Hawks & Doves

Hawks & Doves is the tenth studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young. Its two sides were recorded in different circumstances, side one being culled from sessions dating from approximately 1974 through 1977, and side two from sessions specifically for the album in early 1980. The record peaked at #30 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in December 1980 in the US. It is also one of Young's shortest albums, its running time just under half an hour.

It was unavailable on compact disc until it was released as a HDCD-encoded remastered version on August 19, 2003 as part of the Neil Young Archives Digital Masterpiece Series.

Background
Side one, the "doves" side, includes "Little Wing" and "The Old Homestead", which were originally intended to be released as part of 1975's Homegrown.

Side two, the "hawks" side, consists of the recordings intended for the album, being the straightest country and western songs Young had penned to date, even more so than those found on American Stars 'N Bars or Comes a Time.

As with many of Young's releases, critical reaction at the time was mixed. The album was released on Monday, November 3, 1980, the day before the 1980 United States presidential election.

Personnel

 * Neil Young – guitar, harmonica, piano, vocals
 * Greg Thomas – drums
 * Dennis Belfield – bass
 * Ben Keith – steel and Dobro, harmony vocals
 * Rufus Thibodeaux – fiddle
 * Ann Hillary O'Brien – harmony vocals
 * Levon Helm – drums on "The Old Homestead"
 * Tim Drummond – bass on "The Old Homestead"
 * Tom Scribner – saw player on "The Old Homestead"