Tracks: 1. Cinnamon Girl / 2. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / 3. Round & Round / 4. Down by the River / 5. The Losing End / 6. Running Dry / 7. Cowgirl in the Sand
Comments:
Usually you get a rawer version of Neil Young when he records with Crazy Horse. This also for the album "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"; his first with his longtime backing band. On a couple of tracks room is given for extended instrumental passages with improvised guitar playing from both Young himself and Danny Whitten.
As with all Young's early albums the songwriting is great and several of the songs on "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" have now become classics; not least "Cinnamon Girl" and "Cowgirl in the Sand". Besides being melodic and catchy "Cinnamon Girl" also stands out with great guitar-playing, The same could be said about the title song.
A few songs are in the more subdued department like the waltzing "Round and Round" and the very British folk-based "Running Dry". The two long tracks, each about ten minutes long are "Down By the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand". Both are fine songs - especially "Down By the River" works fine, I think, not unlike Donovan’s ”Season of the Witch”. Somehow, I feel that "Cowgirl in the Sand" is too good a song to be exposed for extended instrumental passages, where the basic song more or less is secondary. I actually prefer the Byrds' version with its fine vocals from Gene Clark.
It can, however, not meaningfully be disputed that "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" is one of the important albums in Young's long musical career.