I’ve rolled three Neil Young
albums in my last 33 reviews, which isn’t exactly a pattern, but is a little
peculiar. This noteworthy moment is for you, Neil.
Disc 883 is….Comes A Time
Artist: Neil
Young
Year of Release: 1978
What’s up with the Cover? There is not a lot going on in
this cover, but it has a relaxed old timey feel to it that suits the record
well.
How I Came To Know It: I recently added a few Neil Young
albums to my collection to fill out some gaps, and this was one of them.
How It Stacks Up: Having recently parted ways with two Neil
Young albums, I am now down to 18 again. “Comes A Time” was easily the best of
my recent purchases. I found it 8th best, bumping “Harvest Moon”
down one spot in the process.
Ratings: 4 stars
After
reviewing a couple disappointing Neil Young albums “Comes A Time” was a
refreshing balm, and a reminder of what a great artist he is.
Young
can be an angry urban rocker, with a guitar squawking protest, but “Comes A
Time” shows his other side: a thoughtful poet looking for a little love and
understanding. I like both incarnations, but floating along on the easy guitar
strum and airy vocals of this record, it is hard not to vote for folk.
This
record has a lot of love suffused through it, and the songs have a zen-like
quality that leave you feeling like things are going to be alright. The title
track is a wonderful observation on getting a little older and learning to take
things as they come. As Neil notes in the chorus:
“This old world keeps spinnin’ ‘round
It’s a wonder tall trees ain’t
layin’ down
There comes a time.”
Despite
the ominous thought of how fast the earth spins (over 1,000 miles an hour, by
the way) Neil finds the concept so relaxing he can’t even bring himself to
pronounce his ‘g’s. That quality of acceptance and grace wends its way through
the record. I felt some of the creases in my forehead disappearing just
listening to it.
There
are plenty of instruments at work on the record, including a whole string
section but for the most part, acoustic guitar drives the record, alternating between
a light strum and some picking where it is called for to better pull out the
melody. A little piano also interjects at just the right time, particularly the
start of “Lotta Love” the only song where
Neil is joined by his band Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse usually brings out the
crazy in Neil, but here they are tastefully restrained, fitting a pinch of edgy
into the mid-point of the record, right where it is needed.
My
favourite song on the record is “Human
Highway” which is one of the sadder moments on a fairly upbeat record
overall:
“I come down from the misty
mountain
I got lost on the human highway
Take my head refreshing fountain
Take my eyes from what they’ve
seen
Take my head and change my mind
How could people get so unkind.”
The
record has such a forgiving quality, that Neil just sounds hurt here, like he
can’t believe people still do bad things to one another. The song is punctuated
by a hint of banjo which provides the musical question mark to Neil’s lyrics (I
left the actual question mark off because that’s how the liner notes printed
it, but it was painful to do so).
The one
quibble I have with the record is “Field
of Opportunity” which explores similar themes to the other tracks, but
strays into a country yokel quality that might have worked in 1978 but hasn’t
aged well. Also the refrain “in the field of opportunity/it’s plowin’ time
again” has the feel of a phrase that should have been left on the studio floor,
but that Neil just couldn’t resist its cleverness.
With its
bluesy groove, “Motorcycle Mama” is an
odd fit for the record, but it is a good enough song to pull it off. It would have been even better with a little
Crazy Horse, but in their absence guest singer Nicolette Larson delivers some wild
and throaty vocals on alternating verses which adds the necessary edge.
The record
ends with a cover of Ian Tyson’s “Four
Strong Winds.” “Four Strong Winds”
is one of the greatest folk songs of all time, and Neil’s reverence for it
comes across well. I actually prefer this version to the original (sorry, Ian).
It is fine end-point to a fine record that deserves more credit than it gets within
Neil Young’s body of work.
Best
tracks: Goin Back, Comes A Time, Lotta Love, Human
Highway, Four Strong Winds
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