Old Ways

Neil Young

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6
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Old Ways Review

by William Ruhlmann

In 1984, Geffen Records sued Neil Young on the grounds that he had submitted uncharacteristic, uncommercial records to the label. By the time a settlement had been reached, Young had been on the road with a country band called the International Harvesters for over a year and recorded a revamped version of Old Ways, a 1982 recording originally rejected by Geffen that was cut in the style of Harvest and Comes a Time, but with a stronger country leaning. Young depends heavily on friends, especially for vocals -- Waylon Jennings sings harmony on six out of the ten tracks, and one of the others is a duet with Willie Nelson. Though populated by cowboys and country references, Young's take on the genre is typically idiosyncratic, including a reworked version of his autobiography in "Get Back to the Country," a cover of the 1956 Gogi Grant hit "The Wayward Wind," and the uncategorizable "Misfits," which portrays astronauts watching Muhammad Ali fights on television in space. Old Ways is not a great Neil Young album and at the time of its release served to alienate him even further from his audience, but it has its moments.

Track Listing

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	The Wayward Wind Stanley Lebowsky / Herb Newman	Neil Young	03:12	Spotify Amazon
2	Get Back to the Country Neil Young	Neil Young	02:50	Spotify Amazon
3	Are There Any More Real Cowboys? Neil Young	Neil Young	03:03	Spotify Amazon
4	Once an Angel Neil Young	Neil Young	03:55	Spotify Amazon
5	Misfits Neil Young	Neil Young	05:07	Spotify Amazon
6	California Sunset Neil Young	Neil Young	02:56	Spotify Amazon
7	Old Ways Neil Young	Neil Young	03:08	Spotify Amazon
8	My Boy Neil Young	Neil Young	03:37	Spotify Amazon
9	Bound for Glory Neil Young	Neil Young	05:48	Spotify Amazon
10	Where Is the Highway Tonight? Neil Young	Neil Young	03:02	Spotify Amazon