Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Remastered)

Neil Young’s second solo album was a deliberate departure from his 1968 eponymous debut. Eschewing Jack Nitzsche’s gossamer orchestral production, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere introduced the twangy and distorted crunch of Crazy Horse. This one turned up the old tweed Fender Deluxe amps and exploded right out of the gates with the foot-stomping, guitar-laden “Cinnamon Girl,” a seminal song that many ‘90s music journalists gave credit (or blame) for drawing the blueprints of grunge. More importantly, this album reassured Young’s fans that he was back in rock ‘n’ roll. “Down By the River” and “Cowgirl In the Sand” are two timeless epics, both recorded when Young was suffering a fever of 103 °F. “River” clocks in at over nine minutes, touting some of the creepiest misogynistic lyrics in rock since Jimi Hendrix’s reworking of “Hey Joe,” while “Cowgirl” takes the listener on a 10-and-a-half minute journey of country-rock jamming with unhurried solos that sound like Young is playing with one finger. The noticeably remastered quality here sounds like these recordings came right off the mixing board.