3 LPs on 2 CDs, recorded between 1966 and 1976.

Personnel includes: Neil Young (vocals, guitar); Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Crazy Horse.

Compilation producers: Neil Young, Tim Mulligan, David Briggs.

Given the quirkiness of Neil Young's recording career, with its frequent cancellations of releases and last-minute rearrangements of material, it is a relief to report that this two-disc compilation is so conventional and so satisfying. A 35-track selection of the best of Young's work between 1966 and 1976, it includes songs performed by Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the Stills-Young Band, as well as solo work. In addition to five unreleased songs, Decade offers such key tracks as the Springfield's "Mr. Soul," "Broken Arrow," and "I Am a Child"; "Sugar Mountain," a song that had appeared only as a single before; "Cinnamon Girl," "Down by the River," and "Cowgirl in the Sand" from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere; "Southern Man" and the title track from After the Gold Rush; and "Old Man" and the chart-topping "Heart of Gold" from Harvest. This is the material that built Young's reputation between 1966 and 1972, although he is more idiosyncratic with the later material, including the blockbusters "Like a Hurricane" and "Cortez the Killer" but mixing in more unreleased recordings as the set draws to a close. He seems intent on making the album a listenable one that will appeal to a broad base of fans, and he succeeds despite the exclusion of much of the harrowing work of 1973-1975. Nevertheless, the album is an ideal sampler for new listeners, and since there is no one-disc Young compilation covering any significant portion of his career, this lengthy chronicle is the place to start. ~ William Ruhlmann

Covering the years between 1966-1976, DECADE is a solid overview that shows off the many sides of the always iconoclastic Neil Young. Starting with Young's work in Buffalo Springfield, some of the nuggets include the psychedelic calliope that is "Down To The Wire" and the fuzz guitar/Motown-inspired "Mr. Soul." Throughout these ten years of recordings, Young constantly dug deep, touching on controversial topics be it his CSN&Y masterpiece about the student massacre at Kent State ("Ohio"), compositions dealing with the ups and downs of the drug culture ("Needle And The Damage Done," "Tonight's The Night") or history's dark chapters of racial injustice ("Cortez The Killer," "Southern Man").

Neil Young's choice of accompanists also allowed him to explore many different avenues. Crazy Horse provided the sonic wallop that bore such fruit as "Like A Hurricane," whereas The Stray Gators provided the springboard for more countrycentric numbers like "Heart Of Gold" and "Harvest." Other welcome inclusions are "Star Of Bethlehem" and "Deep Forbidden Lake," from HOMEGROWN, the unreleased sequel to HARVEST. The solid material on this compilation and accompanying liner notes by Neil Young make this an essential part of any record collection.

Q (10/00, p.155) - Included in Q's "Best Best Of... Albums Of All Time"

Q (8/93, p.107) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...reaching back to his Buffalo Springfield days, it has many of his finest [and] nothing that wastes space..."