10 Weirdest Cult Albums You Need To Hear

Whenever you hear the name Neil Young, you typically think of something rustic and organic. Though Young has made a name for himself as an eccentric who does whatever he wants, his catalog tends to be rooted in the sounds of Americana and folk music. He may take a risk from time to time, but going into electronic territory was something no one saw coming.

Arriving in the early '80s, Trans was originally considered to be a sellout record for Neil, with songs that featured a lot of different synthesizer sounds. Even with all of the weird detours he had in terms of sound, to find no hint of acoustic instruments anywhere made it seem like Neil was abandoning ship altogether. On the other hand, the record is actually sort of amazing in its own weird sort of way.

For as treasonous as this record might seem to someone who heard Harvest or After the Gold Rush, Neil actually seems to be in on the joke, with most of the tracks being allusions to computers and the artificiality of sound. Even the version of "Mr. Soul" from his Buffalo Springfield days feels less like trying to top the original but rather just experimenting with his old work to see how it sounds in its latest form. Trans surely doesn't deserve a spot among the greatest Neil Young albums, but for a little detour in between the classics, this is an engaging listen for anyone willing to take the plunge.