WINWARD PASSAGE

This unreleased song (which has been edited to about half its length) is from 8/22/77. Recorded with the Ducks at the Crossroads Club in Santa Cruz, CA.

GOIN' BACK

Some memorable acoustic strumming opens Comes A Time on a strong note. Young's song of longing for all that has been lost is given a dramatic twist by the introduction of strings towards the end of the second verse. There is even a touch of apocalyptic imagery ("When fire fills the sky/These rocks... careering through space") amid the deceptively straightforward lyrics. What impresses most though is the excellent production, with careful consideration being given to the placement of each instrument.

COMES A TIME

The rapturous fiddle opening prefaces a striking duet between Young and Nicolette Larson which is engagingly tuneful when placed beside similar efforts on American Stars 'n Bars. Again Young throws in some portentous imagery ("It's a wonder tall trees ain't laying down") to add depth to his reflections on the passage of time.

FOUR STRONG WINDS

Young closes Comes A Time with Ian Tyson's folk chestnut from 1963. On one level it's an appropriate song for Young to cover with its allusions to Canada but, unlike the remainder of the album, the middle of the road arrangement sounds a little cloying, especially after you've been through the rigors of Time Fades Away and Tonight's The Night. The song brought Young some minor hit success in the UK, albeit at number 57.

POCAHONTAS

This is one of Young's most accomplished acoustic tracks from the period and a perfect example of his ability to mix pathos and comedy. In describing the white man's merciless massacre of an Indian tribe, Young catalogues the tragedy with remarkable restraint. The line "They killed us in our teepee" places him in the center of the action, but in the next instant he detaches himself from the scene. There is now a strangely impartial tone best exemplified by the word "might" in the lines. "They might have left some babies/Cryin' on the ground". Even while relating the horrific scene in the first person Young simultaneously seeks an academic's disinterested viewpoint and complicates the listener's response in the process. Are we to feel some relief that the soldiers showed crumbs of mercy in not killing all the babies? Or do we feel even greater indignation at the thought of the young left defenseless and possibly doomed to a slow death on open ground? Young's use of a qualifier such as "might" merely adds to the horror of the incident which gains even greater emotional force by the almost casual way in which he sings the verse. He then switches time periods, placing the narrator in the present day, living in a box room "with my Indian rug and a pipe to share". In the final verse there is the fantasy meeting between Young the narrator, Pocahontas and MarIon Brando which entranced and amused audiences when they first heard the lines in concert.

POWDERFINGER

Another of Young's great narrative songs, this is almost cinematic in execution. It tells of a 22-year-old's moment of destiny when he is called upon to take decisive action against a marauding boat, an action that ends with his death. His dying wish is enshrined in a moving epitaph: "Just think of me as one you never figured/Would fade away so young/With so much left undone/Remember me to my love, I know I'll miss her". Crazy Horse provide the ideal backing, allowing Young to invest the song with epic significance.

HEY HEY, MY MY (INTO THE BLACK)

Amazingly, Jeff Blackburn does not receive a co-writing credit for this song, even though the melody and most of the words are the same as 'My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)'. The only real difference is the dramatic shift to electric with Young's feedback-drenched guitar burning the song into the audience's consciousness. He also plays a clever trick by asking the teasing question: "Is this the story of the Johnny Rotten?" Strangely enough none of the Rust Never Sleeps' reviewers picked up on this key line which of course puts Young's point of view about the subject matter in some doubt.

LOTTA LOVE

This song was originally intended for American Stars 'n Bars until Young decided to allow Nicolette Larson to record a version first. She subsequently scored a US Top 10 hit with the composition. This version (from Live Rust and not from its original Comes A Time) is equally commercial, with Crazy Horse providing the backing. Lyrically it testifies to the insecurities implicit in new relationships with the singer providing a veritable list of ideal requirements before acknowledging that the new love has yet to arrive.

LITTLE WING

The reflective, acoustic side of Hawks and Doves opens with this charming mood piece. Taken literally, the song could be about a migrating bird or, alternatively, an Indian girl or idealized maternal figure. The lines "She leaves her feathers as they fall" recall a similar allusion from 'Birds': "feathers fall around you". Six months before the album's release David Crosby told me that Young had offered him 'Little Wing' for his forthcoming solo album. It seems that Young eventually decided to revive the song himself, having written it back in 19?5.

THE OLD HOMESTEAD

Arguably the highlight of Hawks and Doves, this remains one of Young's most fascinating and oblique compositions. I have always suspected that the song was an allegory about the turbulent history of CSN&Y and although later commentators have repeated my views, Young has remained tightlipped on the matter. Any allegorical interpretation rests on the identification of the three birds as CS&N, Young as the Rider, and Crazy Horse playing themselves. In this scenario, I have always assumed that the Rider who demands "Why do you ride that Crazy Horse?" is manager Elliot Roberts, although at this point any further analysis is purely speculative. Young provides few clues to help unravel the allegory, much of which remains hidden. Not that you need an explanation to appreciate the song which is one of Young's best and most sorely neglected. It comes as no surprise to learn that he composed this in 1974. Both the mood and the enigmatic lyrics recall the better moments of On The Beach. Here, Tom Scribner adds to the eerie feel of the song by wobbling a saw at key moments. The whole effect is quite fascinating.

CAPTAIN KENNEDY

The opening of this song is strikingly reminiscent of Stills' 'Know You Got To Run', a track which was of course segued into Young's 'Everybody I Love You'. Here, Young tells the story of a young mariner, re-enacting his father's career and betraying similar fears to the hero of 'Powderfinger' about the consequences of war. The pertinent use of the name Kennedy may be a red herring, although it should be remembered that JFK served in the navy during the Second World War.

SOUTHERN PACIFIC

Although far from startling, this at least sounded like a half-decent train song a sort of Casey Jones entering retirement with only his pension and memories to look forward to. There's a neat growling burst of guitar just as the song reaches its close. With little to choose from RE-AC-TOR, Reprise twice released this as a single, with different B-sides.

SHOTS

In many respects the faltering reputation of RE-AC-TOR was saved almost single-handedly by this seven-and-a-half minute closing track. Although the credits copyright the song as 1981, Young's keener fans of the period will have been familiar with the composition from as early as 1978, when it was performed at the Boarding House. Back then, it was a thoughtful delicate ballad with a sparse arrangement. Here, it is completely transformed, perhaps like no Young song before or since. Crazy Horse provide a gut-wrenching backing with guitars playing like scatter guns across the speakers. The ending is an explosive battlefield of feedback, which leaves the listener wondering why Young had not invested some of the same passion across the remainder of this frustrating record (RE-AC-TOR).

TRANSFORMER MAN

In contrast to 'We R In Control', this celebrates the liberating aspects of technology. The song was inspired by the equipment which helped his handicapped younger son to communicate with the outside world. In Young's imaginary scenario, The nurses sing to the little kid: 'Control the action/Push of a button/Trying to break through/There's so much to do/We haven't made it yet'. They're telling the kid that he's got to press the button or he's not going to be able to communicate. That was the beginning of my ideas of my son being able to communicate through technology." The song has greater emotional force if you forget Young's explanation and approach the lyrics as the songwriter's own reaction to the transformed boy. Either way, it's one of the best tracks on Trans, combining Young's normal vocal with vocoded replies.

SAMPLE AND HOLD

With such a distinctive riff, it is not that surprising that this was later issued as a 12-inch single and even suffered a disco mix, It's probably the highlight of the album Trans, featuring some great vocoder interplay between Young and Lofgren. The lyrics are also fascinating, alluding to what seems to be a robotic dating service.

PAYOLA BLUES

At 3 minutes 8 seconds. this was the longest cut on the Everybody's Rockin', and also the best. Young dedicates the song to that fallen and long dead Fifties' disc jockey, Alan Freed. Comparing past payola with contemporary hyping tactics Young sings: "The things they do today will make a saint out of you". Although the record was played on air and most found it very amusing, Young felt that it might just have ruffled a few over-sensitive programmers. I guess there was a little flak," he conceded to Musician. "It was kind of an embarrassment to some people. But it was all in good fun. That's the way it is anyway, everybody knows that. It's all about money, the whole thing. Anybody who thinks it isn't is kidding themselves and everybody else. Because what goes on in parking lots is nobody's business but those people who are there and, believe me, they're out there. This is still America. I know what payola is and there are different kinds of payola; there is payola where the artiste puts his money into it, and there is payola where the record company puts their money into it... It's no secret and it's part of the mechanism of things. That's how Mr. Big stays Mr. Big. That's why the little guy with the little independent label has got to have something great to break through to where the people will say, 'I want to hear that record! I don't care whether they pay you.

WONDERIN'

In early 1970 Young played this in concert as one of his hokey, country tunes. Its unexpected appearance here as a doo-wop influenced excursion underlines the point that few Young songs can be confidently consigned to unreleased oblivion with complete assurance. Although not of great import, the song was catchy enough to be plucked from the heap and issued as a single, complete with a promotional video.

GET GONE

Recorded with The Shocking Pinks at Hara Arena, Dayton, Ohio, this is another extremely derivative rock'n'roll number with a melody recalling 'Willie And The Hand Jive','Mona' and 'Not Fade Away'. It's still better than much of Everybody's Rockin' though and serves as an amusing biography of Young's imaginary Fifties' group.

DON'T TAKE YOUR LOVE AWAY FROM ME

Also recorded live at the Hara Arena, this song showed how much better The Shocking Pinks' experiment sounded live. At over six minutes in length this song is the equivalent of 25 per cent of the entire Everybody's Rockin'.

DEPRESSION BLUES

Once intended for the canceled Farm Aid EP, this song was part of the original unissued Old Ways. It's an impressive track with harmonica, fiddle and steel guitar prominent. Set in the Depression years, it portrays a world of property speculators and ordinary people relieving their problems by visiting movie houses for entertainment. Young has claimed that the original Old Ways recalled the commercial side of Harvest, but this track confirms that it was surely a lot closer to the traditional Nashville spirit of the later Old Ways. It's easy to see why Geffen might have been cautious about marketing this despite its undoubted quality.

THE WAYWARD WIND

Old Ways commences with what is probably Young's most successful cover song. His confident vocal is greatly enhanced by another female voice - this time Denise Draper. Terry McMillan's harmonica adds an eerie touch, but what really makes the song is the extraordinarily effective string arrangement by Chuck Cochran. The 17-piece orchestra provides an evocative backdrop, akin to a high-class film soundtrack on one of the best arranged songs of Young's career.

MISFITS

The highlight of the album Old Ways and the maverick tune in the pack is this triptych tale of a space station crew watching Muhammed Ali videos, a prostitute in a hotel lobby and a figure riding the highway. The strings sweep dramatically across the track reinforcing an enigma that is never resolved, while Joe Allen's upright bass maintains the rhythm. At peak moments the song moves into a melody line highly reminiscent of Gene Pitney's '24 Hours From Tulsa', while Doana Cooper adds a shivering backing vocal and Terry McMillan slips in a harmonica lilt. The overall effect is mesmeric and proof positive that Young, even in the context of a seemingly straight country album, can add a touch of mystery. This remains a serious candidate for the best Young song of the decade.

GREY RIDERS

From 1985 with the International Harvesters. This fiery country rocker with sonic guitar is from the unreleased Farm Aid EP.

INTERSTATE

A 1986 solo studio demo.

HIPPlE DREAM

The most powerful and provocative track on the album Landing on Water begins, suitably enough, with the refrain of 'Tired Eyes' - "Please take my advice". But even as he completes those words Young adds "Don't listen to me" as though he is unsure about the sagacity of his warnings. Feelings of paranoia are again present as the narrator warns: "Don't bat an eye/Don't waste a word/Don't mention nothin'/That could go unheard". The allusion to Crosby's 'Wooden Ships' fantasy is pertinent enough in the first verse and far more critical than Jackson Brown was in his reply song 'For Everyman'. By the end of song though, Young goes further by pointing the finger explicitly at Crosby: "Another flower child gone to seed/In an ether-filled room of meat hooks/It's so ugly". For anyone who regularly saw Crosby on the pipe, this is powerful stuff. As Young confirmed: "I wrote that one for Crosby. But I guess it could have been for me, or for anybody. It's really about the excesses of our generation. From hippie to yuppie - it's been quite an evolution."

MIDEAST VACATION

Life starts impressively with Young's tale of a former Highway Patrolman and possible war veteran caught up in a Middle Eastern political nightmare. The tone is both sinister and satirical as the protagonist seeks Gadaffi, only to be intercepted by the CIA who tell him to "stop sniffing at smoking guns". In the mideastern town, he witnesses a demonstration in which the participants chant Death to America", a view which transforms him into a fighting machine ("Rambo in the disco"). The black humor is a new slant for Young and a possible reaction to the criticism he was receiving in the liberal press for his pro-Reagan sentiments. In using a character to voice unfashionable views, Young could hide himself and laugh at the world at the same time. As he explained: You can only do so much about yourself. It wears thin and becomes less valid the more there is. So I guess I evolved out of that to a great degree, though it's still part of my music."

 LONG WALK HOME

Young again tackles a political theme. This time dealing with American foreign policy from Vietnam to Beirut. Young sees a world in which expediency is the common currency and alliances a mere moral convenience ("We balance the power from hour to hour"). In observing such cynicism, Young can only offer more questions: "Why do we feel the double-edged blade cutting through our hands?"

 INCA QUEEN

A welcome return to the Aztec myths that occasionally fuel Young's imagination, this is an acoustic offering in marked contrast to 'Cortez The Killer'. Flutes and bird sounds are in evidence as Young relates a tale of idolatry in which an Inca Queen is worshipped. Her subjects attempt to build a city in the clouds which, she predicts, will bring a spaceship to take them away. It's a strange fusion of Aztec legend with a sci-fi After The Goldrush scenario. At one point Young even introduces elephants into Peru in one of his more amusing geographical faux pas.

 SENTIMENTAL HYGIENE

Neil's guitar is clearly heard on this Warren Zevon written song from Zevon's 1987 album of the same name.