Album of the Day

The title of RUST NEVER SLEEPS was originally an advertising slogan that Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh had mentioned to Neil Young, but the phrase could just as easily apply to the singer-songwriter, whose creative spirit has always been restless. The bulk of the 1979 Reprise collection was recorded live during Young's tour the previous year (with overdubs added and a studio track or two) and like the concerts, the album's first half is predominantly acoustic and the second an electric one - featuring Crazy Horse at their most powerful. From the Johnny Rotten references of “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)” to the dramatic showdown in “Powderfinger,” Neil's songs have rarely hit harder, and the set placed near the top of annual critics polls in the Village Voice and Rolling Stone. The platinum-certified RUST NEVER SLEEPS is among Young's greatest albums, and we'll give it another spin now to wish the man a happy birthday.