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33 of 33 found the following review helpful:
 The Original Neil Young & Crazy Horse Masterpiece! Aug 05, 2000
By Barron Laycock
"Labradorman"
This is the original "head-banger" wall of sound Neil Young and Crazy Horse leveled at the world after Young fled from the break-up of Buffalo-Springfield. There are few acts that can match the sheer power and energy of Neil and Crazy Horse's Danny Whitten matching frets and licks on their electric guitars, except perhaps Neil and his other friend//sometimes partner Stephen Stills. Most of what made Neil so famous from that point on is here, from "Cinnamon Girl" to "Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere" to "Down By the River" to "The Losing End". My personal favorite is ""Cowgirl In The Sand', and I loved Neil's comment about how much trouble those lyrics got him into with his ladylove who didn't believe it was all just a fantasy, looking for whoever it was that had mused him to such winsome words and music. Neil Young is always quite a ride, and here he shows the world just why he has been so popular and successful for the last thirty years. Enjoy!
41 of 43 found the following review helpful:
Birth Of Grunge May 03, 2000
By Brent Evans
After the confused reaction to NEIL YOUNG,the ex- Buffalo Springfielder decider to use a bar band called the Rockets as the backup band on his next album;renaming them Crazy Horse.The result of their collaboration,EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE,is a perfect blend of folk and crunching guitar rock.DOWN BY THE RIVER,COWGIRL IN THE SAND, CINNAMON GIRL and the title track showcased what a underrated guitarist Young is,and the promising new talent Danny Whitten.Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina proved to be a formidable musical backbone. This was the true birth of grunge;Young wore flannel shirts and torn jeans,and played hard long before Seattle made it fashionable.The song RUNNING DRY is another in a long line Young's "sad songs" - made even sadder by Bobby Notkoff's violin playing.EVERY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE is the first Neil Young classic album . . .of which there would be many more.
28 of 29 found the following review helpful:
 "...It's So Hard To Say No To Yourself..." Aug 16, 2009
By Mark Barry, Reckless Records, London
As we all know, Neil Young has famously resisted the remastered reissue of his huge catalogue on CD because of what he feels is the format's less than stellar representation of analogue tapes' 'original sound' as laid down by the artist - and almost a full 20 years after 1989's first issue of his 2nd album on a dullard CD - it looks like the guy is having the last laugh - because this meticulously prepared tape transfer is GLORIOUS. It really is. I've bought all 4 and to my ears this is fact the best sounding of them all.
First to the details - "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" was released in May 1969 on Reprise Records RS 6349 in the USA and RSLP 6349 in the UK (July 1969). This 2009 NYA OSR remaster (Neil Young Archives - Original Release Series) is Disc 2 of 4 and carries the HDCD code on the label and rear inlay (High Definition Compatible Disc).
Until now, 2004's "Greatest Hits" set (which offered us three "Everybody..." tracks remastered into HDCD sound quality) was the only real indication of just how good the album 'could' sound (this is the first time the 'entire' album has been given a sonic upgrade). The Audio Tape Restoration and Analog-To-HDCD Digital Transfer of the Original Master Tapes was carried out by JOHN NOWLAND (24-Bit 176 KHZ) with the Editing and Mastering done by TIM MULLIGAN - and they've done a stunning job.
The inlay reproduces photos of Danny Whitten (Guitar), Billy Talbot (Bass) with Ralph Molina (on Drums) and David Briggs (Engineer and Producer), but disappointingly there's no lyrics. Also - as these are the first four albums in a long reissue campaign - to identify them from the old CDs, the upper part of the outer spine has his new NYA OSR logo at the top and an 'issue' number beneath - D1, D2, D3, D4...on upwards of course.
However, the big and obvious disappointment is the complete lack of musical extras or any new info in the booklet - and in the case of this album in particular the omissions are going to be a sore point for fans who've waited decades for these releases. While some rarities have turned up on the 2009 mega box set "The Archives Vol.1 1963-1972" - some tracks are still missing. "Down By The River" was edited for single release in the UK in August 1970 on RS 23462 with an alternate take of "Cinnamon Girl" on the B-side. To my knowledge, neither is available in remastered sound anywhere. Also - "Oh Lonesome Me" was extended for the US 7" and it's B-side, an alternate mix of "I've Been Waiting For You" is again a no-show. All of them would have made for ideal extras material and it's infuriating that they're not on here.
Still - at mid price - this remaster of "Everybody..." is still great value for money and with this massively upgraded sound - it makes you focus on the music as is and not anything else.
Speaking of which - the sound is HUGE especially on the big rocking tracks "Down By The River" and the near 10-minute "Cowgirl In The Sand" - while the clarity is just BEAUTIFUL on Richie Furay's "Round And Round (It Won't Be Long)" - Robin Lane's duet vocals being particularly lovely. Bobby Notkoff's violin on "Running Dry" is very clear - and as the band loosely ramshackles its way into the song - it sounds like they're in your living room - miked up and live - fabulous stuff.
The remaster is not bombastically loud either, trebled up to the nines, but subtle - the music is just THERE in your speakers to a point where everything seems new and up for grabs again. Fans will love it and will feel like they're revisited long cherished old friends while newcomers will now understand what all the 5-star fuss is about.
The gold sticker on the jewel case of each of these issues states - "Because Sound Matters" - and although it took him a few decades, on the strength of this reissue, I think Rock's great curmudgeon was right to wait to get it right...which in many respects is the ultimate nod to his fans.
Docked a star though for lack of those complimentary extras that would have sent this into 'reissue of the year' territory...
But still highly recommended.
PS: I've reviewed "Harvest" and "After The Gold Rush" also - just as good soundwise...
47 of 53 found the following review helpful:
An All-Time Great Jun 23, 2000
By M. Allen Greenbaum
The opening song is one of the top twenty-five singles ever written in over 45 years of rock: "The drummer relaxes and waits between shows for ... his Cinnamon Girl. A dreamer of pictures, a run in the night, You see us together chasing the moonlight, my cinnamon girl..." and, later: "Somehow I need another chance, I see your baby loves to dance... yeah, yeah, yeah..." followed by a guitar solo, that any fan of that period could recite note for note (although with Neil Young, that's not always too difficult, it's the intensity, precision, and minimalist power that one appreciates). An awesome combination of power guitar and sentimentality, fuzz and rock-country (with an emphasis on the rock), this was one of my first albums, and remains one of my favorites. The vinyl is great, of course, but I'm enjoying the CD as much (although you don't get as big a picture of the cover dog... one of the great dogs of rock covers!). I remember thinking "Round and Round (It Won't Be Long)" was too slow, but today it sounds very rich, revealing a quiet poignancy, and some of Neil's best straight-ahead singing. "The Losing End" is the most country-inflected song here, yet I still like its kickback sound and the blues-like lyrics. Play this for someone who likes the overrated slick sound of the Eagles; Neil is closer to the roots, and his biting guitar is incomparable. (This is probably unfair, as I basically could never stand the Eagles, but Young does "country-rock" better than most. Of course, this shouldn't be too surprising, considering his stint with Buffalo Springfield. "Down by the River" and the quintessentially-Young "Cowgirl in the Sand" remain deeply satisfying; it's unlikely you'll hear them on today's FM stations because of their length and age (and maybe for their slight misogyny, though that pales compared to Eminem et al.'s anti-women lyrics). Again, the songs are strung with Neil's trademark strong, repetitive licks, with nice over-dubbing, laid over an assertive bass line and surprisingly melodic compositions. This is also great garage music for aspiring guitarists, you can sound as terrible as you want and, most likely, it'll still sound acceptable. This album transcends time and musical fashion. Play it loud; play it often.
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Everybody knows this is an awesome album Dec 13, 2000
By Brian D. Rubendall
"Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" is the first album Neil Young recorded with his ace backing band Crazy Horse. And like The Band did for Bob Dylan, Crazy Horse seems to bring out the best in Neil. This album serves as a blueprint for every NY & Crazy Horse album that would follow. Loud guitars, long songs and luscious songwriting. The obvious single is "Cinnamon Girl," which is one of the few Neil Young songs that can be described as "overplayed" on the radio. But the real masterworks on this record are the extended tracks "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "Down By the River," which both feature extended instrumental jams, but are never boring despite clocking in at over ten minutes apiece. Between these high points, Neil and company stick in some quieter accoustic tracks that serve as sort of a mortar surrounding the bricks. And the title reflects the world weariness that is always pervasive in Neil's best work. Overall, this is one of the best half dozen or so Neil Young albums as well as being a landmark album for rock historians.
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