Saturday, August 02, 2008

Album Of The Day #14: EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE - Neil Young With Crazy Horse

Title: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Artist: Neil Young With Crazy Horse
Label: Reprise
Year: 1969
Songs: Cinnamon Girl/Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere/Round & Round (It Won't Be Long)/Down By The River/The Losing End (When You're On)/Running Dry (Requiem For The Rockets)/Cowgirl In The Sand
Written by: Neil Young
Produced by: David Briggs and Neil Young
Thoughts: If you're looking for proof that Neil Young is a great songwriter, look somewhere else. However, if you're looking for proof that Young is a great guitarist and (gasp) singer, look no further. These seven songs are teeming with great guitar interplay between Young and Danny Whitten and great vocals, from a time when Neil was supposedly self-conscious about his singing.Crazy Horse has a strong vocal presence, which might seem surprising, and Robin Lane, featured on "Round & Round," does a wonderful job contrasting Neil's rough style. Bobby Notkoff has a screeching violin spotlight on "Running Dry." Beyond that, all instruments are by Young (guitars), Whitten (guitars), Billy Talbot (bass) and Ralph Molina (drums), giving each song a consistent sound. If I was grading this merely on how well Crazy Horse plays here, it'd be a clear ten, but Young's songs feel a bit lacking in the lyric department. "Down By The River" is nothing more than a jam session and "Cowgirl In The Sand" has nothing but repetitive verses that merely switch words. "Cinnamon Girl" is still a freakin' awesome song and arguably the highlight of the album.
Rating: 7.5/10

No comments: