Geffen Records seems to have intended a straightforward best-of compilation containing the singles released from Neil Young's five albums with the label between 1982 and 1987. Then Young himself became involved, and his version of a Geffen sampler naturally turned out to be more unusual. There were four songs never before released on a Young alb...

Geffen Records seems to have intended a straightforward best-of compilation containing the singles released from Neil Young's five albums with the label between 1982 and 1987. Then Young himself became involved, and his version of a Geffen sampler naturally turned out to be more unusual. There were four songs never before released on a Young album -- "Depression Blues," "Get Gone" and the bluesy "Don't Take Your Love Away From Me" (live recordings with the Shocking Pinks) and "Ain't It the Truth" (a live track cut with the Bluenotes). There were also an alternate version of Trans' "Sample and Hold" and a live take of "This Note's for You," the title song from Young's 1988 return to Reprise Records...Given that he veered wildly from synth-pop to rockabilly to country to rock during this period, assembling a coherent compilation was something of a challenge, and Young didn't even try, just picking his favorites and sequencing them chronologically. There were some interesting songs here to be sure, notably "Hippie Dream" and "Mideast Vacation"... ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide