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List Price: $12.98 | | Label: Geffen International
Salesrank: 40017
Released: July 28, 1997 |
| Our Price: $108.18 |
| Used Price: $19.99 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Everybody's Rockin Track Listing:
1. Betty Lou's Got A New Pair Of Shoes
2. Rainin' In My Heart
3. Payola Blues
4. Wonderin'
5. Kinda Fonda Wanda
6. Jellyroll Man
7. Bright Lights, Big City
8. Cry, Cry, Cry
9. Mystery Train
10. Everybody's Rockin'
Editorial Review:
Unavailable on CD in the U.S., this is his digitally recorded '50s-ish album with the Shocking Pinks. Released byGeffen in 1983, it features the title cut and nine other tunes.
Description of Everybody's Rockin:
Nestled somewhat uncomfortably between a haywired electro-pop experiment, 1983's Trans, and the countrified Old Ways, this rockabilly curio now stands as one more wild swing from Neil Young during a particularly shaky phase. Backed by the five-member Shocking Pinks, Young works his way through a selection of covers and slight originals. In retrospect, Everybody's Rockin' presages 1988's This Note's for You; this is roots-rock Neil, a fellow with a taste for swamp-pop (the Slim Harpo weeper "Rainin' in My Heart"), easy-rollin' blues ("Bright Lights, Big City"), and raveups (Bobby Freeman's "Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes," his own "Kinda Fonda Wanda"). Young sounds amused but less then committed, as evidenced by the fact that he'd soon wash the grease out of his hair and disband the Shocking Pinks. --Steven Stolder
Everybody's Rockin Reviews:
A Nice Little Album 
2009-08-16 - I am a big Neil Young fan. But I, as a general rule, listen to a lot of music from the '50s through the '80s. Some of my favorite artists are the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley. I actually like this new sound that Neil has on this album. I know it isn't typical Neil, but that's no reason to immediately dismiss it. I think it has a good rocking flavor to it. Songs like "Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes," "Payola Blues," and "Jellyroll Man" are just plain fun to listen to. The old-fashioned sound takes me right back to the '40s and '50s, and it sounds very good. While I am glad that this was the last of his experimentation, it is certainly an interesting period piece, if nothing else. The songs are catchy and they will put you in a good mood. If you like '50s music you will love this album. If you want to see what Neil Young was up to in the '80s this will give you a clue. It may not measure up to the other stuff but it is good.
BAD ! 
2009-08-01 - I've been a huge Neil fan since day one and have written some very positive reviews here for some of his other albums . First I should say that I'm not much of a 50's music fan so I suppose I may be somewhat biased due to this. I was one of those people who always bought his records without ever reading reviews and was sure that even if it was a sub par album I'd find one gem on it but there was not one song that was even remotely memorable on this one. I was so depressed ! In a word it was just BAD and even worse than the next stinker I got by him - Landing on Water. These 2 records were largely the reason I stopped buying music around then. There's really not anything more I can say about this sorry effort.
Cheers
Everybody's Rockin' 
2008-10-12 - Neil Young-Everybody's Rockin' **1/2
You have to give Neil credit. This was a bold move on his part. My hat will always come off to Neil for this period of work. Purposely making albums that he knew wouldn't sell but would satisfy him so that he could get out of his contract, then being sued by his record company for, "not sounding like Neil Young," a riot right?
Well the truth is the album isn't that good. It is Neils homage to the founding fathers of rock and rockabilly, with just enough do-whop thrown in for good measure. Songs like 'Wondering' and the title track are great rockers. The former actually being one of Neils all time best in my opinion. The title track contains a great horn section which makes it really feel like it did come out of the 1950's. 'Mystery Train' is nice and really sounds like something Neil would have done on another album had the circumstances been right. 'Cry Cry Cry' is also decent, but that might be a stretch.
As for the rest of the album however it really is a drag. The lyrics are well, dumb, by any standard even if they are supposed to be a tribute to early rock n' roll. I don't remember the Big Bopper, Richie Valence, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, or Buddy Holly having lyrics this lame? And for Neil Young this lyrics are just unacceptable. As for the musicianship well there really isn't any. it is all lame for lack of a better word. Lame. Lame. Lame.
I had really high hopes for this album and expected Neil to surprise me with this and it to be really fantastic. It isn't, and other than for 'Wonderin' I wouldn't recommend this at all.
Um, Neil? Neeeeeeil? Helloooooo... 
2007-12-09 - You know what I don't get? I'll tell you what. '50s rock lyrics. It's not that I don't grasp them, they seem rather pointless to me. Seriously, on "Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes", they make this big deal about how Betty Lou has more footwear. W00t. Exactly what I wanted to hear about. Betty Lou now has new shoes.. Never liked that song, be it by whoever originally made it or Neil Young. I did like Elvis' "Mystery Train". Come on, it's Elvis! He's the King of Rock `n' Roll! Then Neil got his hands on it. And it croaked on its toilet, so to speak. I've never heard Jimmy Reed's original "Bright Lights, Big City", but Neil's cover is nothing to be proud of. Neither are some of the originals, which include "Cry, Cry, Cry" and "Jelly Roll Man". I can see why he stashed this peculiar rockabilly/doo-wap combo pretty far in his back pages. There are a few upsides, though: it's not an insult like Landing on Water or Life, and some of it is pretty catchy, most notably the hilarious satire "Payola Blues", and the sly rocker "Kinda Fonda Wanda". And it's short, too. So if you don't like it, at least it'll be over quickly.
The Purests Will Hate Me!
2007-01-06 - This is Rock-a-billy! No social comment just fun music. Not for the Neil Young faithful. Neil Young for the rest of us!
