This Note's for You

Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Neil Young

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: April 12, 1988
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise Records
• ASIN: B000002LE5
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #54,534 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
One might assume the first album Neil Young put out upon his return to Reprise Records in 1988 after a misbegotten stint with Geffen would signal a comeback for the temporarily misplaced singer-songwriter. Actually, This Note's for You's successor, 1989's Freedom, is Young's late-'80s hallmark release. This one's the last in a series of titles from Young in the most capricious phase of a fickle career. Here he's on an Albert Collins kick, tackling blues-based tunes backed by his short-lived, horn-powered Blue Notes. While the anti-endorsement title track kicked up some dust at the time, the 10-song collection is weighed down by undistinguished, one-note workouts like "Ten Men Working," "Married Man," and "Sunny Inside" (the titles pretty much sum up the songs). Thankfully, Young returned to his own shade of blue after this curious bar-band one-off. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "REAL" Coupe de Ville!, February 25, 2000

By	Dan Swan (Lincoln City, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

"This Notes for you" was largely overlooked when it was released. Much was the same for other releases from this period in Neil's career; such as "Life", "Landing on Water",and "Everybody's Rockin'. For these three records Neil was in the process of getting out of his creatively constricting contract with Geffen Records. "This Notes For you" was his return to his original label "Reprise". Many had written him off; but for those of us who knew Neil; this was a triumph. Never one to become stuck in a rut, Neil came in screemin'. "Ten Men Workiin'" opens with a vengeance. A heavey guitar and blasting horns prepare the listener for what awaits. The title cut is one of Neil's many "ANTHEM" songs, and was accompanied by a music video that was quickly banned from MTV. It portrayed many famous look-a-likes, selling their souls for various products. "Coupe de Ville" must be one of Neil's finest moments. Smooth as silk; this song transports you. He creates an audio painting of love and pathos rare in modern music. This song contains an absolutely beautiful guitar solo. Neil shows how LESS is so much MORE. It may be what he doesn't play that makes this perticular solo so completely satisfying. "Life in the City" is brass infused rock at it's finest. Big, brash, and makes your feet dance. "Twilight" is another brilliant ballad which puts guitar and horns together in a way that I've never heard before, and with amazing results. This disc has some of Neil's most adventures work to date. Check out "Lucky Thirteen" to hear some "Live" work from this "BIG" band. If you like "BIG" music, you'll love "This Notes for You". Neil's only record with that "Big Band" sound, and one where the whole band shines. Think of it as a quick bend in the road towrads "Ragged Glory". Enjoy the ride!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Neil Young's best, May 31, 2003

By	John Alapick (Wilkes-Barre, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This Note's For You is one of Neil Young's best albums even if it didn't sell. This is the last of Young's experimental albums before he went back to his formula of making either largely acoustic albums or noisier but still very good albums with Crazy Horse. This is great rhythm and blues with an outstanding horn section. The title track is the best known track and it's Neil at his best as he attacks corporate sponsorship while the horn section responds after each line. The rhythm section of Rick (the bass player) Rosas and Chad Cromwell lay down a killer groove throughout the album. Other great R&B tracks include "Ten Men Workin'", "Life In The City", "Sunny Inside", and "Hey, Hey." But for all the great R&B, it's the moodier tracks that are the strongest. "Coupe De Ville", "Can't Believe Your Lyin'" and "One Thing" are very strong with "Coupe De Ville" being one of the best tracks Neil has ever recorded. Albums after this like Freedom and Harvest Moon would bring him back in the spotlight but This Note's For You is more consistent than both of them.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars R&B's good, Neil's good, but Neil can't play R&B, December 9, 2007

By	finulanu ""the mysterious"" (Here, there, and everywhere) - See all my reviews

Now for the most part I really enjoy classic R&B, but the fact is it's not Neil's sound: in most parts the huge horn section blowing everywhere sounds awkward. The fast songs are often trite, boring, and clichéd ("Ten Men Workin'"; "Married Man"; "Sunny Inside"; "Hey Hey"), with the slow blues tracks being sluggish and interminable in addition to trite, boring, and clichéd: at least "Hey Hey", for instance, has energy to spare. "Twilight", "Can't Believe Your Lyin'"; "Coupe de Ville" and "One Thing" all sound dead on their feet. Only a couple songs save this from being a total blow-off; the witty anti-corporate title track has the best lyrics by far on the album; and "Life in the City" is exciting with a dramatic horn part - I would've preferred those two as being one-off experiments on an album that was otherwise typical of Young's, rather than on an entire album of such songs. If you're curious to hear how an album totally uncharacteristic of Neil will turn up, then you might get something out of this, even if it's just the novelty factor of Neil putting out a Motown-ish album: approach with caution regardless. Yeah, I like steak, and I like cookies. But would I eat a steak cookie? Of course not!