Ultimate Battles: Young vs. Dylan

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It had to happen.

― AaronK (AaronK), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:04 (twenty years ago)

for me it's almost a yin vs yang. dylan's got better lyrics, young can play better. dylan is good when you're drunk, young is good for dreaminess. i cant choose, can you?

― AaronK (AaronK), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

It REALLY boils down to:

Taking Sides: Trans vs Empire Burlesque

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

Neil rocks harder. Neil wins.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:09 (twenty years ago)

Neil Young, of course.

― gear (gear), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:09 (twenty years ago)

yeah, Alex OTM. i cant think of a dylan song that makes me as happy as "walk on" of On the beach

― JD from CDepot, Monday, 22 August 2005 17:22 (twenty years ago)

I've noticed that Dylan and Young can't both be good at the same time: when one is going through a slough of despond, the other's usually in peak form. With the exception of Blood On The Tracks, Young's mid '70s streak (Time Fades Away, On The Beach, Tonight's The Night, Zuma) overwhelms New Morning, Planet Waves, and Desire. Or look at Dylan in the '90s. Now it seems as if the trajectories have reversed; Dylan's back to making great music while Young's in a slump.

As for the '80s, well, as Rob Sheffield put it, "Both competed to see who could release the largest number of terrible albums."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:29 (twenty years ago)

Neil. He has more albums that I regularly listen to. Dylan's got the great streak of 4 or 5, then a smattering of decent stuff afterwards. Neil, by comparison, has at least a dozen albums I love from beginning to end.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:33 (twenty years ago)

To paraphrase General Zod:

Bob wins. He always wins.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:35 (twenty years ago)

As for the '80s, well, as Rob Sheffield put it, "Both competed to see who could release the largest number of terrible albums."

Hahahaha

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:37 (twenty years ago)

As for the '80s, well, as Rob Sheffield put it, "Both competed to see who could release the largest number of terrible albums."

At least Neil managed to suck in a variety of bewildering and inappropriate styles

― Diddyismus the Blind (of Alexandria) (Dada), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:38 (twenty years ago)

Trans and Freedom >>>>>>> anything Dylan put out in the 80s

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:42 (twenty years ago)

Watching Dead Man recently only reinforced the fact that it is NEIL that wins this competition. Dylan's got better lyrics but lyrics are for putzes.

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Monday, 22 August 2005 17:51 (twenty years ago)

Neil wrote prettier songs, had a prettier voice, played prettier on an acoustic, could rock harder on the electric, and influenced a generation of guitarists while remaining better than any of them.

But I hesitate to declare him winner...

― PB, Monday, 22 August 2005 18:01 (twenty years ago)

Neil Young. I hate Bob Dylan.

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Monday, 22 August 2005 21:38 (twenty years ago)

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Monday, 22 August 2005 21:39 (twenty years ago)

Dylan is probably more "important" in some sense, and had more to do with shaping new modles of popular music (I would think). But although I don't by any means hate Dylan, Neil Young matters to me a lot more personally. I feel a much more immediate emotional connection to more of his music. I would have to go with Neil Young.

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 22 August 2005 21:43 (twenty years ago)

i like several of Neil's '90s albums better than anything Dylan put out in the '90s.

― gear (gear), Monday, 22 August 2005 21:54 (twenty years ago)

Sleeps With Angels is great, I think.

― gear (gear), Monday, 22 August 2005 21:54 (twenty years ago)

Trans and Freedom >>>>>>> anything Dylan put out in the 80s

"blind willie mctell" (which admittedly dylan did not "put out in the 80s") >>>>>>>>>>>> any neil young song

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Monday, 22 August 2005 21:57 (twenty years ago)

Neil is Great great, but I'm with Zod

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 00:27 (twenty years ago)

love'em both. Uneven sons of bitches.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 00:41 (twenty years ago)

Dylan. I don't have much use for Neil Young post Buffalo Springfield.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 00:43 (twenty years ago)

Dylan.

Dylan has higher highs and a greater body of work. The only wrench in the works that makes this any kind of contest is Dylan's abysmally lower lows. And J.D. is OTM re: "Blind Willie McTell."

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 00:47 (twenty years ago)

dylan 1962-67 >>>>> all of neil young >>>>> all the rest of dylan

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 01:53 (twenty years ago)

"On the Beach" >> Neil Young '69 - '79 >>> John Wesley Harding >> Neil Young's entire intestinal output >>>>> Blood on the Tracks > Bob Dylan's entire musical output.

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 05:16 (twenty years ago)

but um bob dylan's musical output includes john wesley harding and blood on the tracks!!

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 05:25 (twenty years ago)

Blood On the Tracks vs. Blood In the Stool?

― M. V. (M.V.), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 05:29 (twenty years ago)

(x-post)

hm. then it's even worse than i thought.

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 05:29 (twenty years ago)

bump

― bump, Monday, 5 September 2005 22:25 (twenty years ago)

i love zimmy but neil's my hero. i have a neil young tattoo!!

neil >>> everyone in the history of music ever

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Monday, 5 September 2005 22:32 (twenty years ago)

love zimmy but neil's my hero. i have a neil young tattoo!!

Ditto. Well, except the tattoo part.

― jim wentworth (wench), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 00:04 (twenty years ago)

i don't regret it. it's subtle, though...

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 00:23 (twenty years ago)

thirteen years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7CPWyR0cw4

Shared a stage for the first time in 25 years in Kilkenny last night

― Number None, Monday, 15 July 2019 10:08 (six years ago)

six years pass...

Neil > Dylan

and it's not even all that close

― mookieproof, Thursday, 13 November 2025 06:35 (seven months ago)

I think a fair argument can be made for that even of it is wrong

― get bento (outdoor_miner), Thursday, 13 November 2025 07:48 (seven months ago)

mookie's on a crossthread mission to fail

― My homies buttthole surfers' record sounds like a f (Western® with Bacon Flavor), Thursday, 13 November 2025 08:06 (seven months ago)

This is definitely the ILM version of a basketball GOAT thread.

In a cultural sense if they give you a Nobel prize you got the hardware.

Neil is Neil kinda because of Bob, so you got that too.

For my listening, I've listened to a lot of Neil Young. I have heard a good portion of everything Dylan has done and have been obsessive with some songs and a couple albums, but he is definitely not an all time favorite at least in amount I listen to him. Neil is.

― earlnash, Thursday, 13 November 2025 10:12 (seven months ago)

Never really been interested in Dylan, although I acknowledge his greatness. Neil has the electric guitar on his side.

― Massage Attack (Tom D.), Thursday, 13 November 2025 11:29 (seven months ago)

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