Hometown: Toronto, Canada
First Solo Recordings: 1969

Personnel:
Neil Young -vocals, guitar
Frank Sampedro -guitar, strings
Karl Himmel -drums
Joe Osborne -bass
Billy Talbot -bass
Ralph Molina -drums
Nicolette Larson -vocals

Bands In The Family:
Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

Punk rock took aim at the established music-biz order, and most of Neil Young's contemporaries never knew what hit 'em. But Young was smarter, and rocked harder, than C, S, or N; he knew the spirit of rock 'n' roll when he heard it, and took the challenge in stride.

Rust Never Sleeps has "statement" written all over it; it's split into two halves, one the solo acoustic music that his audience craved, the other the electric rock 'n' roll he loved to play, and it's framed by two versions of the same song. But rarely has so quirky and personal a statement connected so strongly with the mainstream. Both of the record's sides were recorded live (save "Sail Away," a sweet country-ish trifle which wouldn't have sounded out of place on Comes A Time) and polished in the studio with the addition of overdubbed vocal harmonies, extra guitar noise and, on two songs, out-of time handclaps.

On the record's first half Young reflects on promises; his generation's failed utopian promises, the betrayed promises the white man made to the Indians, and the eternal promise of love. The flip side shreds those promises with four heavy rockers. "Powderfinger" paints a scenario of youth cut violently short, while "Welfare Mothers" and "Sedan Delivery" blend prescient visions of economic desperation with ribald humor. The album ends in a furious orgy of bludgeoning guitar distortion and words as distrustful as anything the punks could muster. Guess he dodged that bullet!