Neil Young: The Bird Album
Some time ago I sat down and started creating a playlist composed of classic rock songs about birds. I was about a dozen tracks into the mix; digging both the famous and obscure picks about our fine feathered friends, (Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Police, Neil Young) when… wait… what Neil Young bird song should I select?
There were too many great options to decide on a single one.
After working for an hour on the original classic rock bird song playlist, I scrapped it for a later date, and decided to concentrate on crafting a Neil Young only avian-centric playlist. I simply could not let another moment pass without bringing this into existence.
The fruits of my labor rendered this Neil Young compilation I call The Bird Album. It features 15 songs written about, inspired by, or that mention birds in the lyrics. Sure, it sounds like an odd way to put together a mixtape, but with an artist as legendary as Neil Young, it really works.
It’s essentially a new Neil Young album focused around a single subject, as opposed to another greatest hits package featuring the same radio hits that appear in any Neil Young mixtape you can dig up. For me, a collection like this injects more interest into the mix, and can recap songs you haven’t heard in quite some time. Do you really need to hear “Heart of Gold” or “Needle and the Damage Done” again? Sure they’re great songs, but these tracks help you look at Neil in a new light, held together by the freedom of flight
If you’re a fan of birds or Neil Young in any way, shape, or form, this is a must have compilation.
Tracklisting:
1. “Birds” from After The Goldrush
2. "Beautiful Bluebird" from Chrome Dreams II
3. “Helpless” (big birds flyin’ across the sky…) from Decade
4. “Hawks And Doves” from Hawks And Doves
5. “Revolution Blues” (that was me with the doves…) from On The Beach
6. “War of Man” (the black falcon or the little sparrow…) from Harvest Moon
7. "Little Wing" from Hawks And Doves
8. "It's A Dream" (birds outside on the roof...) from Prairie Wind
9. “Thrasher” (the eagle/vulture glides desending…) from Rust Never Sleeps
10."Grandpa's Interview" (a crow flew across the sky...) from Greendale
11. “Danger Bird” from Zuma
12. “Motion Pictures (For Carrie)” (ducks are calling…) from On The Beach
13. "Shots" (faster than a bird in the night...) from Re-ac-tor
14. “The Old Homestead” (prehistoric bird…) from Hawks And Doves
15. “Expecting To Fly” - with Buffalo Springfield from Buffalo Springfield Again
