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Crazy Horse is the eponymous debut album by the rock band famous for their long-time collaboration with Neil Young. Members of this band had already released an album in 1968 as The Rockets, and had appeared on record twice with Young as Crazy Horse.

The core trio from the Rockets, Danny Whitten, Billy Talbot, and Ralph Molina, provided instrumental backing for Young's albums of 1969 and 1970, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and After the Goldrush. During sessions for the latter, they met guitar and keyboard prodigy Nils Lofgren, and producer/keyboardist Jack Nitzsche of Phil Spector and Rolling Stones fame, also on hand in supportive roles. They meshed, and Crazy Horse expanded into a quintet, picking up a recording contract with Reprise Records after the exposure garnered from Gold Rush.

For the recording of this album in the fall of 1970, they recruited fretboard virtuoso Ry Cooder, who added his talents to three tracks. The album contains strong compositions from four principal writers, the fourth being Young, the band covering his "Dance Dance Dance," which has yet to see an official version by Young himself. Songwriter Randy Newman had already performed "Gone Dead Train" on the soundtrack for the 1970 cult film Performance by Donald Cammell and Nicholas Roeg, and a live version of "Downtown" by Whitten and Young, would appear on Young's Tonight's the Night album of 1975. The spirit of Whitten hovered over the tour of the same name from 1973, the remaining quartet from this album backing Young on a notoriously bleak round of concerts in the wake of Whitten's death from an overdose in late 1972.

A pity, for Whitten's songs on this album indicated a burgeoning talent, his death brutally obviating future potential. In particular, the ballad "I Don't Want to Talk About It" received a number of cover versions from a variety of artists, among them Rita Coolidge, Everything But the Girl on their Idlewild album of 1988, and Rod Stewart, who had a minor hit with the song, taken from his 1975 album Atlantic Crossing.

The album was re-released for compact disc on March 22 1994, and appeared in its entirety as part of Rhino Handmade's Scratchy compilation from 2005, which also included outtakes from the sessions for this album. That compilation is no longer in print.

Personnel

Danny Whitten, guitars, vocals
Billy Talbot, bass
Ralph Molina, drums, vocals
Nils Lofgren, guitars, keyboards, vocals
Jack Nitzsche, keyboards, vocals

Additional Personnel

Ry Cooder, slide guitar
Byron Berline, violin
Russ Titelman, producer

Track Listing

"Gone Dead Train" (Nitzsche, Titelman) - 4:06
"Dance Dance Dance" (Young) - 2:10
"Look at All the Things" (Whitten) - 3:13
"Beggar's Day" (Lofgren) - 4:28
"I Don't Want to Talk About It" (Whitten) - 5:18
"Downtown" (Whitten, Young) - 3:14
"Carolay" (Nitzsche, Titelman) - 2:52
"Dirty, Dirty" (Whitten) - 3:31
"Nobody" (Lofgren) - 2:35
"I'll Get By" (Whitten) - 3:08
"Crow Jane Lady" (Nitzsche) - 4:24

External Link

Rhino Scratchy compilation

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 The core trio from the Rockets, [[Danny Whitten]], [[Billy Talbot]], and [[Ralph Molina]], provided instrumental backing for Young's albums of [[1969]] and [[1970]], ''[[Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere]]'' and ''[[After the Goldrush]]''.  During sessions for the latter, they met guitar and keyboard prodigy [[Nils Lofgren]], and producer/keyboardist [[Jack Nitzsche]] of [[Phil Spector]] and [[Rolling Stones]] fame, also on hand in supportive roles.  They meshed, and Crazy Horse expanded into a quintet, picking up a recording contract with [[Reprise Records]] after the exposure garnered from ''Gold Rush''.
-For the recording of this album in the fall of 1970, they recruited fretboard virtuoso [[Ry Cooder]], who added his talents to three tracks.  The album contains strong compositions from four principal writers, the fourth being Young, the band covering his "Dance Dance Dance," which has yet to see an official version by Young himself.  Songwriter [[Randy Newman]] had already performed "[[Gone Dead Train]]" on the soundtrack for the 1970 cult film [[Performance]] by [[Donald Cammell]] and [[Nicholas Roeg]], and a live version of "[[(Come On Baby Let's Go) Downtown|Downtown]]," by Whitten and Young, would appear on Young's ''[[Tonight's the Night]]'' album of [[1975]].  The spirit of Whitten hovered over the tour of the same name from [[1973]], the remaining quartet from this album backing Young on a notoriously bleak round of concerts in the wake of Whitten's death from an overdose in late [[1972]].
+For the recording of this album in the fall of 1970, they recruited fretboard virtuoso [[Ry Cooder]], who added his talents to three tracks.  The album contains strong compositions from four principal writers, the fourth being Young, the band covering his "Dance Dance Dance," which has yet to see an official version by Young himself.  Songwriter [[Randy Newman]] had already performed "[[Gone Dead Train]]" on the soundtrack for the 1970 cult film [[Performance]] by [[Donald Cammell]] and [[Nicholas Roeg]], and a live version of "[[(Come On Baby Let's Go) Downtown|Downtown]]" by Whitten and Young, would appear on Young's ''[[Tonight's the Night]]'' album of [[1975]].  The spirit of Whitten hovered over the tour of the same name from [[1973]], the remaining quartet from this album backing Young on a notoriously bleak round of concerts in the wake of Whitten's death from an overdose in late [[1972]].
 A pity, for Whitten's songs on this album indicated a burgeoning talent, his death brutally obviating future potential.  In particular, the ballad "[[I Don't Want to Talk About It]]" received a number of cover versions from a variety of artists, among them [[Rita Coolidge]], [[Everything But the Girl]] on their ''[[Idlewild]]'' album of [[1988]], and [[Rod Stewart]], who had a minor hit with the song, taken from his 1975 album [[Atlantic Crossing]].