We consider coding strategies and achievable rates for the classic three-node relay channel introduced by 
van der Meulen in 1968.  Cover \& El Gamal developed two coding strategies (called decode-and-forward and 
compress-and-forward) and combined them to obtain a generalized lower bound in their celebrated 1979 paper. 
In previous work, we presented two different generalized strategies based on regular encoding and backward 
decoding.  The strategies employed sequential backward (SeqBack) decoding and simultaneous backward (SimBack) 
decoding of several (but not all) unknown parameters.  We establish the equivalence of the rates achievable 
by SeqBack and SimBack decoding and show that they contain that of Cover \& El Gamal.  In addition, we prove 
that simultaneous backward decoding of {\em all} unknown parameters does not help to increase the achievable 
rate.  Finally, we show that this rate can also be achieved by regular encoding and sliding window decoding.