Saturday Stream | Covering Neil Young

This week Neil Young & Promise Of The Real officially announced details of their new collaborative album, The Monsanto Years, which will be out June 29 and will further expand the already impressive songbook Young has fostered over his Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame career. Along with his songwriting and push for technological change (like in the form of his Pono player) Young’s impact and influence on the music industry continues to grow. One telling aspect of his effect on popular music is the sheer number of artists across all styles of performance who have covered songs from his extensive canon of tunes.




For several decades musicians from an array of genres and backgrounds have taped Young for a source of material to record. Twenty-five of those artists are represented in the playlist below. Soul singer Merry Clayton starts off with her 1971 take on “Southern Man” (from her album of the same name), the longtime background singer would go on to sing on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s response to the song “Sweet Home Alabama.” Other notable playlist entries include Paul McCartney’s son James McCartney performing “Old Man,” The Isley Brothers incorporating Jimi Hendrix’s “Machine Gun” into Young’s protest song “Ohio,” Emmylou Harris’ “Wrecking Ball” from her album of the same name and her performance alongside Dolly Parton and Young collaborator Linda Ronstadt (who also is included performing “Love Is A Rose”) on “After The Gold Rush.” 

Other diverse artists such as Roxy Music, The Meters, Pearl Jam, Pixies, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Charles Bradley, Patti Smith and more help round out the nearly two hours worth of Neil Young covers compiled for your listening pleasure…