Six and a half years later, Comes a Time finally was the Neil Young album for the millions of fans who had loved Harvest, an acoustic-based record with country overtones and romantic, autobiographical lyrics, and many of those fans returned to the fold, enough to make Comes a Time Young's first Top Ten album since Harvest. He signaled the album's direction with the leadoff track, "Goin' Back," and its retrospective theme augmented with an orchestral backup and the deliberate beat familiar from his number one hit "Heart of Gold." Of course, Young remained sly about this retrenchment. "I feel like goin' back," he sang, but added, "back where there's nowhere to stay." Doubtless he had no intention of staying with this style, but for the length of the album, melodies, love lyrics, lush arrangements, and steel guitar solos dominated, and Young's vocals were made more accessible by being paired with Nicolette Larson's harmonies. Larson's own version of Young's "Lotta Love," released shortly after the one heard here, became a Top Ten hit single. Other highlights included the reflective "Already One," which treats the unusual subject of the nature of a divorced family, the ironic "Field of Opportunity," and a cover of Ian Tyson's folk standard "Four Strong Winds" (a country Top Ten hit for Bobby Bare in 1965). ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Rufus Thibodeaux (Fiddle), Rufus Thibodeaux (Violin), J.J. Cale (Guitar), J.J. Cale (Guitar (Electric)), Crazy Horse (Group), Crazy Horse (?), Neil Young (Guitar), Neil Young (Harmonica), Neil Young (Vocals), Neil Young (Producer), Neil Young (Main Performer), Steve Gibson (Guitar (Acoustic)), Steve Gibson (Guitar), Nicolette Larson (Vocals), Vic Jordan (Guitar (Acoustic)), Ben Keith (Guitar), Ben Keith (Guitar (Steel)), Ben Keith (Vocals), Ben Keith (Producer), Bucky Barrett (Guitar (Acoustic)), Bucky Barrett (Guitar), George Binkley III (Strings), Grant Boatwright (Guitar (Acoustic)), Grant Boatwright (Guitar), Marvin Chantry (Strings), Roy Christensen (Strings), Virginia Christensen (Strings), Johnny Christopher (Guitar), Johnny Christopher (Guitar (Electric)), Tim Drummond (Bass), Tim Drummond (Drums), Ray Edenton (Guitar (Acoustic)), Ray Edenton (Guitar), Rita Fey (Autoharp), Carl Gorodetzky (Strings), Danny Hilley (Engineer), Karl Himmel (Drums), Anatol Kaminsky (Engineer), Anatol Kaminsky (?), Russ Kunkel (Conductor), Sheldon Kurland (Strings), Lawrence Lasson (Strings), Rebecca Lynch (Strings), Martha McCrory (Strings), David McKinley (Engineer), Ralph Molina (Drums), Ralph Molina (Vocals), Farrell Morris (Percussion), Tim Mulligan (Saxophone), Tim Mulligan (Producer), Tim Mulligan (Engineer), Spooner Oldham (Piano), Joe Osborne (Bass), Mike Porter (Engineer), Denny Purcell (Engineer), Frank "Poncho" Sampedro (Guitar), Frank "Poncho" Sampedro (Strings), Frank "Poncho" Sampedro (Vocals), Dale Sellers (Guitar (Acoustic)), Dale Sellers (Guitar), Jerry Shook (Guitar (Acoustic)), Jerry Shook (Guitar), Steven Maxwell Smith (Strings), Billy Talbot (Bass), Billy Talbot (Vocals), Gary VanOsdale (Strings), Carole Walker (Strings), Ernie Winfrey (Engineer), Stephanie Woolf (Strings), Laurence Harvin (Strings), Carl Himmel (Drums), Danny Garcia (Engineer), Maryanna Harvin (Strings), George Kosmola (Strings), Michael Laskow (Engineer), Larrie Londin (Drums), David Briggs (Producer), Richard Adler (Engineer)
November 28, 1975 – November 21, 1977
Triad Recording, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Columbia Recording Studio, London; Wally Heider Recording Studio, Hollywood; Woodland Sound Studios, Nashville; Sound Shop, Nashville, and Broken Arrow Ranch, Redwood City, CA
Comes a Time is a 1978 album by Neil Young, and a return to the country/folk rock sound of Harvest (1972). Many of the tracks are highlighted by harmony vocals from Nicolette Larson. Originally, it had started out as a solo record, but when Young played it for Reprise executives they asked him if he wouldn't mind adding rhythm tracks to what he already had. Young agreed to this, and the end product was the Comes a Time that was released. Two songs had Young backed by Crazy Horse, resulting in them having a rawer sound to the smooth production of the rest of the album.
Grant Boatwright, John Christopher, Jerry Shook, Vic Jordan, Steve Gibson, Dale Sellers, Ray Edenton – acoustic guitars
Shelly Kurland, Stephanie Woolf, Marvin Chantry, Roy Christensen, Gary Vanosdale, Carl Goroditzby, George Binkley, Steve Smith, Larry Harvin, Larry Lasson, Carol Walker, Rebecca Lynch, Virginia Ghristensen, Maryanna Harvin, George Kosmola, Martha Mccrory, Chuck Cochran – strings
Ben Keith – production (except on tracks 3, 4 and 8)
Tim Mulligan – production (except on track 7)
David Briggs – production (on tracks 3 and 4)
Tim Mulligan, Michael Laskow, David McKinley, Danny Hilly, Mike Porter, Denny Purcell, Rich "Hoss" Adler, Ernie Winfrey, Gabby Garcia, Paul Kaminsky – engineering
