Neil Young & The Shocking Pinks: Neil Young (guitar, harmonica, piano); Ben "King" Keith (guitar, alto saxophone); Larry Byrom (piano, background vocals); Tim Drummond (upright bass); Karl Himmel (snare drum); Rick Palombi (background vocals).

Recorded at Modern Recorders, Redwood City, California. Originally released on Geffen (403).

By following the hi-tech Trans after only seven months with a rockabilly album, Neil Young baffled his audience. Just as he had followed the sales peak of Harvest in 1972 with a series of challenging, uncommercial albums, Young had now dissipated the commercial and critical acceptance he had enjoyed with 1979's Rust Never Sleeps with a series of mediocre albums and inexplicable genre exercises. Everybody's Rockin', credited to "Neil & the Shocking Pinks," represented the nadir of this attempted career suicide. Running less than 25 minutes, it found Young covering early rock evergreens like "Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes" and writing a few songs in the same vein ("Kinda Fonda Wanda"). If he had presented this as a mini-album at a discount price, it would have been easier to enjoy the joke Young seemed to intend. As it was, fans who already had their doubts about Young dropped off the radar screen; Everybody's Rockin' was his lowest-charting album since his 1969 solo debut, and he didn't release another album for two years (his longest break ever between records). ~ William Ruhlmann

In 1983, Neil Young donned a pompadour, recruited the Shocking Pinks, and cut a rockabilly-inspired collection clocking in at under a half-hour that baffled fans and seemed to be a reaction to the head-shaking electronic mish-mash that was the previous year's TRANS. Despite EVERYBODY'S ROCKIN' being Young's poorest selling record since his 1969 self-titled debut, this mix of covers and originals is an inspired stab at '50s rock & roll that only really suffers from a slightly slick production from Young's long-time right-hand man Elliot Mazer.

Originals such as "Cry, Cry, Cry," "Kinda Fonda Wanda," and the autobiographical "Payola Blues" benefit from a liberal application of Jordanaires-like harmonizing, squawking sax, pounding piano, and Young's hiccupping vocals. Breezy interpretations of Jimmy Reed ("Bright Lights, Big City"), Elvis Presley ("Mystery Train"), Slim Harpo ("Rainin' in My Heart"), and Bobby Freeman ("Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes") also lend an air of authenticity to the proceedings. Despite its brevity, ROCKIN' is one of Neil Young's '80s projects undeserving of the drubbing it received the first time around.

In 1983, Neil Young donned a pompadour, recruited the Shocking Pinks, and cut a rockabilly-inspired collection clocking in at under a half-hour that baffled fans and seemed to be a reaction to the head-shaking electronic mish-mash that was the previous year's TRANS. Despite EVERYBODY'S ROCKIN' being Young's poorest selling record since his 1969 self-titled debut, this mix of covers and originals is an inspired stab at '50s rock & roll that only really suffers from a slightly slick production from Young's long-time right-hand man Elliot Mazer.

Originals such as "Cry, Cry, Cry," "Kinda Fonda Wanda," and the autobiographical "Payola Blues" benefit from a liberal application of Jordanaires-like harmonizing, squawking sax, pounding piano, and Young's hiccupping vocals. Breezy interpretations of Jimmy Reed ("Bright Lights, Big City"), Elvis Presley ("Mystery Train"), Slim Harpo ("Rainin' in My Heart"), and Bobby Freeman ("Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes") also lend an air of authenticity to the proceedings. Despite its brevity, ROCKIN' is one of Neil Young's '80s projects undeserving of the drubbing it received the first time around.

Q (4/02, p.142) - "...29 minutes of erstaz rockabilly..."