Neil Young is a musician who has faithfully served two masters throughout his career. One master performs country-based folk, while the other master wants to rock a listener's stereo. In 1978, the folk master fueled Young's creativity, much like it had in the early seventies, on albums such as After The Goldrush and Harvest. In 1978, Young released Comes A Time, an album that shows Young a little older, and dealing with the responsibility of being a parent as well as being a working musician. The songs on Comes A Time, which have a basis in Young's life, tell tales of where people have been, where they're going, and where they want to be.

The album begins with "Goin' Back," a tune about restlessness and acceptance of change. The tune is quiet and reflective, as Young sings of experiences and relationships that have come and gone. Young contemplates heading to the days where he had "nowhere to stay." He presents images of a happier and dreamier past. His memories have some basis in reality, but he makes it clear that they have become mixed with a peaceful subjectivity. The memories of his past, he is telling us, grow more distant, but they grow more special as he gets older. It doesn't matter whether the memories are good or bad. They have helped to make him more mature and experienced. The harmony vocals on this track, as well as most others on the album, were provided by Nicolette Larson. Since so many of the songs on this album focus on couples, Larson added a voice that suggests a sameness in the situation between a man and a woman.

The title track follows, and is one of the most celebratory and most orchestrated tracks on the album. "Comes A Time" talks about the joys of belonging to a family, as opposed to the single life that, while enticing, has its risks. The single life gives people a chance to be on their own, but the problem is that people can be so proud or so demanding, they can be trapped in a life of living alone. Stings play a dominant part in the song. A fiddle introduces a song, and is eventually joined by a section of violins that joyously proclaim the virtues of family life. It's a work that proclaims all the beauty in the world can be seen when someone finds true love.

Two more tracks feature Young with another duet partner - his regular band, Crazy Horse. The first is "Look Out For My Love," a plea for acceptance. Young takes listeners through the seasons of the year to show the sense of longing to belong. The other song with Crazy Horse is "Lotta Love," which is possibly the best known track on this album. The song tells of one relationship as it drags toward an unpleasant end, and the hope that something better awaits. This song, in the hands of Young and Crazy Horse, is a moving folk ballad. Shortly after the release of this album, Larson, who did not perform on the Young track, recorded her own version and scored her only Top 10 hit. She gave the song pop polish, and another reason for people to take a listen to the original.

Young is at his most country on the track, "Field Of Opportunity," which can be about either a physical harvest or a personal harvest, and the sometimes unpredictable nature of farming. "Motorcycle Mama" is the hardest rocking song, where a single electric guitar plays in a song about acquaintances who have lived their lives on the rebellious side. Young creates a dialog between himself and Larson as these singers play people who ponder the direction their lives have taken. "Already One" is the bittersweet tale of divorce that reminds divorcees that children will always give their parents a common ground, even when the adults are no longer together. Each song on this album offers wise observation on a generation who often lived by the motto, "Do your own thing." While it's fine for people to find their place in life, Young has observed that many other fine things in life involve sharing the joys of individuality with others.

The album concludes with Young's cover of one of Canada's most beloved songs - "Four Strong Winds" by Ian Tyson (A 1964 version by Bobby Bare became a country music hit in the USA). While Young has sung about the joys of belonging, he cautions on this track that not everything goes as well as desired. A couple separates so that the man can earn money. He promises to send her money so she can join him, but neither is particularly happy about the move. It's a sad look at a relationship that has not - and probably will not - adapt to change. The heartbreak comes through clearly in Young's voice and Ben Keith's steel guitar. Larson's harmony is an echo of the sentiments in Tyson's lyrics. The song ends with only the slightest glimmer of hope - "I'll look for you if I'm ever back this way."

In life, though, Young knows that nobody can return to a previous time. Comes A Time takes a look at life in the seventies, and sees how one young adult has changed over the course of nearly ten years. Young shares a collection of memories, both good and bad. While Young has carried fond memories of the single life with him, he has found an even greater joy in finding a place where he can belong with others. In an era where young adults did their own thing in their own way, Neil Young was decidedly and refreshingly old-fashioned when it came to creating a place that he and his loved ones could call home. The time had come for him to move from one phase of adulthood to the next.

Tracks:
1. Goin' Back
2. Comes A Time
3. Look Out For My Love
4. Lotta Love
5. Peace Of Mind
6. Human Highway
7. Already One
8. Field Of Opportunity
9. Motorcycle Mama
10. Four Strong Winds

This is an entry in the 2007 Canadiana Write-Off hosted by elvisdo. Please click on the hyperlink for rules and other entries.

Thanks Charles.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends