Down by the River - Neil Young | College Students' FIRST TIME REACTION! 

Wanting to swing back quick after hitting Cowgirl in the Sand! Was really cool checking this out, what’s the next Neil Young song we have to hit?! 🙌🏻🔥

You guys want "haunting" Neil Young? The Needle and the Damage Done, off of the Harvest album.

Neil Young doesn’t play guitar with his hands, he plays it with his Soul. ‘Cortez the Killer’ would be my recommendation. Just incredible.

Fact: This song is hardly ever played at wedding receptions.

This song is a mood. Authentic and purely genius.

"I like to play with people who can play simple and are not threatened by other musicians thinking they can't play. And that eliminates 99% of the musicians." - Neil Young

ANYTHING off of "Rust Never Sleeps" !!! For kick ass rock: "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)", "Powderfinger" or "Welfare Mothers" For acoustic genius: "Pocahontas" or "Hey Hey My My (Out Of The Blue)"

He may not be the best guitarist, he may not be the best singer, he may not be the best lyricist, but if you look at the big picture he's absolutely one of the best. You have to listen to any of the songs from the Weld live album, Crazy Horse is fantastic on it. Whether it's one of his lesser known songs like "Love To Burn" or "Love And Only Love", whether hits like "Cortez The Killer" or "Like a Hurricane", you won't be disappointed.

Might sound weird but hear me out -- the secret to the classical string quartet (two violins, viola, cello) is often the interplay between the two violins over the supporting bass instruments. The secret to these early Neil Young songs is the interplay of the two guitars (in opposite channels) supported by the bass instruments. Such a simple recipe, don't understand why it hasn't been used more often.

Before Neil met Crazy Horse, "crunchy" was just a type of peanut butter...

Cortez the Killer or Like a Hurricane from Neil's live album Live Rust!

Just review the whole of Neil's LP Harvest. You can thank me later.

One of my earliest memories of any song would probably be this one. Riding around in my dads truck

Needle and the Damage Done for sure.

"Needle and the Damage Done" would be a great one to hit next. Or maybe "After the Gold Rush".

Neil is in full deconstructionist mode with this song. Sparse rhythm guitar, one note solos, rough mixing, single vocal track. Pure rock.

Starting my day with a good old murder ballad.

Okay. Next Neil Young - "Like a Hurricane". Some great guitar work! Do it!!! 😊👍✌️

Down By the River is a B+ song?!? Nah. Y’all don’t know Neil Young yet. This was probably a one-take cut. He prided himself on jamming in the studio and capturing a live-sounding track. This review hurts my heart a little.

Back in the day when FM radio stations could/would play this over the air.

I see a lot of good songs mentioned, but there's a reason songs like Southern Man, Heart of Gold, Cinnamon Girl, My My Hey Hey, and Hey Hey My My still receive airplay and were his bigger hits. Check them out. Also, Rockin' in the Free World.

Different sides to Neil Young: 1. Melodic, moody when he sits down at the piano. 2. Folky, troubadour type when he plays the acoustic guitar. 3. Man possessed when playing live on electric guitar. Please check out some Live Rust. Cortez the Killer is awesome, but hard to go wrong with anything from that double live album (show begins with Neil solo/acoustic, then the band gets added/goes electric as the show goes on). Neil and Crazy Horse invented fuzz distortion, decades before the Seattle scene came along. Peace from Toronto! (P.S. Your other commenters are correct - Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World is instant playlist material).

You must needs listen to his work with Crazy Horse. The "Live Rust" album! "Powderfinger", "Cortez the Killer", "Like a Huricane".

This song is almost perfect, a timeless classic. Guitar minimalism, hmmm - almost reminds me of the Velvet Underground… I suggest you listen to “Cortez the Killer” and “Like A Hurricane” next.

Rockin’ in the Free World is a straight up banger!

NY + Crazy Horse is whole different energy than NY alone.

This album changed my life, it’s been a constant companion for me through many years.

A few years ago, he opened a show in New Orleans with a 41 minute version of Down By the River.

Neil Young fandom begins here , first with this song , then the whole EVERYBODY KNOWS album .

Different topic entirely, but I recently caught my third great rock n roll moment. (One of the others involved nudity at a concert.) I was outside Walmart listening to music piped through the external speakers. Steppenwolf was doing Magic Carper Ride when I noticed two young girls dancing to the song. A minor thing, yeah, but it stuck with me that a song from the 60s could still move young people to just have fun.

You really should get into 'Hey Hey, My My...,' by Neil. It's the one and only true rock and roll anthem. A must listen ✌

Live , amazing , “Southern Man “ right in there with Cowgirl in the Sand and Down by the River !

Check out the two Neil songs that spawned Lynyrd Sknyrd's Sweet Home Alabama....Southern Man & Alabama.

Best 1 note guitar solo of all time 🎸

Rockin’ in the Free World, Hey,Hey, My, My (Into the Black), Like a Hurricane, Cortez the Killer, Southern Man are all essential bangers, as well as a ton of his quieter songs.

gotta check out Neil YOUNG From Live Rust. like a hurricane, when you dance I can really love, the Loner, Needle and Damage Done, PowderFinger

I recall a reviewer saying "No fair! His solo is just playing the same note 23 times." Works. For. Me.

Billy Talbot holding the song together with that bass line while Neil just dances around it.

As a "song" it's a B+, as a jam or a vibe it's an S. Such sauce I've never seen.

You guys should do Sugar Mountain by Neil. So good. Down to earth. Heartfelt.

Heart of Gold by Neil Young

Neil and his Crazy Horse Band brought out a special sound together.

I just love the raw sound of this tune!!!

Powderfinger or Danger Bird (as a deeper cut)

I’ve been waiting for this reaction. About damn time 😎

Rockin in the Free World, Needle and the Damage Done!!

Pat Travers Live- "Boom Boom, Out Go the Lights". A straight up dirty, crowd participation, I'd love to be there when this was recorded, don't need to think about it, check you brain at the door, 4 beers into it, BANGER..

I've got a poll idea: Summertime songs. Do two? It's gonna be tough. •Summer by War • Hot time in The Summertime. Sly and the Family Stone • Summertime. By Mungo Jerry. • School's out for Summer. By Alice Cooper • Summer Breeze. By Seals and Croft. •Summer in the City. By The Lovin' Spoonful Summer of '69. By Bryan Adams

Spontaneous in Webster’s dictionary shows a pic of Neil Young. If you listen, then you know their are no words I can write. Legendary. Love his music.

Props to Danny Whitten's excellent rhythm guitar playing in this one.

Like a Hurricane, I've never seen anyone able to cover the guitar in that song chord for chord. He makes the chords sound like birds chirping at points. Blows my mind. Beautiful love song too.

Have to do "Southern Man" sung by Neil Young from the CSNY Four Way Street. Great live song!!!

for electric...cortez the killer, like a hurricane, powderfinger...for acoustic...sugar mountain, long may you run, after the goldrush...all great songs.

Am I the only one who feels drunk or high when his music comes on? No responsibilities. 😊

As a 17 year old, I listened to this album every day. Loved him and C,S,N & Y! ❤ Four-Way Street epitomized 1971 and the Youth Movement back then.

One of the best driving and "hotboxin" songs ever!

Rocking In The Free World, live!!!!!

Danny Whitten was Neil Young's evil mirror's reflection.

I have been waiting and it is finally here!!

The 3 songs of Neil Young's that are somewhat similar are Cowgirl in the Sand, Down by the River, and Cortez the Killer. Check out the third one. There are tons of Neil Young that are nothing like this though.

This is one of those songs I remember hearing on FM radio (where they played the long versions, and AM radio was more popular, so they were locked into the short versions). In the car with my parents while we went on long drives, just to be in the car, riding/driving. Sunday drives were a thing families did. For all that, plus loving the grit, funkiness, and feeling in Neil's voice, this is an 'S' tier song for me.

Like others before me, Like a Hurricane and Needle and the Damage Done are highly recommended. One of my personal favorites is Don't Let it Bring You Down off the After The Gold Rush album, which is the album following Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.

NY acoustic, The Needle and the Damage Done, Broken Arrow, After The Gold Rush, I am a Child. Don't let it Keep you Down. - All gems.

Southern Man live from 4 way Street with Crosby, Stills and Nash - greatest lost sauce live ever done.

His voice..... mesmerizing, simple, so easy to listen to. I still listen to "Harvest" after all these years. It's a vinyl masterpiece.

Title track, needle and the damage done.

My wife has finally come to terms that I am a Neil Young fan!

I have always liked Neil Young. This is a B for me. Old Man, A+

I used to jam to this record in the 70’s when I was first learning guitar

There were a lot of local bands back then that would play at our JH and HS dances. The ones we "followed" could play Stairway to Heaven and Down by the River...nice long slow dances. 😊 Lots of good suggestions here in the comments to 'thumbs up.' Thanks for this one!

I had the privilege of listening to Neil sing this live at the age of 70 at Memphis’ MusicFest in 2016. He opened his set with a 35 minute version…simply amazing. You guys got it right again…S tier experience.

This song is a stone classic.

The last concert I attended in Europe was Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Jaap Edenhal, Amsterdam, Netherlands July of 1976. Still, when I listen to "Like A Hurricane" I flash back to those memories. Fantastic live show.

This song always worked better when CSN&Y played it live. The interplay between Neil and Stephen was special.

perfect example of why he was the godfather of grunge music

The higher you get, the more you’ll like it.

I love a guitar in each ear and that bass travels right down the middle of my brain.

An early video? Excellent! 🙀 Thank you gents! 😻

As You probably can tell, this is the kind of song that really grows when you listen more and more to it. The style of solo guitar is unique from Neil Young. It get into one's head, if I listen once in the morning I'll be humming this all day

GOOOOOOD MORNING A&A FAMILY! ☮❤♾

I recently listened to this track on repeat in my car for 90 minutes. It's an s tier song.

all the young dudes - this is an easy A+ - I have twelve live versions on my foobar and can lay them back to back many times a year with no "been there" fatigue

Love the CSNY live version of "Down by the River" performed at pool's edge at an outdoor rec center in Big Sur with Joan Baez and a bunch of other hippies dancing around the pool deck. Classic end-of-an-era moment. The ecstatic looks on their faces during this extended jam tell you all you need to know about why these guys stuck together for so many years despite the decades of interpersonal BS.

The movie Philadelphia wouldn't have been so impactful without the haunting sound of Neil Young. Harvest Moon is a great album of his hits.

For some acoustic Neil Young check out his classics "Needle and the Damage Done" or "Pocahontas"

I was listening with you guys with my ear buds on, eyes closed....feeling it and a commercial kicks in and scares the crap out of me!

If anyone wants to know why Neil Young is considered the Grandfather of Grunge, one need only play this album for them. Also, there's NOBODY who can milk a single chord or two-chord progression like Young

One of the highlights of my life was watching a performance of Down by the River by Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen at the Sydney Entertainment Centre back in the mid 80s

Do your first back to back reactions: both versions of Hey Hey My My (acoustic and electric) off Rust Never Sleeps album -- would be AWESOME

This is my favorite song of all time just because how how hard they shred. Thanks for letting me enjoy it and vibe with y’all rather than pausing every 5 seconds like most RU-vidrs. I subscribed keep rockin!

Hey guys, I would recommend “Southern Man” next. Great song with a little more up tempo, and piano thrown in. I don’t know if you ever checked out “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, but some of the lyrics go; “I heard Mr. Young sing about her. I heard ole Neil put her down, well I hope Neil Young will remember, a southern man don’t need him around anyhow. Has to be in reference to Neil’s song! Have a good one, see you Friday! 🎸

Watching U-tube on new 43" tv for 1st time and wow you guy's get to be first. Love this song and Neil Young. I'm poor and have never had nothing new just an old Detroit rocker so watching your channel now I'm getting fucking goose bumps.

"Cortez The Killer..." [Drops guitar walks out of comment room].

“Needle and the damage done”, “Rockin’ in the free world”, “After the gold rush” are some classic, and phenomenal Neil Young Songs… but there are many others too, lol.

Maybe playing this on a camping trip by a river with your girlfriend might make her a bit nervous..... ;-)

This was the very first Neil Young song I had ever heard. It was in the summer of 69 if memory serves. I was either just about to turn, or just had turned into a teenager (13). The thing about music,(or at least music from the latter era) is that it's like a "time machine. You are instantly transported back to a certain period in your life, when that song was being played. A song comes on, and all of the memories of where you were, and what you were doing, and who you were doing it with, come rushing back. Our Brains, are wired that way. Thanks fellas

Check Roy Buchanan, was on cover of guitarplayer in the 70’s as best unknown guitarist

Neil Young is a genius. He proves you don`t need to play complicated stuff to sound really great. Most of his song are simple but at the same time they are awesome. I admire Neil young because he always went against the flow of the music industry and won doing it. If he wanted rock he did rock, If he wanted acoustics he did that. He does not care about his image on stage. Some times he almost look like some one close to being on the streets.

"Rockin' in the Free World" or "Hey Hey My My" for hard rockers. "Needle and the Damage Done" "Harvest Moon" or "Pocahontas" for something slower.

I discovered Neil Young in the early eighties after purchasing 'Decade', the triple compilation album, covering the period '66 - '76, and taking in a few Buffalo Springfield classics (his first band), then moving through some of his best solo material! A mixture of country, folk, and blistering guitar numbers, it was this song that blew my mind, and set me up for a lifetime of Youngian worship! Technically, not the greatest guitar player, but emotionally, only Hendrix has had the same impact on my physiology, and imo he also possesses the lyrical nous of the great Bob Dylan! Keep on 'Rocking In The Free World' Shakey!