Track Listing

1. Cinnamon Girl
2. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
3. Round And Round
4. Down By The River
5. Losing End (When You're On)
6. Running Dry (Requiem For The Rockets)
7. Cowgirl In The Sand

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15146 in Music
• Released on: 1999-10-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Opening with the methodical, hard-rocking "Cinnamon Girl"--still one of the singer/songwriter's most-shouted requests in concert--Young's second solo album introduces the cockeyed harmonies and sloppy, chiming guitars of Crazy Horse. His wide swings from soft-spoken country-folk ("Round & Round [It Won't Be Long]") to menacing metal (the punch line to "Down by the River" is "I shot my baby") indicate the multiple personalities in Young's future. His second album of 1969 broadcasts a sincere passion for the peace-and-love '60s (dig the long guitar solos) but also predicts the dark introspection of "Tonight's the Night". --Steve Knopper

CD Description
Neil Young's second album yielded several of his most enduring hits (including the title tune, "Cowgirl In The Sand", "Cinnamon Girl", and "Down By The River") and firmly established him as a solo artist of the first rank. Though it's impossible to narrow the catalogue of Young and Crazy Horse downto one representative document, this is about as close as you're likely to get. This was Young's first collaboration with the Horse, and it's still one of that group's defining recorded moments. As in much of Young's subsequent work, the feeling of despair moves unabated through the album, which runs the emotional gamut from laconically desperate to psychotically desperate. Despite the gloom, the heavy electric riffing on "Cinnamon Girl" and "Cowgirl In the Sand"--two surrealistic odes to an idealised muse--is cathartic and invigorating, easily as riveting as the guitar onslaught of anyone from the Stooges to the Velvet Underground.
Young's rootsy,acoustic side comes to the fore on "Round & Round" and "Running Dry". The homespun quality of these songs doesn't leaven the consuming sense of dread that permeates this album, though. Strangely, this expression of angst and emotional disorder became one of Young's most lastingly popular albums, and "Down By The River", "Cinnamon Girl", and "Cowgirl in the Sand" quickly turned into FM staples.

Customer Reviews

Neil Young's second solo album establishes his "sound"
Neil Young's second solo album begins with "Cinnamon Girl," one of his rare hit singles, but what puts this 1969 album in "Gotta Have" status were the monster tracks that ended each "side" of the record, "Down by the River" (9:13) and "Cowgirl in the Sand" (10:30). It is totally appropriate that Young wrote all three songs in a single afternoon. In the wake of Buffalo Springfield's breakup, Young had recorded his first solo album, which suffered from being overdubbed. But then Young started jamming with a L.A. band called the Rockets, which was then re-dubbed Crazy Horse: guitarist Danny Whitten, bassist Billy Talbot, drummer Ralph Molina.

The result was a raw, energized sound, where sound pretty was never a major concern, proven by the opening ten-note guitar riff than starts "Cinnamon Girl." Some have made the case that their harsh, metallic sound was so elemental that it qualifies as being proto-punk (the Stooges's first album also came out in 1969), although I have always been reminded of jazz stylings with the way the music is stripped down. Young's mournfully high voice contrasts with the primal guitar duets he wages with Whitten on the two epics, but under-girding it all is an innate sense of harmony (ultimately proven by the Indigo Girl's cover of "Down by the River" on their "1200 Nights Album"). "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" is one of those albums made for listening to in the dark.

Classic Neil
This is an album full of raw energy,a far cry from Neil's debut album which was poor compared to this.The two longest tracks"Down by the river" and "Cowgirl in the sand" are guitar workouts, Danny Whitten really holds these songs together with his brilliant rhythm guitar, the rest of the band follow his tempo.The album opens with the classic "Cinnamon girl"followed by the biting title track.My two favourite tracks are"Round and Round" with Neil and Danny on acoustic guitars and Robin Lane on harmony vocals,the track is so intimate you can hear Whitten and Young rocking back and forth on their chairs.The other stand out track for me is "Running Dry" a song about lost love,but what adds to the sorrow is the beautiful violin playing by Bobby Notkoff,this track really is haunting, Notkoff was a member of the Rockets,who are now Crazy Horse,it would have been interesting if Notkoff had joined "The horse"! The track I haven't mentioned yet is the laid back country number "The losing end" which becomes more urgent during the guitar solo in the middle of the song.I think this album was done live in the studio,with no overdubs.This is my favourite album,along with "Tonight's the Night" God bless you,Danny!

My favourite Neil Young album
This is very good. Its got well recognized Young classics: Cinnamon Girl anyone with a passing knowledge of Young will have heard, but also Down By The River and Cowgirl In The Sand - both epic tracks. The reason this only gets 4 starts though is Round and Round - which has always sounded a bit dreary and somewhat repetative. Maybe its just a personal taste think. Otherwise I'd say to anyone who hasn't heard Young "buy this CD and you'll be hooked".