Neil Young has always had some complicated feelings about his 1973 live album Time Fades Away, but it appears he’s become fonder of it in recent years. He’s celebrating its 50th anniversary with a special reissue dubbed Time Fades Away 50, to be released on November 3rd via Reprise Records exclusively in a limited edition clear vinyl. Check out the album art and tracklist below.
In addition to the eight original songs from the album, the new Time Fades Away 50 will also include the bonus track “The Last Trip to Tulsa,” which was originally released in November 1973 as the B-side to the album’s only single, its title track. Since then, “The Last Trip to Tulsa” also appeared on 2020’s Neil Young Archives Vol. 2: 1972–1976.
Time Fades Away was recorded on Young’s massive tour in support of his hit album, Harvest, which dropped in February 1972. Joined by the same musicians who brought Harvest to life — a band dubbed the Stray Gators, featuring keyboardist Jack Nitzsche, pedal steel guitarist Ben Keith, drummer Kenny Buttrey (who was replaced by Johnny Barbata during the tour), and bassist Tim Drummond — Young was experiencing a new height of success, which created much anticipation for the tour. A bit daunted by that though, and wanting to explore new styles and techniques, he and the Stray Gators shied away from the polished sounds that were increasingly dominating the music industry. Working up arrangements to Young’s then-unreleased songs, and bringing in his CSNY bandmates, David Crosby and Graham Nash, to augment the harmonies, the musicians instead offered something raw, inventive, and cathartically unpolished.
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At the time, some fans enjoyed it — the initial pressing was certified Gold, selling a million copies. But tension behind the scenes and a dissatisfaction with the performances led Young to distance himself from the album. Instead of printing more copies of the album, it was omitted from Young’s catalog. In 1987, he called it “the worst record I ever made,” but at least acknowledged its value as a historical documentation. “As a door of what was happening to me, it was a great record,” he said at the time.
In 2014, Time Fades Away finally officially resurfaced, and was included in a vinyl box set released for Record Store Day. Three years later in 2017, it became available on CD for the first time.
Now, the album is arriving in the limited edition clear 1xLP format. Pre-orders are ongoing through the Greedy Hand Store at Neil Young Archives, and the album will also be available at “music retailers everywhere” upon release. Purchases made through Greedy Hand, however, will come with a hi-res digital download of the album.
Meanwhile, Young’s been having a busy year. In the spring, he returned to live performances after a four-year break, and even embarked on a tour in July. Last month, he released his “lost album” from 1977, Chrome Dreams. Later this month, on September 23rd, he’s set to appear alongside Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp for the latest iteration of Farm Aid, which you can grab tickets for here.
Time Fades Away 50 Artwork:
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