10 Rock Albums That Haven't Aged Well At All
8. Trans - Neil Young
For a man that is known for doing whatever the hell he wants, Neil Young seemed pretty adrift going into the '80s. After churning out some of the most authentic rock music of the '70s with and without the help of Crosby Stills and Nash, Neil seemed content to just make bizarre genre switches and let the chips fall where they may, like the '50s pastiche Everybody's Rockin that got him sued by his own label. If you stop letting Neil Young be himself though, him trying to adapt to the times might not be your best option either.
Taking that kind of off the wall Frank Zappa energy, Trans almost feels like Neil Young trying to make the kind of radio hits that were happening on MTV and combining it with his usual jam style. While that idea doesn't sound terrible on paper or anything, Neil just seems way too out of his element on a project like this, with the keyboard sounds not working with his traditional nasal voice and almost coming off as a parody of what '80s singers are seen as.
This would only be the beginning of the more scattershot phase of Neil Young's career, with later albums like Reactor and Landing on Water having the same problems, as Neil tries and fails to blend into the MTV generation. He would do a lot better a few years down the road, but when you listen to this, the '90s era of Neil can't get here fast enough.