looks better than Neil?

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Both are great, but The Boss slightly edges out Young for me. Still, it's almost impossible to choose.

 

[strobogo]

Bruce looks better than Neil?

Everyone looks better than Neil. He looked like a weirdo in the 60s, and now he looks like an old weirdo.

 

[scorcho]

Neil Young. No question. He belongs on the same damn pedestal of music awesome that Dylan sits at, though I'd still find Young's output far more interesting.

Springsteen v Bon Jovi is a more apt comparison, and in that case you gotta take Bruce.

 

[brianjones]

Everyone looks better than Neil. He looked like a weirdo in the 60s, and now he looks like an old weirdo.

huh? he was a pretty handsome guy in his day

hes definitely a weird guy though.. not in a bad way

 

[Chili]

I'm as big a Springsteen fanatic as they come. Seen him live so many times - he is unlike anything else I've seen in terms of energy and passion. Calling him fake is ridiculous.

I really don't know much about Neil Young other than the album he did with Pearl Jam which I quite like so I can't really compare the two. What would be a good place to get started on Young?

 

[Linch]

I love both so much, both fantastic song writers and performers.

But it has to go to Bruce Springsteen for me.

His comeback in the 2000's has been fantastic, and he is constantly changing his musical style. From very early Springsteen with its heavy Jazz influences, to his big popularity with Born To Run, arguably some of the greatest lyrics and songwriting. Some of the most layered music performed by a band - The E Street Band.

Then he moved onto a much more rock orientated and working man style with Darkness On The Edge of Town, before The River, a fantastic double album with both upbeat and downbeat songs. Nebraska is an incredible album, and its a demo tape he recorded on a 4 track. Then his massive stadium rock album with Born In The USA.

He had a little rough patch in the 90's, but still had some good songs. Then came back in 2000's with a great reunion tour and some really good albums.

Not only that but he does great live renditions of all his songs, varying them massively. And the stuff with the Seeger Sessions Band is great too, good folk influences.

Plus the man can play guitar fantastically and the harmonica too.

Some great examples of Bruce live:

Seeger sessions band: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuHIGn-ZXJM
Extended guitar solo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t2TdQ-d5OA
Born In the USA Acoustic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEev8HQUGsc

Plus he works the crowd fantastic, and still puts on some of the best shows of his career at 63 (Happy Birthday Bruce, today!) up to 4 hours long!

But of course Neil Young is also timeless. But Bruce is my favourite.

 

[scorcho]

I'm as big a Springsteen fanatic as they come. Seen him live so many times - he is unlike anything else I've seen in terms of energy and passion. Calling him fake is ridiculous.

I really don't know much about Neil Young other than the album he did with Pearl Jam which I quite like so I can't really compare the two. What would be a good place to get started on Young?

Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
Neil Young - After the Goldrush
Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall 1971

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vef03k5i8VI

 

[brianjones]

Decade is actually a really good place to start, even though greatest hits are usually cringeworthy

it covers up through '77 though its not like a career spanning set

 

[strobogo]

huh? he was a pretty handsome guy in his day



hes definitely a weird guy though.. not in a bad way

When I think of Neil Young I think of this guy:

And this guy:

He's an odd looking dude for sure. Especially compared to Bruce, who is only 3 years younger.

 

[HAL_Laboratory]

This is like comparing The Doors to The Beatles.

 

[cubicle47b]

Neil Young.

 

[Autumn Wind]

Neil Young by far. I don't dislike Bruce though living in Jersey and having family obsessed with Born to Run, I'm not really a fan.

 

[severin]

"Nebraska" is one of my favorite albums ever, but I never liked much else from Springsteen.

 

[JohnsonUT]

Neil Young and it is not even close. I wouldn't be surprised if Bruce was more commercially successful though. Neil Young has a higher barrier to get into the music because of his voice and sometimes complex lyrics.

 

[Chimkey]

Im another one who has not listened to much of Neil Youngs work, which is something I intend to rectify.

Bruce is a far more complex writer than he is given credit for, partly due to his success in the mid 80s. Some of his less popular work is comprised of quite deep lyrical content.

One thing about him, the man is a beast to be doing nigh on 4 hour high energy shows at 63

 

[PhoncipleBone]

For Neil Young fans, they have moved up the release date of his memoir. Originally scheduled for October 2nd, it has been moved up to September 25th.

And a couple of weeks after that, Pete Townshend's memoir finally hits, and then a few weeks after that Rod Stewart. LOTS of cool music bios hitting in the next month.

 

[genjiZERO]

I wouldn't compare the two, but I'm going to have to go with Neil Young - easily one of the best (if not the best) singer-songwriters of all time.

 

[strobogo]

Sorry for the bump, but Don't Let It Bring you down is SO FUCKING GOOD.

 

[WyndhamPrice]

For 4 years I worked at the Mom + Pop video store that Bruce Springsteen was a member of.

He rented some pretty fucking terrible movies and was a totally awesome guy every time he came in.

Bruce gets my vote 100% of the time.

 

[squidyj]

Since someone made a Joni Mitchell vs. Stevie Nicks thread, I thought this one would be a fun debate.

Whom do you prefer? Both have been working for over 40 years now, and are accomplished singers as well as songwriters.

I would have added Bob Dylan to this discussion, but that would not have been fair to everyone not named Bob Dylan.

So, who is better? Springsteen or Young?

Leonard Cohen.

Also how would adding Bob Dylan have been unfair to Robert Allen Zimmerman?

 

[Jotamide]

Ooooohhhhhh Alabama.
Neil Young of course. Harvest is pure bliss.

 

[Sorcerer]

I give the nod to Young.

Young has gone to some weird extremes in his career. The album Trans comes to mind. He doesn't seem to care if his fans sometimes don't get him.

The most alienating thing Springsteen has done is Nebraska (witch I think is his best work) but its not a complete 360.

 

[TriangleOfCorruption]

Never been a fan of Springsteen, I've listened to Born to Run and Nebraska a few times each, and they just leave me cold.

I'm a huge Neil Young fan though, Tonight's the Night and On the Beach are among my favourite albums. Dude could do no wrong in the '70s.

 

[Glorified G]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ZkQC0riwc