Neil Young, one of Canada’s best singer-songwriters, has an incredibly impressive discography that includes songs from his early work with Buffalo Springfield and his breakthrough work with Crazy Horse, which helped establish grunge. Though he is rarely considered a guitar virtuoso, he is a true all-arounder with a strong command of multiple instruments and a distinctive vocal style.
Indeed, Young’s guitar playing was once the subject of a grilling by The Beatles’ lead guitarist, George Harrison. In video from a 1992 studio session with Bob Geldof and Chucho Merchan, he discussed his feelings about Young. Harrison’s scathing criticism of Young followed the Boomtown Rats singer’s praise for Young. Harrison cut him off and said, “I detest Neil Young’s guitar playing. I’m not a fan.” Yes, I can’t stand.
Harrison continued, recalling a time when he and Eric Clapton performed with Young at a concert. “I watched it from the other side of the stage and looked around; we did this show with him. “I asked Eric, ‘What’s going on?'” he recollected. “[Eric] performed the solo in the middle, and afterward, he gave me a kind of “don’t look at me, it’s not me” look.
Of course, Harrison included, not everyone has the skill of Eric Clapton. Many who admire Young would contend that virtuosity wasn’t necessary for his guitar playing. His early skill as an acoustic musician was enough to lend his voice to a number of timeless songs on Harvest and After the Gold Rush. Later, in songs like “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black),” his use of electric feedback and distortion contributed to defining a sound that was a precursor to grunge and noise rock in the 1980s.
Young draws inspiration from many greats in the blues rock and hard rock genres as an electric guitarist, but none more so than the late great Jimi Hendrix. During a 1996 interview with Much Music, Young praised Hendrix, saying, “He’s a classic, you know.” “He will always be present and he is a hero to me. He was undoubtedly my greatest electric guitar hero because he was capable of handling it.
Young expounded on the idea that Hendrix’s preference for feedback effects was more intriguing to him than his virtuosity. “There is a wealth of feedback. Particularly in its original form prior to being recorded, it is replete with sound,” Young went on. “The real thing is where it’s at right now. You can truly hear it when it’s first occurring.
Hendrix’s 1968 album Electric Ladyland clearly influenced Young’s electric guitar work with Crazy Horse in many ways.
