To celebrate both the Neil Young Archives and Neil’s highly-charged new album, The Visitor, ILYOS looks at 6 of Neil’s great political tracks.

“Southern Man” (1970) 

Young’s famous anti-slavery song. Although it is frequently cited as the song that Lynyrd Skynyrd responded to by naming Neil Young in “Sweet Home Alabama”, it was, in fact, the song “Alabama” that apparently drew Skynyrd’s ire.

“Ohio” (1970) 

One of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s finest moments for sure, set around the shooting of students by State Troopers at Kent State University in Ohio in 1970.

“Vampire Blues” (1974) 

From the fans’ favourite album On the Beach, this was one of Neil’s early environmental songs. “I’m a vampire babe / Sucking blood from the Earth… “

“Rocking In The Free World” (1989)   

From the rocking Freedom album, released at the dawning of the grunge movement. It came as no surprise that Neil would be a fan of Nirvana and Pearl Jam…

“Monsanto Years” (2015)

From Neil’s first collaboration with Willie Nelson’s son's band, Promise of the Real captures the fire of classic Crazy Horse and had Neil lashing out at Genetic Modification and Agrochemical Industrialists.

From the brand new album, The Visitor, we see him taking the mickey out of Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again" by declaring the USA is "Already Great"!

Listen to The Visitor on Spotify below or order it on CD or vinyl here.