I first bought Neil Young-Decade Circa 1978 or should I say I begged my mom to buy it for me. First I had the 8-track and when that got snagged and ruined I got the LP. A few year's later in college I bought the double Cassette. This past spring 2001, almost a quarter century later, I bought the CD and Wow!!!what a treasure chest of music history. I always knew Neil Young is a great songwriter and performer, but at age 38 I realize his musical genius.

Decade covers a wide range of musical styles, from heavy duty distortion ballads ( Cowgirl In The Sand and Like A Hurricane), to clean country rock (Cinnamon Girl, Heart of Gold, I Am a Child)....Political statements are obvious on "Ohio" and "Campaigner". A good example of Young's haunting vocals are best demonstrated on the love song "I Believe In You". "Winterlong" reminds me of love in a honky tonk saloon somewhere far away from the stress of urban life.

My favorite part of the collection are the first 5 songs (Down to the Wire, Burned, Mr. Soul, Broken Arrow, and Waiting to Fly) it is soaked in psychedelia and the essence of another time. It reminds me of my youth when Jimmy Carter was President and we were all happy.

Decade is fun to get stoned to on your day off or when you want to play hooky from work.

P.S. the only other recording I've owned in record, 8-track, Cassette and CD is Led Zep's Physical Graffitti

...that is, Neil Young's career can't be represented just by two CDs. Hopefully, the upcoming boxed set will do him justice because, even if he has clear ups (Buffalo Springfield, Deja Vu-era CSNY, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Zuma, Tonight's the Night, After the Gold Rush, Freedom...) and downs (Trans, Re-actor, '80s CSNY) in his career, an overview is absolutely essential for him at this point.

But the music itself on Decade? What can you say to these songs? "Down to the Wire", "Mr. Soul", "Expecting to Fly", "Southern Man", "Down by the River", "I Am a Child", "Ohio", "Helpless", "Old Man", "Heart of Gold", "Like a Hurricane", "The Needle and the Damage Done", "After the Gold Rush", "Tonight's the Night", "Cortez the Killer", "Winterlong", "Soldier", "Long May You Run", "Cinnamon Girl"...

This set belongs on any collection. Even if you own the whole Young catalogue already, it's still amusing to read his liner notes. Besides, greatest-hits sets provide for great utility listens, when you don't feel like going through all 50 or so releases that Young was instrumental in creating (including Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, solo, with Crazy Horse). Dig in.

Ordinarily, I'm not much of a believer in greatest hits packages. Yeah, they're good for the car or for slapping on the stereo at parties. But I tend to feel they're bad mojo, particularly when you're talking about an artist as talented and multi-faceted as Neil Young. In a world where, say, The Rolling Stones have created perfect, self-contained units like "Beggar's Banquet," "Let it Bleed," "Sticky Fingers," "Between the Buttons" and others, why would anyone want to mainline their music with something like "Hot Rocks." It's like watching ONLY the shoot 'em up scenes in "The Wild Bunch" without the color and exposition of the less-well-known but equally satisfying scenes.

Neil Young's "Decade," however, is one place where I make a serious exception to my music-geek inflexibility. And I think it's because Young has covered so much ground and gone in so many directions that this collection kind of gives the new listener a good road map.

Since all of the various aspects of Young's career are fairly complicated and completely engrossing in their own right, "Decade" allows you to focus on just the touchstones. With "Decade" you get a sampling of Buffalo Springfield, solo work, CSN&Y tunes, his forays into symphonic walls of sound as well those made from guitar workouts with Crazy Horse.

And, also, I just simply can't begrudge a collection of music with 34 great frickin' songs on it (yes, I know this has 35 songs -- I've never, ever been able to stomach "A Man Needs A Maid" but that's my problem and I can handle it).

As far as the musical content goes, let me just reiterate what everyone else has said: this is one of the most intelligent compilation albums ever done, and a perfect introduction to (and summation of) Young's earliest and best work. And so, for musical content, I'd give Decade five stars.

From a CD reissue standpoint, however, this set--like the rest of Young's catalog--merits one star at best. The sound quality is abominable (ironic, given the audiophile inclinations of the artist himself). The artwork is a mockery of the original LP set. And, though the track-by-track notes from Young himself are most enjoyable, nobody today would even think of doing a "definitive" retrospective without a decent historical/critical essay of some kind.

What is long overdue is for Reprise (perhaps in conjunction with the Rhino label) to give this set, like the rest of Young's catalog, a thorough overhaul. Remaster the tracks using the best available technology. Upgrade the artwork and packaging elements. Flesh out the discs with bonus tracks if it's deemed appropriate. And yes, by all means, do a follow-up compilation (Decade 2?) of Neil's '80s and '90s output.

Decade was first released in 1977 and it represented the first ten years of Neil Young's career. The album spans from Buffalo Springfield to his work with Stephen Stills on 1976's Long May You Run. The two-disk set (originally released as a triple album) shows the amazing quality and diversity of his music. From the quiet acoustic songs like the brilliant "Sugar Mountain" to the buzzsaw guitars on "Cinnamon Girl" to the steel guitars of "Heart Of Gold", Neil Young is never defined by one sound. His topics are far ranging from the redneck views of the South in "Southern Man" to the tragic deaths of four Kent State students in the powerful and conscious raising "Ohio" to the drug related deaths of friends in "Tonight's The Night" to Richard Nixon in "The Campaigner" to his old car in "Long May You Run". Neil Young has released so many great songs and albums that just a two disk set doesn't do him justice, but the song selections on Decade were made personally by Mr. Young and they are a great overview of the man's early career.