It's crazy to think that it was 51 years ago when Neil Young & Crazy Horse dropped their first album together - Everybody Knows This is Nowhere. So many decades have passed yet this iconic record has ceased to ever get buried. To this day, bands are still trying to make records that sound like the 1969 release.
The LP birthed staple tracks that people of all ages continue to spin, cover, and playlist. "Cinnamon Girl," "Down By the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" all grace the 7-track album with their sweet guitar melodies and Young's poetic offerings.
In honor of this important anniversary, we've made a playlist that mimics songs NYCH performed during their tours in 1969 and early 1970. The 1969 setlists were harder to find but we found some memorabilia from that era that hinted at the songs they played.
Their 1969 tour consisted of residency-style shows. They would perform multiple nights at venues like The Troubadour in West Hollywood, Cellar Door in Washington D.C., The Felt Forum in New York City, and La Cave in Cleveland. Some stops had two sets in a day - both an early and late show.
Looking at show reviews at the time, all the critics seemed to agree on two things, Young's incredible guitar playing and his easy-going onstage banter. During these sets, he'd open up each night by doing acoustic renditions of songs, including a dreamy version of "The Last Trip to Tulsa." This continued in NYCH's 1970 Tour, which they embarked on in February 1970. He'd play about 7 songs acoustically before Crazy Horse would join in for about 8 other songs.
In 1969 he only had one solo album out. After the Gold Rush would be released in September of 1970, so no material off that was included in these tours. For the solo portion, Young would mix in songs from his Buffalo Springfield days and CSNY.
Find our "Everybody Knows" Setlist Playlist on Spotify to feel like you're witnessing NYCH for the very first time!
For everything and anything Neil related, make sure to check out his archives website.
