Wonderin’ - Neil Young & The Shocking Pinks

Groovy! Everybody’s Rockin’ is a 1983 album by Neil Young and the Shocking Pinks. The album was recorded with the Shocking Pinks (a band made up just for the occasion), and features a selection of rockabilly songs (both covers and original material). Running less than a half of an hour, the music is unlike anything else in Young’s career. However, Everybody’s Rockin’ is typical of his 1980s period in that it bears little, or no resemblance to the album released before it (Trans (1982), a synth-heavy, electro-rock album), nor the one released after it (Old Ways (1985), which is pure country.) Everybody’s Rockin’ is Neil Young’s shortest album, clocking in at less than 25 minutes. In a 1995 interview with MOJO, Young said that the album was supposed to have included the songs “Get Gone“ and “Don’t Take Your Love Away From Me“ (which later appeared on Lucky Thirteen), but that Geffen, his record company, cancelled the recording sessions. The album was also notable as the first for which Young made commercial music videos - Tim Pope directed the videos for “Wonderin’“ and “Cry, Cry, Cry“. Tim Pope was invited to America for the first time in 1983 by Neil Young who asked him to film the video for his song “Wonderin“. Young personally drove him around Los Angeles on a guided tour to see the sights, using the car that was ultimately to feature in the famous “Wonderin“ video, filmed with its idiosyncratic speed-up, speed-down style. Pope shot many more videos for Young until 1997. He said of the experience: “I thought it was everyones lot to be brought to America and driven around by iconic pop stars in flash motors.“ The following year, Geffen sued Young for making “uncharacteristic, uncommercial records“, because of this record and its predecessor. As a part of the suit, Geffen demanded that Neil repay the $3 million dollars (US) he had received for Trans and Everybody’s Rockin’. Neil responded by countersuing Geffen for $21 million dollars (US), charging breach of contract and fraud. Both suits were dropped in 1985. In the Mojo interview Young says “. were going to go with Geffen, then they heard I was being sued and everything, they just dropped all contact with Geffen and signed with Warner Bros. instead. Geffen actually lost . simply for suing me over Everybody’s Rockin’!“ Ironically, Geffen was at the time distributed by WBR. Young wrote the song “Wonderin’“ in the late 60s, long before the sessions for Everybody’s Rockin’. It dates from at least the After the Gold Rush era, and was part of his set list at solo acoustic shows in 1970. An electric performance, featuring Crazy Horse appears on Live at the Fillmore East. Everybody’s Rockin was panned by critics and fans at the time of its release.