Reviews (page 4 of 14)
promedio, no me generó gran atracción.
Ближе к средине и концу альбом стал нудный и занудный, как я люблю.
Excellent album, several classic songs and each song flows from one to another. It left me wanting more. Neil Young is an excellent storyteller and musician.
Eh
One of Neil's best and more mellow albums.
I mean. It was fine. I'm just so sick of the 60s pleaseee dear godddddd please go back to the 80s. Or something more contemporary. I want more R&B or genres that aren't 60s rock. Please for the love of god @ this game
I love Neil Young in all his incarnations - Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, and especially when he plays with Crazy Horse. This album has 3 of my favorite Neil Young songs - Cinnamon Girl, Down by the River, and Cowgirl in the Sand. The title song is also great. Unfortunately, it also has Round and Round and Running Dry. Not so great. Tempted to give it a 5 based on those 4 songs but those other 2 are just too bad to overcome.
Neil Young does the upbeat rock songs so well and I enjoyed starting today’s album with Cinnamon Girl. He doesn’t shy away from the slower songs but I think his talents are more prevalent in the big rock tunes where his guitar abilities shine brightest. A worthy addition to this list of 1001.
Neil Young is a gifted musician but he didn’t let that get in the way of writing the songs on this album. While this features a trio of classics, the rest are pretty underwhelming. The aesthetic with Crazy Horse is to record without rehearsing, in an effort to capture the authentic ‘feel’ and ‘vibe’ before anything becomes routine. Unfortunately, this experimental method causes a lot more failure than success, so for every ‘Down by the River’, we have to endure a few tracks like ‘Round and Round’ and ‘Running Dry’. Lastly, the vocals are poor throughout on this one (I’m especially looking at you, backing vocals on Everyone Knows) but the instrumentals are tight and intricate, the real saving grace on this one.
Cinnamon Girl is one of my favorite Neil Young songs, great start to the album and the highlight for me. Not sure why Down By The River and Cowgirl In The Sand need to be 10 minutes long, those extended guitar solos are...well....extended. Great songs, but twice as long as they need to be. Good album overall.
Solid 6.5/10
1.5
Debe ser una broma ya. Hace dos días me salió el quinto o sexto disco de este tío. Ya estoy harto de decir que no lo soporto. De verdad, no puede ser que entre los 1001 discos más relevantes del mundo este tipo tenga seis o siete. Es algo de tercera división en la historia de la música, su voz es insufrible. Basta ya.
i mostly hated this, but some of the the instrumental parts were kind of chill
average
Nice album with country side vibes i would give a 6/10 !
Great album front to back. Great rock album with the rawness that he usually puts out. Spends time jamming, but Neil Young's jamming is always emotive and never makes me feel like he's just showing off technique. Case in point - Down by the River is 9 minutes long, but feels like 3 or 4 at most. Ends with Cowgirl in the Sand - a tour de force in guitars sounding like they want to punch you in the face. I'm sure Young's voice is divisive, but it fits his music perfectly.
T'was alright.
Música favorita: Cowgirl in the Sand
Love this album.
Not his best, but certainly not bad
If there’s a 5-star Neil Young album for me, this is surely it. The title track and “Cinnamon Girl” are downright dreamy—and essential. There are a few slow moments on the album, and, overall, it’s probably closer to 4.5 than 5.0 stars. But I’m happy to round up.
Listened to this on a foggy moody morning and it made it even better. Fave songs: Round & Round (It Won’t Be Long), Down By The River
I don’t really anything negative or positive to say, sounded good and the instruments where great
Absolutely great, powerful work from Neil & the guys from Crazy Horse. Among their best easily. Rated 4.5 on RYM and I love 5 out of 7 songs here, however I am thinking to reserve another 5 stars for "Harvest" and maybe for "On the Beach". Not sure yet. This is great, but I am being too generous lately.
432/1089 - Why the hell does this guy have 9 albums on the list? Also why is this one surprisingly decent and groovy and not a pile of whiny lacklusterness like normal?
Country boring asf
> харвест
Music to feel desperately sad to but everybody needs that once in a while
I'm not sure I've listened to this entire album before. Like most of Neil Young's albums, this one is uneven, with some truly great tracks like Cinnamon Girl and the slow burn of Down by the River and Runnig Dry. A couple of the ones after Cinnamon Girl feel like filler, but the album closes super strong with Cowgirl in the Sand. Overall, probably Neil Young's most complete album I've heard, though I haven't certainly heard them all. 5/5
Poor singer. Boring songs but melodic enough
Amazing, it mixes perfectly Rock, Country, Blues and Jazz
A bland album trying really hard to create some flavour it clearly lacks.
like just great ya know
Shakey's second solo album sees him move away from his hippy debut and here it's darker and with the addition of Crazy Horse, more of a kick in the balls and punch in the face. It's HEAVY for 1969, and a real mix of groove, riffage and the occasional face melter. However, he doesn't forget to mellow too. There's a couple of folky songs here to placate people who may have been shocked with his change in direction - something everyone has to get used to with this guy! Just fantastic. Best Songs: Everybody Knows This is Nowhere; Down By The River; Cowgirl in the Sand
Generally pretty good. Some longer songs but I was only half listening so I just occasionally noticed the same song was still going on and on.
Pretty good! I liked the mellow vibe, feel like this was great for my nerves after a horrible day at work
Pre-listening: not excited to listen to it, but I'll try to keep an open mind Cinammon Girl: boring, not much to say. Instrumentals are kind of fun, especially the guitar riffs at the end Everybody knows this is nowhere: more fun then the first, I enjoy the lyrics. The vocals are so soft, it's hard to get used to. Giving it another listen with better headphones. There's still something about the soft voice that still gets to me, but it's such a fun song. I've added it to my liked songs for now, will see if it lasts Man, the guy has so many albums Round & round (it won't be long): Vocal are much clearer, so it is posssible. Lyrics are somewhat repetitive, this one I vibe less with Down by the river: Just instrumentals lol, okay, not my vibe The losing end (when you're out): He loves a guitar riff, I like the rythm in this one Running dry (requiem for the rockets): lots of instrumentals again Cowgirl in the sand: made me sleepy This album is very much for people who love music, the theory and shit, I listen to things easier to listen to
His voice suits certain songs more than others
This was really good. Several listens and still enjoying it. Great effort by Mr Young and the Mr Horse.
The standout tracks are Down By The River, which meanders along nicely and Cowgirl In The Sand, which is very gritty. See what I’ve done there? The rest is standard Young which fails to get going.
Foopin love this album. First listened as a teenager and ‘Down by the Rover’ and ‘Cowgirl in the sand’ blew my tiny mind. I did not realise guitar work and solos could sound like that, and hold their power across a long song. You know there are some rare occasions you just listen to a new artist and you just really connect, like it was the music you didn’t know you needed but feels like exactly what you wanted all your life. Well hey presto, this is one of those very few for me. (And, yes I love other Neil Young albums, but this the best in my mind.)
Вполне нормально, но не интересно
Neil Young at the average level - Its Neil Young
8/10 muy buen folk rock progresivo. Canciones favoritas: Down by the river; Cowgirl in the sand.
Hippies….🙄 Cow girl on the sand es una joya…lo demás pues bien a secas. Se extraña lo natural y espontáneo que suena esa época.
A 5.
I enjoyed the instrumentation on this album. A bit better than On The Beach.
Enjoyed the vibes. Straight from badass to sad about women
Some great bits to this
I WANNA LIVE WITH A CINNAMON GIRL
Had to give this one a couple of listens to form an opinion which has been rare so far. I’ve come to the conclusion that this album is amazing. The chilled out songs here are really good. Neil’s voices works perfectly on songs like Round & Round. But his voices also sounds great on the more upbeat songs like the INCREDIBLE Down By The River which is my favourite from this album. The guitars solos throughout the song really make it a stand out on the album. VERY GOOD
= the Beatles
Neil Young’s 2nd solo album, you can hear his sound starting to expand from his time in Buffalo Springfield and become much more experimental. The track order does a good job spacing out the lengthier songs which kept me engaged. Down by the River is by far the best track on this album. If I had to mark a point when the 70s really began for music, it would be somewhere between this album and the altamont free concert. you can most definitely hear this albums influence not only through the 70s but beyond, which definitely adds to it’s perceived timelessness. This can be confidently cited as the starting point of Neil earning his title as "the godfather of grunge" HOWEVER Neil and Crazy Horse will go on to make much better albums than this.
A little slow, a little boring, but had some good parts - favorite track was cowgirl in the sand
Ja wel prima, maar blijft op de achtergrond
Feitelijk weet ik dat pedaaltjes al sinds de jaren '60 bestaan maar ik associeer ze toch vooral met de afgelopen 30-40 jaar. Neil Young is like, well then listen to this. I'm like, thanks Neil, hell yea. Ook de nummers die wat meer akoestisch en folky gaan zijn mooi, maar wel wat minder boeiend
I enjoyed this album. I haven’t heard the entire album. Only a few songs. Would listen again
A classic from uncle Neil.
Pretty chilled record this. I can picture myself enjoying this on a road trip. I don’t know too much of the story about Neil Young and CSN/CSNY so I can’t comment on that, but suffice to say, I enjoyed this and will look into listening to some more records by him. Not sure what else to put here, giving three out of five as there was nothing standout to warrant a four. Standout track - Down by the River
Very insightful album.
Cowgirl in the Sand is a top 10 Neil song.
Ikke det feteste av Yung Neil
Elsker Neil Young og dette er det beste han har gjort
Ikke min favoritt NY-plate, men fornøyelig læll
Min favoritt fra Neil Young!
Ikke verdens mest spennende plate, men det er noe med NY som fungerer veldig fint til kaffen på rolige morgener.
Upolert, men koselig. De lengste låtene er de beste.
Couldn't find it on Spotify, only bits from the album. I listened to the track "Round and Round," and to be honest, I concluded that it isn't for me. It's kind of some sort of "modern-banjo" music, and feels targeted to a particular demographic.
Cannot get enough of this album. Music to drive too haha
This has some of my favorite Neil Young songs — Cinnamon Girl, Cowgirl in the Sand, Cortez. Crazy Horse is at its best when it’s not trying to blow out the speakers. The bass playing is phenomenal. A 5.
Really didn't vibe with it. Can barely remember anything from it, but it also wasn't unpleasant to listen to.
Solid Neil Young album, found a few new songs:)
N/A, couldn't find the album
Neil Young twice in a row.
Liked this more than I thought I would. I respect Neil Young a lot, but not a huge fan of his music. Cinnamon Girl and Down by the River are fantastic. Warm tones, some overdriven guitars. This is somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me, but bumped up to 4 because of these two tracks.
Not a Neil Young fan, apparently. Seems pretty generic to me
Love Neil young
Great turn out from Neil. You know the guitars are plugged in when you see Crazy Horse is in the house. Some great tunes, but I always thought Down By The River was a little long...
I know this is nowhere, you know it. Or - hang on, what do you mean? Really? I thought it was - am I the only one? I can't be the only one. Is that an OK thing? I don't know if I get fevers the way you do. I don't think I'd be able to doze productively and come up with these. And in the face of that, none of it feels real and I don't know what to do next. Surpassing the paper illusion and the confusion and all that is not a question of slog, of reinventing the wheel. It's riding a bike, it's taking a single breath and then another. It's loving the simple, it's returning and relinquishing and leaving doubt at the door.
Interessante que a voz do young aqui é bem mais contida comparado com os álbuns posteriores. Provavelmente o meu favorito dele até o momento.
Have to be in the right mood for Neil Young, it seems that I wasn't today. Some decent songs here, but I prefer his music less classic rocky. I quite like the country inflected miserableness of "The Losing End" and the vibes of "Down by the River" I find "Cinnamon Girl" a bit overrated. and the rest of the songs forgettable. On the right lazy day, a nice album, but not my favorite of his or one that makes the must revisit list. 3 stars
Love it. Leaning into the more garage, sludgy and dare I say "grungy" sound. Clearly a influence to so much later music I love.
I love Neil’s music but not his voice. Still, a good album with lots of great blues-rock guitar work.
One of these albums...
Good Neil Young album but not my favourite of his. Enjoyable. 3.5.
This was pretty good. Mellow, minor, acoustic music. I’d come back to this
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Cinnamon Girl, Down by the River, and Cowgirl in the Sand are the clear standouts.
4.5
hay cosa
Okay fine, I really like Neil Young. This is the second album of his I’ve checked out and it’s only made me like him more. Longer songs on this album, but beautiful guitar solos in each.
I liked the heavier parts of this album, but the rest is just fine. The atmosphere is nice—especially in the longer songs—but it’s not particularly exciting. Folk rock is not exactly my thing. This album is too calm for my taste, but it could be worse.
I saw Neil live once and was entirely underwhelmed. I think he has grown on me since that time.
A typical Uncle Neil album of hit and miss. The standouts are ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Down by the River’ and ‘Cowgirl in the Sand’. All 3 are superb blues rock. The rest falls short for me.
Mr Marmite strikes again. This time with a much better taste. Is it the man or is it the backing band that made this much more enjoyable than his solo efforts? Probably.
I still don't get the appeal of Neil Young. I mean, if you like him, cool. I won't yuck your yum, but its just not for me.
A very chill album, but I dont really have stand outs, and I probably wouldn't seek this album again. 5.7/10
Young Neil Young hits his straps with a dazzling sophomore album. 4 of the 7 tracks are all time greats from the Canadian king
It’s a classic
The only Neil Young albums I’ve ever listened to are THIS NOTE’S FOR YOU (1988) and FREEDOM (1989) and I don’t currently own any Neil Young albums or CDs. Asa a person, I love the guy. A stand-up dude and rock icon, he was flipping the bird at corporate bullshit in the 1980s when few did; Neil Young is the antithesis of “sellout.” But, for the most part, none of his song ever made me want to listen to any of his 1960s or 1970s work. Twangy, countrified rock just isn’t my bag. So, it’s 2026 and I’m listening to Neil Young’s second album with an open mind… On first listen, it’s all unexpectedly tolerable and track 4 (“Down By The River”) and 6 (“Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)”) stand out as favorites. I’d probably give the album 3 out of 5. By the second, the entire thing is really, surprisingly, growing on me. The honesty and raw, live real-ness of it all is coalescing into a jangly whole. The last track “Cowgirl in the Sand” is a standout gem this time; it would fit right in on The Beatles WHITE ALBUM. Now the album’s at least a personal 4 out of 5. It’s not the type of music I would ever think to turn to on my own, but I’m grateful I found this album here, fixing a hole in my 1960s/70s rock listening.
Everybody knows this is nowhere is the first album where Neil truly sounds like himself. Neil is my go to Sunday morning soundtrack. Love the songwriting with those loose, hypnotic jams. This album definitely top 3 of his. Relistening to After the gold rush, harvest, rust never sleeps and on the beach again and again.
Second NY album in a row and this one vastly better containing at least 3 classics.
A good day when a Neil Young album with Crazy Horse backing him up is selected. Many classics on here, but I’d pick and choose those songs when in the mood, not listen to the whole album. 1 song added to playlist.
Ok album, could use more rock.
It’s just not my fave Neil Young album…. Found my mind wandering…
I feel like a bad Canadian admitting this but I've never really taken the time to listen to much Neil Young and damn ... I was missing out. Two songs in and I already know this is 5 stars.
Cinnamon Girl - 1969?? Pretty timeless in that case. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - kinda goofy, but nice twang. Round & Round - too melancholic-acoustic for my taste, kinda boring, but also kinda pure and beautiful. huh. Down By The River - ain't no reason for any song to be this long. Nice tunes, fun "chorus", but like, why does it keep goin' and changing? I guess I value standard song structure, maybe even too much. The Losing End - kinda came and went, just a nice track, didn't stand out. Running Dry - you find me with a very Chinese intro. With that said, a very evocative and emotional song. EDIT: HOLY SHIYT Cowgirl In The Sand - long but idk, it worked for me this time. === As a whole, was blown away by this. I did not expect this.
oh hell yeah this appeals to my 60's careless non-drafted american nomad fantasy which will never happen not crazy about these slower paced tracks but it might be just me right now wth are they doing on Down by the River, I was expecting the track from baldurs gate not this absolute shredding why does running dry sound so much older than the rest I was expecting a much higher tempo album from the opening track, overall I might just not be in the mood for it right now yet I must rate it
Had trouble telling 1 song from another and didn't enjoy it either way
Day #3 - 8 Mar 2026 Interesting harmony choice for Round and Round. Laid back jams, easy to listen to. 3.5
Sólido, pocos álbumes me han generado lo que hizo este.
Some great songs on here
Every time I see Neil Young I expect Paul Young. And some 80s electro pop. It never is. Dull.
Als de vergaderingen op het 1001 hoofdkwartier in het Britse Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid weer eens compleet vastliepen en iedereen het weigerde om elkaar nog een milimeter verder tegemoet te komen gooide ome Robert Dimery maar gewoon weer een Neil Young plaatje in de lijst. Dit is geloof ik m'n 5e. Maar wat maakt het ook uit. Nelis scoorde bij mij nog nooit een onvoldoende als ik het goed heb en ook deze keer kan ik er weer totaal geen aanstoot aan nemen. Het is zelfs prima muziek. Er valt weinig op af te dingen, behalve dan dat je niet de volledige discografie van Neil Young gehoord hoeft te hebben voor je je laatste scheetje laat. Toegankelijke folk/country/Americana achtige shit, wat bluesy. Her en der een soort Chilipepperesque achtergrond harmonietje. Hoge 3. Lage 4 zou ook kunnen maar ik ben de laatste tijd al wat te vrijgevig; m'n gemiddelde is van 3.06 naar 3.07 gegaan zag ik.
Closest to country I’ll probably ever enjoy
I just don't like neil young. Grew up with my folks enjoying him a bit and never caught the deal. Plenty of other artists around him but never him.
One of the best Neil Young albums live Cinnamon Girl, Down the River and Cowgirl in the Sand
To he honest, there's one or two decent highlights on this album, but yet again the twangy, agricultural Americana guitar sound is a turn-off to my ears. Had to hunt this down on a alternative platform, so ads were a blight. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (5/10) Total reviewed : 248 Already owned : 57 Purchased : 13 To buy list : 3 Nope : 175
I wasn’t paying too much attention while listening to this album. The album feels homogeneous. It’s giving they are trying to rock out but it didn’t quite work. It is a cool concept tho if I was in the mood for more folky calm-ish stuff. Will definitely try this album again when the time is right.
A classic!!! You can never go wrong with Neil Young (although from the reviews I realized that he really is a hit or miss for people) I’m not always a fan of long, instrumental-heavy “jam” tracks, but this album convinced me otherwise. Everything feels coherent and deliberate, even with its lingering, sprawling guitars and whatnot. Favs: Down by the river & running dry
this album starts out a little slow. the first few songs didn't do much for me; cool guitar riffs and neil's voice is always pleasant. then we get to "down by the river," which to me is really the center piece of this album. i get why he placed it smack in the middle. impassioned singing by neil, funky guitar plucking, good overall vibe. i love the guitar solo too. i think if the album had more of whatever he put into that song, i would a little more excited by it. it's a good record, but it doesn't really do much for me. it's worth it basically just for that one part in the middle of the track list when "down by the river" comes up and neil goes absolutely nuts. the rest is very competent obviously and technically it's still very good music, just not that exciting to me i guess. other stand outs for me are the title track and "cowgirl in the sand".
This record is a masterclass in raw, unpolished power. Neil Young and Crazy Horse sound loose, almost fragile at times, but that looseness is exactly what gives the album its emotional weight. It feels human rather than perfected. “Cinnamon Girl” is pure electricity—direct, driving, and unforgettable. The extended jams on “Down by the River” and “Cowgirl in the Sand” stretch out into hypnotic, ragged explorations that helped define a blueprint for decades of guitar-driven rock. The playing isn’t flashy or pristine, but it’s deeply committed. The imperfections add character rather than detract from it. At its best, the album captures a restless, searching energy that feels ahead of its time. Still, the long-form tracks occasionally flirt with indulgence, and while the record is undeniably important and consistently strong, it doesn’t quite cross into transcendent territory. A powerful, influential album that rewards attention and respects space. A strong four.
muy bueno cabrita nail
1001 needs more Neil Young albums, for sure
what could have this guy possibly done to get 7 albums on this list. am I missing something because there's nothing happening that I can miss so
bueno
Светлая печаль по уходящей эпохе и рушащимся надеждам В социальной группе канадских поэтов-песенников - будто более человечная версия Леонарда Коэна
I’ve known and liked this album for a long time. The guitar work and raw energy are fantastic, and “Cinnamon Girl” is especially cool. Overall, the album feels like classic guitar rock—relaxed, enjoyable, and easy to listen to.
country rock? 1969, pretty fun, might listen to some of it again
Just does nothing for me.
6 - AVERAGE
Young & Crazy Neil Horse sounds better
Boomer emo
No my style
yeah that was pretty good
My rating 3.3. This was better than the first offering of Young’s from this list (On the Beach). Again, songs are fine. Raw but from reading about it that’s what Young was aiming for.
Neil Young is alright, but I don't think I really missed out not hearing this album before.
Sleepy time cowboy music.
This is the sixth Neil Young album I've listened to on this list. I think he's fine. Laid back and heartfelt, this has gotta be someone's favorite. It's just not mine. Also, naming your band Crazy Horse but refusing to kill US military leaders is poser shit.
Loved it, actually?! I didn't expect to like it so much. Stand-outs - Down by the River - Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets) - Cowgirl in the Sand
not bad
Favoritas: Down by the River, Running Dry y Cowgirl in the sand
Whiny. Better than I expected, but whiny.
Cowgirl in the sand was a standout for me. Feels like an album to get lost in thought on a long drive. Lyrics don’t stand out to me as much
This songwriting is engaging and well paced. The performance is also very nice. It's a much more respectful use of Neil's voice than some of his other albums. It really represents the best of his ability. The production is simple but is very smooth and appropriate - nothing spectacular, but enough to appreciate. The instrumental is impressive (particularly some of the guitar work). It's also thoughtful, interesting, well performed, and at the end of the day very enjoyable. When it's time for the vocal to shine it's given space, as well as the guitar. I really enjoy the back and forth between the singing and the big instrumental sections. This is a good album. 4.1/5
Álbum com belas canções! Tudo aqui tem uma harmonia perfeita. Destaco o Contrabaixo em alguma faixas. TRI x HBB Kai.
Rugged but approachable and rather real lyrics wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. Favorite Song: Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)
summerween vibes ✨
Just didn't land in any way for me
Quantity over quality country rock. Some nice storytelling all around. Surprisingly buzzes right in my ears compared to modern standards for country. Gripped my attention pretty solidly upon initial listen. (3.5/5) mood: 👍🏽👍🏽
Не понравилось
I've tried quite hard with Neil Young in the past. I've had friends and musical collaborators who worshipped him, and honestly my attempts to understand it back then hit a dead end. I thought who the hell is this guy with the squeaky voice, and why do these songs take so long to get to such unrewarding hooks & chorus'. When he was set to headline Glastonbury I revisited the scene of the crime, sure I must have missed something. Taking his highest played tracks on Spotify felt like a surefire way in, if this didn't work nothing would. So I listened through and after a while I came away with 'Heart Of Gold', and a sense that there was just something I still wan't quite getting as nothing else stuck. Then I spent some time with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, where I found songwriting and performances that rung me dry on the first listen, and on every subsequent listen, so I can tell you it's nothing personal, that I just hadn't gotten Neil yet. So with that out of the way, lets talk about `Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere`. The album cover is strangely beautiful to the point that I actually kind of get lost in it, who isn't a sucker for a man and his dog? And you know what? It's quite a jam. The kind of energy I feel very satisfied to be working to, scratch that, I'm happy to be strutting through the streets of Soho to it. It's got `Withnail and I` vibes, for all I know it's featured on the soundtrack and I never noticed. The guitar solos are super satisfyingly meandering, the bass lines interesting enough to not get boring. And Neil's voice works here in a way I've not fully appreciated in my previous exploration of his solo work. `Down The River` has a Pink Floyd-ness to it that really works for me, I'm quite happy for it to go on and on. `The Losing End` again has a great mix, Neil's vocals shine and the hook is aching and familiar. `Cowboy In The Sand` is another standout for the same reasons. The record is a love affair with the competing tones of Neil's warble and the wail of the overdrive scratchy guitar. The hooks deliver hardest when accompanied by a swell of harmonies along with the lead vocal, and I'm sure that another listen would maybe yield the full emotional impact of the lyrics here. Maybe one day it will get it, and I'll look back and wonder how I let them wash over me without getting caught in the thorns when I was 34. But for now, my door is open for Neil Young again, we'll see if he ever shows up for tea.
Flourishes of really good musicianship … other than that, it just lacked substance. It was a bit … drab.
Nikdy som nepochopí, prečo je tak oceňovaný...
How could you possible land two huge songs like Cowgirl in the sand, and Down by the river, in the same album? Wonderful album, epic songs. Immortal !
Very nostalgic, very seventies. I want to listen to it while reading a retro sci-fi novel.
Amazing
Lejos del sonido más orquestado y pulido de su debut homónimo, este disco es una declaración de intenciones: un giro hacia la crudeza, la improvisación y la energía eléctrica que definiría una parte fundamental de su carrera.
There is a distinct difference between classic rock guitar riffs and guitar riffs that are full of emotion. Neil Young is one of those artists that bring out the emotion in their guitar. While, in my opinion there are better Neil Young albums, I still really enjoyed this. Maybe not quite a 4 level, but very close. Running Dry was the standout track until Cowgirl in the sand came on. 3.5 stars
Cinnamon Girl: EL SOLO DE GUITARRA DE ESTA CANCIÓN me vuelve loca Down by the river: 9 minutos d puro arte. me pareció una banda 2 canciones de 10mins en un solo álbum. banca loco
Very simple. I’m all up for basic, “vanilla” music. This one, particularly, wasn’t my favorite in the slightest but I could still see why there are some people who like it very much.
Ahead of his time!!! 3 amazing songs Cowgirl in the Sand Cinnamon Girl Down by the River It’s the woman in me that makes me wanna play this game!
Not his best
Haven't listed to much Neil Young outside of Harvest, but this sounded pretty much how I expected it to. Not really to my tastes but not a waste of time either. Longer songs made it a little tougher to stick with but overall solid classic rock album.
i am a known Neil hater -- or at least non-appreciator. I think it's mostly the vocals that rub me the wrong way. So I was surprised I didn't hate this! He's clearly a gifted songwriter and the Crazy Horses are holding it down, and this is close enough to CSNY that i can get into it. top track: Down by the River
Somewhere between the roots of alt country and the 90s pacific northwest sound. At times sounds like Dino Jr years before J Mascis even knew what a Jazzmaster was.
I don’t usually like Neil Young, but I wasn’t upset with this.
A good guitarist and songwriter, cursed with the voice of a muppet. Every time I start grooving to one of his songs, he starts whining over it, completely taking it. I’ve ALWAYS had this problem with Neil Young, and I don’t really understand why most people don’t. This album is no exception. I tried to like it, but Beaker should never have learned to talk. It’s better than a lot of the albums I’ve given 2 stars to… so I’m inclined to round it up to a 3. But I might need to revisit that later.
Didn’t really like the first song, but the rest were the essence of Neil Young.
Great album
Everything about this album drew me in. Each song was just as memorable as the last. The kind of record you want to start from the too once you finished.
I love this. It is an excellent album. At times rocking hard, at others tender at others psychedelic. The sound of Neil with Crazy Horse behind him is iconic.
"Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" is the second studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young. Country rock, folk rock, garage rock, hard rock and acid rock are the Wiki-listed genres. It was his first album with his now longtime backing band Crazy Horse (former members of the Rockets). Young famously wrote the three big songs on the album ("Cinnamon Girl," "Down By the River," "Cowgirl in the Sand") in one day while dealing with the flu. Young sang lead vocals and played guitar. Crazy Horse was Danny Whitten (guitar, vocals), Billy Talbot (bass) and Ralph Molina (drums, vocals). Commercially, the album was a sleeper hit reaching #34 on the US Billboard Album Charts and was critically generally well-received. A down-tuned guitar riff with handclaps open "Cinnamon Girl." The handclaps were based on the Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back." Dual lead vocals with Young and Whitten. The band gets an absolute down and dirty groove going. there's Young's so-called one-note guitar solo. Classic rock at its best. Young foggily recalls it being about waiting for a girl, Jean Ray, who played the finger cymbals. The first single released was the self-titled "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere." More in country rock realm with the guitar sound and singing. Great "La-La-La's" backing harmony vocals. Young wants to escape the superficial LA area. You know you're in for a great song within two seconds of "Down By the River" with the chugging-like rhythm guitar and evil-sound guitar notes. Young comes in vocally realizing his relationship is at the end. He said it wasn't a murder ballad but one wonders with the line "Down by the river, I shot my baby" and his flu writing state. The harmony vocals climaxing at the chorus. But the highlight of this song is the guitar interplay between Young and Whitten. The ebbs and flows. The multiple solos. Young reportedly was actually following Whitten's lead although Whitten was playing rhythm guitar. A long song which apparently was much longer and was edited. I wouldn't mind hearing the uncut version. A mind-blowing song and a top-ten-all-time song for me. No less epic is the album closer "Cowgirl in the Sand." The song starts slowly and gets going. Young and Whitten decide to go down that similar and welcome "Down-By-The-River" guitar jam foxhole. It's an even longer jam and just as exquisite. Just having "Down By The River," "Cowgirl in the Sand," and "Cinnamon Girl" makes this album great. The songs were recorded with mostly live takes and this shows with the looseness, extended jamming and raw vibe of the music. The down-tuning of the guitar sound is also fantastic sounding and was very influential for future rock bands. Whitten and Molina also add excellent harmony vocals. Outside the big three songs, there's songs of country rock and folk rock. I will say there's one song ("Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)") which did nothing for me. But, overall, the jams are epic and classic and the album as a whole is a must listen for any rock fan.
Tengo que escuchar más Neil young, esas Guitarra’s me gustan mucho. Que tenía la gente en los 60s que hacía cosas tan cool? Me gusta lo sencillo, el sonido, la profundidad de la voz,lo cercano que se siente, los coros. Running dry es bien bonita y depresiva.
Oh Neil Young. Never been a big fan. This was listenable. There is something very... earthy about his songwriting arrangements and vocals. A very down to earth no nonsense style. I can see why people like him. I can see why people can't stand him. This album is quintessential to that love or hate for him. Me? I'm riding straight down the middle.
This caught me a bit off guard after a shaky start on account of actually being decent. There’s definitely less of the usual annoyance from Neil Young the singer, allowing the ensemble to be enjoyed. The lack of a tinny, high pitched sound means it sounds less corny than I’m used to and genuinely found it quite pleasant. A scary state of affairs.
I was more interested in the band musically than Neil on this one. "Down by the River" was an example where less Neil and more music was what I enjoyed. Great little guitar meander. Moody and easy listen. What can I say I just don't like old man Neil's voice as it pisses all over the musical bonfire. My only thought is I might look up the band he collaborated with as that might lead me somewhere interesting...
OK, so either this is a genuinely great Neil Young album, or I have now been forced to listen to so much Neil Young that I have finally become indoctrinated. My usual issue with Neil Young is that, despite great music and song writing, I find his vocal delivery so grating that it is precluded from the higher marks. Opening with the line "I wanna live with a cinnamon girl" did nothing to increase my confidence. But as I listened on, I was slowly won over. The music is excellent and Young keeps just to the controlled side of squeaking so that it sounds stylistic rather than annoying. There are some really cool rock tracks in this, like 'Cowgirl in the Sand' with it's bluesy, rambling, distorted guitar solos suddenly juxtaposed with Young's gentle singing. It's generally a really interesting blend of folk-rock-blues that I can really get into. I started listening to this expecting to give my stock Neil Young response but I have come away surprised and confused, trying to decide whether I have just discovered a great new album or I have developed Stockholm syndrome.
Before: I was never a big fan of Neil Young. He's obviously very influential and a lot of people love his music but it never really clicked with me. During: Cinnamon Girl, I remember this one, but I think there is a version I like better. Oh Lord, there are 7 Neil Young albums on this list. Really? One is plenty. I would not have more than 3 albums by any artist and then, only if they are very different from each other. Further, there are only a handful of artists I would allow 3 albums on a list such as this. After: I don't have anything else to add. I'll give it a 3.
Not my favourite Neil Young album, but some interesting songs / compositions. Down by the River is a real NY song, some good warbling in his gravelly tones.
Enter Crazy Horse. Young's backing band Crazy Horse was on fire on Young's second album (Crazy Horse's first w/ Young) and play a large part in making EKTIN a highlight of 1969. EKTIN is almost another perfect Neil Young album brought down by Running Dry a song all but ruined by the godawful violin playing that makes the weakest song on the album even weaker. A real shame as EKTIN has some great songs that would become concert staples for decades (Cinnamon Girl, Down by the River & Cowgirl in the Sand) if only they had put Running Dry as the last song on side two I would have given this generally great album a solid 5/5 as it would be easy to just skip but it's heard before Cowgirl in the Sand. Dammit. Anyways EKTIN is still essential Neil Young just skip the painfully bad Running Dry and yes PAINFULLY BAD as it actually hurt my ears.
Home to one of the best one-note guitar solos of all time. One of NY's best
This is very nice although some of the guitar solo’s go on a bit. Not an album I am likely to listen to often but pleasant enough.
Noodles away a bit after a very strong start with “Cinnamon Girl” but a solid three stars for this.
A delight!
Go the Crazy Horse
Not sure about this; kinda random. Ryan was like "what is this". Too slow.
This was really good. The guitar work is really good and everything was super entertaining. I really had a good time with this album. The use of different instruments this time was really cool. Actual rating...3.5 Liked Songs: "Cinnamon Girl" , "Round & Round (It Won't Be Long)" , "The Losing End (When You're On)" , "Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)" , "Cowgirl in the Sand"
One of my all time favorites. My favorite tracks are down by the river and cowgirl in the sand , with the title track and cinnamon girl close second. Most memorable thing about the album is how they manage to capture such a different atmosphere in every song, specifically in the longer tracks. I wish i could live in the space made during the instrumental breaks
Cinnamon Girl and Down by the River are enough to put this high on the list, let alone the languid approach that makes space for serious fretwork and makes each song just build into a mini medicine ball that hits you in the gut
I dunno man, Neil Young is cool, this is good, loose west coast rock. It’s worth listening to and understanding this artist and this period. It just doesn’t really do anything vital for me.
Нила Янга не просто так называют дедушкой гранжа. Он повлиял на тех, кто уже в 90-е повлиял на всех. И этот альбом как раз принято считать так называемым прото-гранжем. Поразительно, что он был записан не в 80-е и даже не в 70-е, а в 69м. Такого сырого и грязного гитарного звука тогда просто не было, разые что битловский Helter Skelter за год до этого и I Wanna Be Your Dog, который The Stooges выпустят через пару месяцев (возможно, вдохновившись в том числе и этим альбомом). Даже гаражный рок того времени звучал более прилизанно. Также поразительно (2), что на момент записи Янг играл вместе с музыкантами из Crazy Horse всего около недели. Они ж практически не знали друг друга. Но взяли, собрались и наджемовали один из величайших альбомов жанра. Такое взаимопонимание, которое просто кликнуло между ними, а не нарабатывалось годами, как у многих групп, это большая удача. И еще поразительно (3), что Янг все 3 хита с альбома придумал будучи в лихорадочном бреду от вируса. С тех пор они считаются классикой его репертуара и являются стандартом на его концертах. А можно мне тоже во время болезней в голову будут приходить песни, которые станут хитами и повлияют на несколько поколений музыкантов? Что же до лично моего отношения к альбому, я не фанат конкретно этих песен, мне всегда больше нравился лирично-акустический Нил Янг, особенно времен Harvest Moon. Но не отметить не только его влияние, но и не скучно написанные и сыгранные 10-минутные композиции с атмосферными соло и классным взаимодействием гитар, я не могу.
Норм
Лучшая песня: Running Dry Худшая: The Losing End Предсказуемая музыка, колебался между тройкой и четверкой, пусть будет четверка.
Вроде и не сильно примечательный альбом, просто хорошая музыка на 3,5. Но что-то так на душе тепло от звучания стало, что пусть будет 4. Лучший трек - Round & round (it won't be long)
долли партон была пободрее
Снова не найдётся много слов для альбома. Понравилась пара треков - Down by the river, Running Dry, Cowgirl in the sand за счёт своей музыкальной составляющей. Самого Нила Янга слушать отдельно я, наверное, не буду
Скрипкой в Running Dry можно пытать в Гестапо.
I enjoy this but would I come back to it? Probably not. I prefer other Neil Young albums to this one but it is nice to hear the rock edge this record has.
Excellent Album
The first song is quite different to Lana Del Rey's version. I love both of them, though (obviously) for completely separate reasons. Young's one takes an ultra-standard rock approach, kind of a mix of L.A. Woman, Brown Sugar, CCR's music, and some other circa-1970 greats. We continue with the short-track-length pattern with the short, pretty Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. It has an extremely simple chord progression, but this is pulled off with some fun guitar and vocal harmony lines. This is a good place to point out that Young's singing is pretty good. Not anything special, mind you, but easily better than half of this list (which seem to lean heavily on punk, Britpop, and low-calibre psychedelia – all of which notoriously have terrible vocals). Even if he's no Freddie Mercury, Young is a breath of fresh air. Down by the River is really where the album picks up steam. A 9-minute jam session alternating between the i and IV chords? What is this, Pink Floyd? (I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Floyd took heavy inspiration from Young and Crazy Horse here.) It's so familiar and yet so fresh. You don't hear much like this from 1969. There's a bit of a lull in the album with the slow, repetitive Running Dry – though the pulsating guitar sound keeps it fresh. It's the finale, Cowgirl in the Sand, that really ties everything together. Another two-chord jam, not as huge and impactful as Down by the River but still groovy as heck. I have to imagine the lyrics have some kind of social significance – particularly given Crazy Horse's namesake – but that's not how I judge music. 4/5 Key tracks: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Down by the River
Very good album. Enjoyed the listen.
Zone out a fair amount. Lots of instrumental parts. Loud violin playing is not my jam. Feels like background music at a bar or something.
We have this album. Love it.
Couldn't decide between a 2 or 3 but didnt want to be mean honestly. Round & Round was kinda catchy and Down By the River was pretty good. The others didn't really stand out to me though
Solid album. Was originally gonna give it 3 stars cause no individual song really stood out, but overall it was just a great listen.
Bit of a mixed bag but some tracks were great
Really haven’t listened to enough Neil Young. Thoroughly enjoyed this
Why there’s one album by this back on the list I can’t imagine - imagine my surprise when I find he’s got multiple. Awfull
very good album!!!!!!! love the guitar
Better solo Neil Young than Crosby, Stills and Nash. 3
Neil Young with Crazy Horse is the best Neil Young
love the guitar sound on this album, but that's about all.
Pretty good. Falls in line with the folksey stint I've been on lately.
Listened in the car and at the grocery store. This app is turning me into a Neil Young fan. This one is more traditional rock than Harvest and it features some great solos and some incredible musicianship. Really enjoyed this one!
Highlights: Cinnamon Girl, Down By The River. In a nutshell: folk rockin' in the real world Despite the 9 minute track which is mostly a jam session, this is one of the more tolerable Neil Young albums. One I would recommend to a new listener over Rust Never Sleeps (which was overproduced to no end in my opinion). Overall: 5/10
Instrumentals are really good but can't do the voice.
Overall the album was mediocer. Some songs hit, others didn't. To me it sounded like there were few masterpices (like round&round, down by the river (didn't like the solo tho) and running dry) and others were just fillup. Also why were cowgirl in the sand and down by the river so long?? I don't really understand long songs esp when they sound mostly shit. Make it short and good. Long songs can be brilliant (I like dream theater and tool for example...) but if you can't do them good it is just a waste of time.
can't believe I've barely listened to anything by Neil Young. Cinnamon Girl was a very promising opening track especially the drums. Round and Round was beautiful, one of those ones where you forget where you are and just drift off. Guitar solo on Down By The River my goodness + the solos in-between verses on Cowgirl in the Sand
okay. not my taste
Wel leuk
Felt more like a mediocre jam band album than anything else, also whoever recorded that Yoko Ono-esque violin really wanted to ruin some all together decent tracks. Fine as background music but uninspiring, honestly I don't think the optimal listening experience even involves paying attention to the album.
Real loose rockin'
I love this album. Down by the river is as good as it gets, cinnamon girl and cowboy in the sand are fantastic, and the title track is beautiful. But running dry is fairly weak and the following album (see: born to run) eclipsed this easily so a 4 it is
It's fine enough and I don't hate it but for the most part Neil Young has never inspired anything in me other than apathy. 3.5
Not my favorite Neil Young, but it feels very authentic and underproduced, in a good way. Solid, if a wee bit long in parts
not my vibe. Next please
Love niel young
Excellent album. I loved the jams!
better than the last nice guitar bits, added a few to playlists
Favorite Song: Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets) Least Favorite Song: The Losing End (When You're On) Booooooooooringggggg. The look on my face after finding out there are 7 albums on this list by this guy...
One of his best.
I liked this a lot
I groaned when I saw I had to listen to Neil Young today because I typically can’t stand his music, something about his voice just grates on me. However, this album wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed the music and his voice for the most part wasn’t as annoying to me as it usually is. (3)
The good songs are very good, and the album tracks are very dull. But this is half of his greatest hits right here.
Don’t know if this is perfect album but it’s close. Great classics but solid others.
mooi
Along with albums from Velvet Underground and Nico, the Stooges and Black Sabbath, this is THE most influential 60s album in the development of quote unquote alternative rock n roll. You could make a list of 1001 bands from the 70s to today for whom this album's shaggy, stripped down, spaced out take on country rock is the rosetta stone. I love this sound, it scratches such an elemental itch in my music listening brain. This album feels like being stoned to the bone rolling a smoke on a couch in a garage on a hot Wednesday afternoon. Dig it.
Yeah baby!
Pretty incredible as a second album (released within the same year!)... Neil really came out fully formed... this is sort of the quintessential 'classic rock' album to me in the sense that it hits all the stuff old guys like... its about perfect i reckon, probably my third fav neil album :-)
His voice is so so nasally. People keep raving about this lyrics but I thought they were so mid and obvious. The best part of this album was the guitar solo in "Down by the River". Title track was also great and so was "The Losing End". Basically pretty high highs, super low lows. I would give this a 2.5 if I could but I'll be kind and round up.
Yay hot start! Lil guitar action at the end caught my attention and that's it. Not a bad album, just not up my alley.
I wanna live with a cinnamon girl!! give me more neil young pls
Well, this is my last Neil Young. I’ve had major Neil Young fatigue for the last few albums of his I had, but damn if this isn’t the best of them all. I thought nothing would top On The Beach (the 2nd Neil Young album I got from the generator), but I was very wrong. The lyrics are great, but the guitar playing is out of this world. I was bracing for the 10 minute “Cowgirl In The Sand” but the guitar is so perfect and mesmerizing that I was in love from the minute the song started. “The Losing End” is the only low point, but it’s still like a 6/10 song, but every other song on the album is 10/10 perfection, so comparatively low. I’m so glad this is the last album of his I got on the generator because it’s ending the Neil Young portion of this journey on such a high note, and given how up and down I’ve felt about his other albums, I can really appreciate just how special this one is.
I knew Cinnamon Girl. I like Neil Young’s voice, but some of these songs were really long.
Tricky one. Back in the 70s this album seemed amazing - like a total revelation. Perfect songs performed with passion and wonderful guitar interplay. To me now it feels a bit dated. I'm still never giving it less than five stars. Not so tricky after all.
I love how all the reviews for this are either 'wow this is great' or some version of 'fuck I can't stand Neil Young'. That's how you know you've made it as an artist. I happen to be the former, I've always really liked all of Neil Young's solo stuff and I feel like he was a much better musician solo than he ever was in any of his other bands. But for me this makes the sixth of his solo albums on this list and I think that's too many. If you can only pick 1001 records would you really take 6 Neil Young Albums? I'd pick this one for sure. Not sure I need 5 others... Anyway, kicking off with Cinnamon Girl is a great way to start a record. I love the way Neil Young plays guitar. Particularly his style with electrics, it's so different and quirky. I feel like this album is really where he started exploring that style of playing - it's laid back, rough, bold, harsh, chill, and wild all at the same time. The repetitive notes work so well for the groove somehow and I love it. Case in point - Down by the River. I really like this album as a whole, it might be Neil Young's best. 4.5/5 and will round up just because.
It was alright. Neil Young is overrated. Big fan of dog on the album cover
I first listened to this last year actually. I really enjoyed how jammy this is on revisiting it. Neil is for sure my favorite Canadian.
I think he is better when being covered. The title track is great, but the rest falls flat for me. I have heard other tunes of his I like so I'm not sure why this is swing and a miss for me.
Quality rock
Pretty good. Highlights were Cinnamon Girl and Cowgirl in the Sand. 3.5/5 rounding up.
Some cool moments especially with the vocal harmonies but the whole thing was a bit boring. Instrumental sections went on for too long in my opinion. Round & Round was by far my favorite song
Ehh. Uninteresting. Nostalgia carried it to a 3. Solid 3. Enjoyable but I don’t need to re listen
It’s not my favorite Neil young album but still good!
I’m a big Neil Young fan. His second album had a couple of great songs. Cinnamon Girl, Down by The river and Cowgirl in the Sand. But overall this was slow and not too memorable
I was expecting this to be worse, but it wasn’t that bad. High 3
My family listens to a lot of Neil Young so this is nostalgic for me. I don’t think I’ve heard any of these songs before but I liked it
Neil Young?? This guys like 80!
It's just so bland why would you release this
1001 Album Generator power creep is real so I'm patching my scoring. This gets a 2 to reset my meta. No patch notes besides that this album is so boring I gained literally nothing on a second listen. 2
On “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere,” Neil Young & Crazy Horse offer a healthy mix of early hard rock and country. The album's greatest strengths are the song-oriented arrangements and the band's tasteful interplay. In addition to one or two songs with hit potential, or at least catchy tunes, a slightly more mature production would have done it good. The sound is somewhat reminiscent of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Now, there are certainly worse references, but Jimi was a force of nature that was difficult to tame. Neil Young is definitely not in that category. Nevertheless, this album is well worth a listen!
I don't really like Neil Young but i love this album.
это ахуеный рок 60ых просто мясо 90
February is off to a really good start with this Neil Young classic, the first of his albums I ever owned, bought on cassette in my schooldays, late 70s. No filler here, it's a stunning album from the opener Cinammon Girl through to Cowgirl In The Sand.
First thought was - not another Neil Young album but this was very nice. Laid back vibe, great guitar and bass playing. Will come back to this one.
greAT guitar
I'll search for detailed information about this classic Neil Young album to provide you with a thorough review. **Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere** (Reprise Records, May 1969) represents the moment Neil Young shed his folk-rock skin and became something far more dangerous, unmoored, and essential. Recorded over a fragmented two-month period at Wally Heider Studios in Hollywood with a bar-band trio he’d poached from the Sunset Strip only days earlier, the album captures a creative lightning strike—seven songs that established the template for the next fifty years of Young’s career and helped birth what would eventually be called grunge. --- ### **The Music: Primitive, Visceral, Liberated** Musically, this is the sound of constraint dissolving. After the orchestrated, studio-polished debut *Neil Young* (1968), this record arrives like a drunken stumble into a garage. Young’s partnership with Crazy Horse—guitarist Danny Whitten, bassist Billy Talbot, and drummer Ralph Molina—creates a rhythmic trance (*boom-boom-thak*) that abandons technical precision for visceral chemistry. The album’s architecture is defined by tension between compact pop and sprawling improvisation. **"Cinnamon Girl"** opens with a riff so fundamental it feels carved from bedrock, driven by Whitten’s high harmonies that blend so seamlessly with Young’s lead that they sound like a single fractured voice. The infamous "one-note solo" (actually the same note played on two strings with a wang bar) is a masterclass in minimalist expression—Young insists each repetition sounds different, and in the context of the song’s mounting fever, he’s right. Then there are the epics: **"Down by the River"** (9:13) and **"Cowgirl in the Sand"** (10:03). These aren’t jams in the Grateful Dead sense; they’re trance rituals. Built on two-chord vamps that function as meditation loops, the songs create space for Young’s guitar to explore emotional territory rather than melodic complexity. His solos here—staccato bursts, sustained distortion, abrupt shifts from piercing highs to guttural lows—anticipated the tonal vocabulary of punk and grunge decades later. As music lecturer Ken Bielen notes, this approach offered "a viable alternative to the fire-breathing blues of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix" . **"Round and Round (It Won't Be Long)"** offers a brief sanctuary—a country waltz with ghostly acoustic guitars and the ethereal harmony of guest Robin Lane, whose wordless vocals float above the verses like carnival music heard through fog. It’s one of Young’s most melodically gorgeous compositions, a stark contrast to the electric warfare surrounding it. --- ### **Production: Calculated Accidents** Produced by Young and David Briggs, the recording process embraced imperfection as aesthetic. The album was captured quickly—sometimes the band had only been together for days when tracking. "We didn't even know what we sounded like until we heard the album," Young later recalled . The production choices border on the perverse: - **"Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"** uses a scratch vocal Young sang through the studio’s low-quality talk-back microphone, deliberately bypassing the mixing board to capture a "spitty-sounding" impedance mismatch . - The extended tracks were edited from multiple takes—radical cuts were made to "Down by the River" to remove sections where the performance collapsed, though you can still hear the seams if you listen closely . - **"Cinnamon Girl"** features handclaps inspired by The Angels’ "My Boyfriend’s Back" (1963), adding a girl-group primitivism to the heavy riffs. Young later expressed regret about the final mix of "Cinnamon Girl," where he buried Whitten’s vocal in favor of his own high part: "I fucked up. I did not know who Danny was. He was better than me... Some things you wish never happened" . --- ### **Lyrics & Themes: Darkness in the Canyon** The album’s lyrical content ranges from deceptively simple to deeply troubling, often masking LA disillusionment beneath country-rock tropes. **Dislocation and Disillusionment:** The title track masquerades as a country song about a homesick rural transplant ("I think I’d like to go back home and take it easy"), but the lyrics reveal Young’s disgust with the Laurel Canyon scene: "Everybody seems to wonder what it’s like down here/Gotta get away from this day-to-day running around/Everybody knows this is nowhere" . By 1969, the hippie idealism of the Canyon was curdling into commercialism; Young sensed the rot before others. **Toxic Masculinity and Violence:** **"Down by the River"** remains one of rock’s most disturbing narratives—a first-person confession of domestic murder ("I shot my baby/Down by the river"). Young initially dismissed it as being about "blowin’ your thing with a chick," but later acknowledged it depicted a man "who had a lot of trouble controlling himself" . The lyrics suggest entitlement and possession curdling into violence ("When you could be taking me for a ride"), while the unrelenting bass line and group vocals create a haunting, inevitable atmosphere. **Relationship Stasis:** **"Round and Round"** explores the paralysis of pride in dying relationships—"How slow and slow and slow it goes/To mend the tear that always shows"—capturing the exhaustion of cyclical conflict without resolution . **Problematic Gender Politics:** **"Cowgirl in the Sand"** features lovely melodic sections and Talbot’s undulating bass, but the lyrics ("It’s the woman in you that makes you want to play this game") reek of 1969’s casual sexism, framing female autonomy as manipulative game-playing . While some defend it as period-appropriate, critics note that timeless art should transcend its era’s blind spots—and here, the lyrics anchor an otherwise transcendent musical achievement to dated gender attitudes. --- ### **Influence and Legacy: The Godfather of Grunge** *Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere* fundamentally altered rock’s trajectory. When released, it was "breathtakingly different"—a commercial risk that reversed Young’s fortunes and established the Crazy Horse sound as his primary vehicle . **Direct Influence:** Robert Plant quoted "Down by the River" during Led Zeppelin’s 1970 Royal Albert Hall performance . The album’s distorted, feedback-laden guitar work directly influenced the alternative rock explosion of the 1990s—Kurt Cobain, Thurston Moore, J. Mascis, and Trey Anastasio all absorbed Young’s anti-technique approach, where emotion trumped precision . By the early ’90s, Young was celebrated as a "Godfather of Grunge," performing with Pearl Jam and retaining credibility while his contemporaries faded into classic-rock nostalgia. **The Danny Whitten Factor:** This remains the only complete studio album featuring the original Crazy Horse lineup. Whitten’s death from heroin in 1972 ended an era. His rhythm guitar work and high harmonies were crucial to the album’s texture—he was, as drummer Ralph Molina noted, "the heart and the soul" of the group’s equation . The chemistry here is unrepeatable; subsequent Crazy Horse lineups could approximate but never replicate the fragile telepathy captured in these sessions. --- ### **Pros and Cons** **Strengths:** - **Raw Spontaneity:** The album captures a band discovering its identity in real-time, resulting in performances impossible to replicate . - **Guitar Innovation:** Young’s solos expanded rock’s tonal palette, proving that one well-placed note could carry more weight than a hundred scales. - **Melodic Strength:** Despite the abrasive textures, songs like "Cinnamon Girl" and "Round and Round" feature hooks that lodge permanently in memory . - **Vocal Chemistry:** The interplay between Young and Whitten (particularly on "Cinnamon Girl" and the title track) creates a singular vocal texture—high and lonesome, yet warm. - **Side One Sequencing:** The opening four-song run (through "Down by the River") represents one of the strongest sides in rock history . **Weaknesses:** - **Lyrical Blind Spots:** "Cowgirl in the Sand" suffers from dated, reductive gender politics that undercut its musical grandeur . - **Runtime Bloat:** While the extended jams are historically significant, "Down by the River" can feel interminable to modern listeners not attuned to its hypnotic intent—its nine-plus minutes demand patience. - **Side Two Drop-off:** After the powerhouse first side, the album loses momentum. "The Losing End (When You’re On)" and "Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)"—despite Bobby Notkoff’s haunting violin on the latter—feel like placeholders compared to what precedes them . - **Deliberate Lo-Fi:** The "spitty" vocal on the title track and the generally unvarnished production, while intentional, may alienate listeners seeking polish over atmosphere. --- ### **Verdict** *Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere* is a masterpiece of controlled chaos—a document of four musicians catching lightning in a bottle before they even understood their own alchemy. It established Young as the patron saint of beautiful ugliness, proving that rock music could be simultaneously primitive and sophisticated, melodic and abrasive, spontaneous and meticulously constructed. While certain lyrical elements betray its 1969 origins, the musical innovation remains startlingly contemporary. This is where Neil Young became **Neil Young**, and where rock learned that perfection is often the enemy of truth.
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I definitely needed a second listen for this one Had practically 0 impressions my first run through but I warmed up to it a little. Cinnamon girl was cool, I like the harmonies throughout the album and there’s some fun guitar solos in there. I just really don’t care for the super acoustic sounding songs. I can tell Young is a supremely talented musician, but I just don’t get any banger vibes from anything in here. I’ll say this one’s definitely better than Crosby, Still, and Nash, but I definitely wouldn’t put this on in the car.
Honestly wasn't too crazy given that there's a crazy horse somewhere in there
Stupid app destroyed my review. And I tried to save it this time. Good, not great.
CSN was good without Neil Young. I don’t rock with this album, but I can’t say that this album was bad. It was just an okay album, nothing more to say about that.
I’m not sure how often I’ll find myself reaching for this to listen to but i did enjoy it! Listened while at work, which seemed kind of fitting. For me Neil Young’s albums always consist of two or three banging tracks but the rest a bit meh. This is no exception. Down By The River and Cinnamon Girl are the standout tracks but the rest don’t really do anything for me. There’s a lot of music Neil Young has produced which is exceptional either on his own or with CSN&Y. He has a greatest hits album that I love but made up from multiple decades and albums. So as a singular entity not so good but as part of a collection, fantastic. Did I need to hear this before I die? I’d probably agree
a whole lot of Nothing. just nothing at all to report on this one. i started it, it happened for 40 minutes, and then it ended. i don't even like actively hate it because it's not objectionable it's just.... there. i gave it a relisten and even still i have nothing to say about this. it's like there's a antimemetic field surrounding this album. it's a bit of guitar noodling while he sings about whatever over top. i find the concept of someone saying "oh yes, That's my jam right there" to be baffling.
Mostly just very boring. I didn't hate it, I think I struggled to feel anything for most of it. I think Neil Young is actually probably quite talented but I am not sure what quite leads him to this insane status where he has 7 albums on this list. Most of it is nice, fairly uneventful tunes that make you go "wait how long has this got left?" about half way through. I like the writing I guess, but I just fail to see anything too exciting here.
really folky fun
Couple hits, overall kinda samey and boring
Hooray for vinyl day. Cowgirl in the Sand, Down by the River, Cinnamon Girl. This is a great album.There's really not a terrible track on here, the worst of it being forgettable, which is more than can be said for Harvest. This is one of my favorites from Neil and the Horse. He's at his feverish best.
Meget bra.
1/29/2026 - Listened during morning work. Liked this more than I thought I would and recognized a few of the songs. Top song - Down by the River
Easy listening. Love a guitar solo. Weak vocals... weak emotional impact...
Crazy Horse bringing the rock to Neil Young's folk, the start of a beautiful relationship.
Just can't get into Neil Young. His voice is just too wet and nothing in his lyrics grab me. Musically, this album is fine but IMHO, Young is too earnest but in a wishy washy way for the most part.
The review section is crazy here. Love Neil Young? 5 star album. Hate Neil Young? 1 star. Personally, I enjoyed this more than After the Gold Rush, which I gave 4 stars. The thing is, people comment about his voice (not good) and his lyrics (uninspired), and I agree, but I don't listen to Neil Young to be moved, I listen to hear some nice guitar playing. Neil absolutely shreds on this album, and I'd argue moreso than Gold Rush, which unless I'm mistaken is a more critically acclaimed album, hence my higher rating. 4.5
Cinnamon Girl - 4/5 Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - 4/5 Round & Round (It Won't Be Long) - 3/5 Down by the River - 5/5 The Losing End (When You’re On) - 3.5/5 Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets) - 3/5 Cowgirl in the Sand - 4.5/5 As an introduction to Neil Young as a solo artist, this is a pretty good album for a first-time listener. It struggles a bit with the more slower songs but interestingly excels in the longer-form songs. Down by the River and Cowgirl in the Sand are the best examples of this and are probably the best two tracks to come off this album. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Cinnamon Girl, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Down by the River
did not like the music in this. It wasn't my type of music at all. At first, the guitars and vibes matched what I liked, but it ended up boring me more than not.
This is the kind of music my mom would listen to in the car, singing her heart out while ten year old me would beg for her to please play something else. She'd respond by turning it up and singing louder
I enjoyed this album fine, it didn’t blow me away but it was pleasant to listen to! I generally like most of Neil Young’s work so I would say that this is a solid album and I would listen to it again.
Okej, fajnie spoko. Nie jest to oszałamiające, ale daje to pewne poczucie przytulności i nostalgii jednocześnie.
Damn good. I’m hoping this is one of many NY albums on the generator. This is one I often go back to. Pretty much flawless but yeah, Running Dry is a slog. The rest of it is terrific with several standouts. A great into to NY for new fans. Best: Cinnamon Girl Worst: Running Dry
“Cinnamon Girl” is the first song and it set up the album nicely for me. It’s an overall nice song to listen to. The first three songs I enjoyed. The song “Down by the river” is great but is a long song. It contains long bits of just the instruments though I like the beat it’s just not worth it same with “Cowgirl in the sand” although I like it a little bit more. I like the vibe of the album. I enjoyed the song “The Losing End”. Also the song “Running Dry” has this melancholic sound not only that but it’s heavy on the violin.
Tietysti toimii. Pitäisi kuunnella uudestaan kun ei jaksanut paneutua kunnolla. 3,75/5.
Well, the fact that he had a fever of 103 degree makes sense because I don’t know much what this is about. Something about cinnamon, shooting someone by the river, remorse, and a bit of a slog through emotional mud. That said, I kind of respect it. I mean, he wrote music while he had a fever of 103. It’s a hazy, rambling, weirdly honest, like flipping through his notebook and seeing moments of delirious truths.
All two stars are for "Down By The River".
good country rock album, easy listening but good vibes.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere is a "decent" and technically solid entry in the challenge, but one that ultimately lacks the "replay value" to enter my personal rotation. While the LP doesn't feel "empty"—thanks to the "telepathic" interplay and great production on long-form tracks like "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand"—it fails to deliver that "triumphant" spark that makes a discovery feel essential.I can respect the "unrefined" musicianship and the "vintage" atmosphere Neil Young creates here, but it doesn't quite "unlock" a reason to return. A simple 3/5 that marks another high-quality but "low-stakes" detour in Month Two.
i loved it
A country song which is nice. But not up my taste
Damn. For reasons unknown to me, I had never been familiar with Neil Young's work before. And what an amazing discovery it is. The vocals and guitar playing are both excellent. Incredibly good, especially for 1969.