You'd never know of the legendary influence of Neil Young just by looking at his track record on the Top 100. Young has had an interesting career over the decades, beginning in 1965 with his time in the Mynah Birds, which featured Rick James on vocals. From 1966-1969 he was in Buffalo Springfield. Outside of adventures as a part of Crosby, Stills & Nash, he's been primarily a solo artist (sometimes with his band, Crazy Horse), earning him adoration from more recent acts like Pearl Jam, who christened Young as the "Godfather of Grunge." Young first hit the charts as a solo artist in 1970 when "Cinnamon Girl" went to #55. His breakthrough hit arrived in 1972 when the classic "Heart Of Gold," which features Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor on backing vocals, soared to #1. He followed this up with what would become his last Top 40 hit to date: "Old Man," which got to #31 later that year. His last chart appearance was when "Little Thing Called Love" stalled at #71 in 1983. Despite not breaking onto the charts, many of Young's rockers and ballads have become familiar classics, including "Down By The River," "The Needle And The Damage Done," "Southern Man," "Rockin' In The Free World," and "Harvest Moon." "Philadelphia" showcases Young's softer side and may just be one of the most beautiful songs ever written that most people have forgotten about or never heard. It can be found on the soundtrack to the 1993 movie of the same name.
Everyone knows English singer, songwriter, and guitarist Graham Nash from the band he formed in 1968: Crosby, Stills & Nash. But before that, he was a member of The Hollies, singing on classics such as "Carrie Anne" and "On A Carousel." Among music's greatest blunders, The Hollies rejected a number of his songs that became monster hits for Crosby, Stills & Nash, including "Teach Your Children," "Marrakesh Express," and "Our House." Nash released a string of solo records in the 70s, including several with his longtime collaborator David Crosby. I think most people would agree that his 1971 debut album, "Songs For Beginners," remains among his best work. It gave him his first two charting singles, "Chicago" (#35) and "Military Madness" (#73). His last chart appearance was in 1986 when "Innocent Eyes," a rather excellent tune that features Kenny Loggins on backing vocals, peaked at #84. Sounding more like The Beatles here, Nash shines on "Be Yourself," a tune from his debut record that did not chart...but should have.
The pop rock band, The Hollies, formed by Graham Nash and Allan Clarke, had a string of hits through the late 60s and early 70s. Their big breakthrough came with the classic "Bus Stop," which stopped at #5 in 1966, quickly followed with another "stop" song: "Stop Stop Stop," which hit #7. The band scored several more top 10 hits, but never landed at #1. The closest they got was "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)," which hit #2 for 2 weeks in 1972. The magic of the Hollies had run its course by 1975, when "Another Night" topped out at #71. The band would reunite to score one more chart hit in 1983 with a cover of the Eddie Holland-written song "Stop In The Name Of Love," which they took to #29. "Hey Willy" is a jamming tune that reminds me of Bread when they were rocking out. Released in 1971, it failed to break into the top 100.
Soft rock artist Dan Fogelberg got his start on the charts in 1975 with the #31 hit, "Part Of The Plan," which featured Graham Nash and Joe Walsh as musical guests. His follow-up hit, "The Power Of Gold," (#24 in 1978) featured a different Eagle on harmony vocals - Don Henley. If that wasn't enough, Fogelberg's #7 hit from 1981, "Hard To Say," featured Glenn Frey on harmony vocals. Which begs the question...what was his beef with Timothy B. Schmit? Fogelberg graced the charts with other ballads like "Longer" (#2, his biggest hit), "Same Old Lang Syne" (#9), "Run For The Roses" (#18), and "Leader Of The Band" (#9). He could rock out a bit when he wanted to, like on "The Language Of Love" (#13) or "She Don't Look Back" (#85 in 1987, and his last chart appearance). Not that he needed to release more ballads, but "Windows And Walls" ranks among one of his most heartbreaking tunes about loneliness and growing old. Maybe it was too sad for radio, but it certainly deserves your attention. Sadly, Fogelberg left us too soon, dying of prostate cancer in 2007.
