Neil Young - Hawks & Doves (1980) [Remastered 2003] - New links

Following the triumph of Rust Never Sleeps, Hawks & Doves benefited from the enormous critical goodwill Neil Young had amassed, though fans and critics nevertheless were baffled by its set of obscure acoustic and country-tinged songs. The seven-plus-minute "The Old Homestead" (copyright 1974) was interpreted by some as an allegory for Young's relationship to CSNY, perhaps because that was the only way to make any sense of the most mysterious Young lyric since "The Last Trip to Tulsa." In retrospect, now that it's known Young was distracted by domestic medical concerns while working on the album, its theme of perseverance in the face of adversity, both in a personal context of family commitment ("Stayin' Power," "Coastline"), and in a national context of hard work and patriotism ("Union Man," "Comin' Apart at Every Nail," "Hawks & Doves") seems more apparent, as does the sense that Young may have been trying to fulfill his recording contract (even with the inclusion of trunk songs like "The Old Homestead," the album runs less than half an hour) while devoting a bare minimum of his time and attention to the effort. The result is correspondingly slight.

Review by William Ruhlmann(allmusic.com)

Personnel: Neil Young (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano); Ben Keith (steel guitar, dobro, background vocals); Rufus Thibodeaux (fiddle); Dennis Belfield, Tim Drummond (bass); Levon Helm, Greg Thomas (drums); Hillary O'Brien (background vocals). Producers: Neil Young, David Briggs, Tim Mulligan. Recorded at The Village Recorder, Los Angeles, Broken Arrow Studio, Redwood City, Indigo Ranch, Malibu, and Gold Star Studio, Hollywood, California; Quadrafonic Sound Studio, Nashville, Tennessee; Triad Recording Studio, Ft, Lauderdale, Florida. All tracks have been digitally remastered using HDCD technology. Following up the energetic, one-two punch of RUST NEVER SLEEPS and LIVE RUST, Neil Young takes a more understated route with 1980's HAWKS & DOVES. On rustic tracks such as "Little Wing" and "The Old Homestead" (both written in the mid-'70s), Young revisits his HARVEST era with a spare sound that relies heavily on his distinctive voice and acoustic guitar. As the album progresses, its scope widens both musically and lyrically; "Stayin' Power" is a jaunty, piano-driven tune about the power of love, while "Comin' Apart at Every Nail" is a guitar-laden hoedown that comments on the US government. This surprisingly patriotic tone (especially coming from a Canadian) This politically minded theme takes on a surprisingly patriotic tone on the album's closing title track, the Canadian songwriter's flag-waving tribute to the United States. A highly underrated record, HAWKS & DOVES features some of Young's finest songs of the '80s.

Tracklist:

01 - Little Wing
02 - The Old Homestead
03 - Lost In Space
04 - Captain Kennedy
05 - Stayin' Power
06 - Coastline
07 - Union Man
08 - Comin' Apart At Every Nail
09 - Hawks & Doves