Neil Young - Comes A Time CDs • Vinyl Records • LPs • Music Albums

theme of Seventies rock -- the on-the-road lament -- and makes it a free-floating anxiety attack tinged with fear, longing and a whisper of menace. "Motorcycle Mama" has to be the most amiable heroin tune ever done ("Motorcycle Mama, won't you lay your big spike down/Always get in trouble when you bring it around") and a fine showcase for the late singer Nicolette Larson. Young nods to his roots in several ways with "Four Strong Winds," originally by the Canadian folk duo Ian and Sylvia and inspired by Bob Dylan. Like most of Comes a Time, the song is about taking shelter from troubles and going out to face them again. Although Young has a hard time nowadays recapturing such poise, Comes a Time itself provides a steady haven in dark times, which are usually on the way.

MILO MILES
(RS 914 – January 3, 2003)

Neil Young has some knack for plugging into the human soundboard. Comes A Time is one of his most understated albums yet there is this pervasive feeling of all-over warmth that goes way beyond simple ideas of "theme." It's almost weird how each song is paced exactly the same, regardless of tempo so listening to it all the way through is like getting a massage.