CD Odyssey Disc 883: Neil Young

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 8^th 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