Customer Reviews

Old Ways

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This CD is a hidden jewel in the Neil Young catalogue, especially for those who enjoy Neil's forays into Country Music. Classic songs include "Once an Angel", "Are There Any More Real Cowboys?" with Willie Nelson, and "Bound for Glory" with the late, great Waylon Jennings. Recorded during his feuding days with David Geffen, this was one of the CDs that Geffen sued Young over, claiming Young had recorded albums that weren't "like Neil Young". Perhaps Mr. Geffen forgot about songs like "the Emperor of Wyoming", "(When You're On the) Losing End", "the Old Country Waltz", "Harvest", etc. If you like Neil Young, and you like Country, you'll like this too!

having lost this piece of vinyl about 20 years ago, i was thrilled to find it on amazon, as numerous trips to record stores proved fruitless. a classic americana c.d. by a classic canadian. it will be in my permanent shuffle on the player!

I remember being vaguely disappointed with this one when it came out. But I'm durned if I can remember why. Hearing it on CD, I like it as well as I liked _Comes a Time_.

It's mostly traditional, straight-up country music, with the usual Neil twists (this time it's astronauts sitting around watching reruns of Muhammed Ali). The opening track -- a beautiful take on "The Wayward Wind" -- is the only track that Neil didn't write, and it's as lovely as "Four Strong Winds" on _Comes a Time_. The guest appearances by Waylon & Willie are suitably understated. The songs are strong.

I honestly do not remember why I wasn't thrilled with this when it was first released. But whatever the reason, I was wrong, wrong, wrong.

I seem to recall that around the time this album was released, David Geffen sued Neil for putting out uncharacteristic and uncommercial music. Well, here's hoping Neil keeps that up forever.

Neil, I apologize for doubting you. I haven't got a _clue_ what I was thinking.

It is a pity that Neil had upset so many people in the American south with some of his early songs - listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet home Alabama - because he showed with this album that he could record traditional country as good as anybody. Perhaps it was because of those early songs that this album did not achieve the level of success that I had hoped it would.

The album begins with an outstanding duet version of Wayward wind. It features a lady called Denise Draper who is otherwise unknown to me, but sounds a bit like Dolly. Upon first hearing this track, I looked for an album by her but could not find one, so she remains an obscure mystery.

Next come Get back to the country, the first of four tracks featuring Waylon Jennings and Are there any more real cowboys, a duet with Willie Nelson. The fourth track, Once an angel, features a chorus of background singers including Gail Davies.

The remaining tracks are mostly solo, though Waylon can be clearly heard on three of them. Of those, Bound for glory, a classic road song, is a true duet. The others are essentially Neil solos with Waylon contributing here and there. California sunset doesn't feature Waylon but it is a great, upbeat fiddle song.

The whole album is uplifting in mood and features plenty of steel and other traditional country instruments. I don't play it as often as I once did but it remains one of my all-time favorites.

This is for Neil Young fans and country music (not the lousy modern country-rock) fans who may like Neil Young. He collaborates with Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings on a few songs, so that should tell you something about the recording. This is pretty good light country music to listen to. It's not spectacular, in my opinion, but good stuff. I recommend purchasing only to fans with a real interest in this type of music.

Absolutely one of Neil's best records -- even if we're not hearing it as it was originally conceived. And yes, I'm aware there was a lot of griping by the musicians on the sessions. But the proof is in the pudding. Why focus on "Misfits," which is most definitely an acquired taste (and its minimal instrumentation requires a pretty good sound system to really appreciate)? The first four songs on this record are among the best performances Young has made to date -- from his cover of "The Wayward Wind," which he transforms wholly into a Neil Young song, to "Are There Anymore Real Cowboys," which despite its somewhat didactic lyrics is among the most stirring music Young has written. "Get Back to the Country" -- one of the best anti-rock anthems since Harry Nilsson's "I'll Take a Tango."

And that's not even the best this record has to offer. For that, look to the absolutely gorgeous "Once an Angel" and to the
achingly sweet "My Boy" (in which Young effortly produces the touching tribute to the artist's son that John Lennon muffed on "Beatiful Boy"). And the closer, "Where is the Highway Tonight" -- can tear your heart out.

This is a concept record, for sure -- it starts out like a parody of country, and gradually, song by song, Young reveals the gut-wrenching, tear-welling power of the genre. It's quite a feat, and it should be at the top of everyone's Neil list.

I believe this is the closest Neil has come to doing a whole album of straight country. He has always dabbled in it, but this goes all the way - there's unabashed cornpone in "Get Back to the Country", unabashed nostalgia in "Are There Any More Real Cowboys?" (with Willie Nelson), unabashed honky-tonk in "Once An Angel", unabashed sentiment in "My Boy", and so forth. "Bound For Glory" is as beautiful a song as he's ever written, echoing Waylon and Willie's "Good-Hearted Woman". Fittingly, Waylon joins him with a lovely, understated vocal.

A special treat is his cover of "The Wayward Wind", a classic cowboy ballad that was previously recorded by the likes of Tex Ritter, Eddy Arnold, and Gogi Grant. I respectfully disagree with a previous reviewer's complaint about Neil sounding raw and off-key on this tune - this is Neil Young, not Perry Como. You have to expect a bit of an edge.

The only departure on the album is "Misfits", a rather lackluster fantasy piece.

Fine as they may be, I enjoy this album more than "Comes A Time" or "Harvest Moon", his most comparable. I think the songs are more fully realized overall, and Waylon and Willie's vocals add depth. But then, I like classic country - I find it frustrating that so many folk and rock fans disdain it even though their biggest heroes have been so heavily influenced by it. Highly recommended.

Neil Young has had a wildly eclectic career, I think everyone who cares knows that. And in such an experimental career there will be failures and there will be successes, but whether or not a particular recording falls into either category depends upon the listener. For me, Young doesn't get much better than "Old Ways". This straight-country genre is one that Neil had long dabbled in, so it made sense to completely immerse his muse in it. There are no rock songs here at all, just pure American country music, albeit filtered through Young's one-of-a- kind vision. So yes, he does get a little bizarre on this album, but that's Neil, right? Songs such as 'My Boy', 'Once An Angel' and the absolutely stellar 'Where Is The Highway Tonight?' rank among the most emotional, heartfelt songs of a long career full of them. I never tired of this album and still play it often. I'd recommend "Old Ways" highly to pure country (not pop-country) fans as well as to Neil Young fans. It's really a great cd.

One of Neil Young's strong suits (among many) is that he is unpredictable. At no time was this more apparent than during that phase in the mid-80s when he went from techno to rockabilly to country to blues-- a period in his career that I call "genre hell." Eventually, Neil pretty much went back to being Neil, and all was well again.
Unsurprisingly, Neil's music during this time was wildly uneven. Case in point: his "country" album, Old Ways. Some cuts are essential: "My Boy" and "Bound For Glory" channel the genre in a way that doesn't submerge Neil's genius for melody and heartfelt lyrics. Other tracks, however, seem (in the words of another reviewer) like a country-music "caricature." For example, the Jew's harp solos in "Get Back To The Country" are flat-out silly. A couple of tracks, in fact are downright unlistenable ("The Wayward Wind," "Misfits")-- quite a statement from a hardcore Neil-ist such as myself.
Also of interest are the appearances by a variety of country/bluegrass luminaries, such as Willie Nelson, Bela Fleck and the late, great Waylon Jennings.
While this album is still a worthwhile chapter (and, a mercifully brief one) in the Neil Young lexicon, don't expect something as stellar as "Harvest," "Comes A Time" or "Harvest Moon."

Neil's career spans the spectrum from country (this album) to punk, but never does he seem more out of his element. This, to my ears, fails to be either good Neil Young or good country. No reason to listen, except for the most enthusiastic collectors of Young.
'Harvest' is a much better effort at Young country (if you'll pardon the expression).