In California in 1969, just about every folk-rock band and musician was dabbling in, or fully embracing, country rock. Not Neil Young. He went straight country, no rock, on the second side of “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” with a tune that wears its twang on its sleeve. He doesn’t sing like an Opry star, but his guitar work is uncommonly restrained. His solo actually follows the song’s tempo, something he almost never does on his rock tracks.
The song has been unjustly neglected and rarely played live, even by Young, but Elvis Costello, who appreciates country music, did a killer version at a Neil Young tribute concert in 2010.
