Neil Young

Neil Young has long been outspoken about his disgust for outgoing President Donald Trump. But in a new message posted on his Neil Young Archives site, he expresses empathy for those who he says “have been so manipulated and had their beliefs used as political weapons.” He starts off by pointing out a woman who may or may not have been maced at the attempted insurrection last Wednesday and wrote that she “was one of thousands who have been carrying the feeling of being persecuted for their beliefs, their feeling that American power just didn’t care.” The veteran rocker pointed the blame squarely on Trump. “Resentment of the Democratic party among the insurrectionists at the Capitol was rampant. We don’t need this hate. We need discussion and solutions. Respect for one another’s beliefs. Not...

Neil Young’s prolific 2020 continues. On Tuesday night, Young shared “The Losing End (When You’re On),” which hails from his upcoming Archives Vol. II box set. The live cut of the country rocker was performed with the Santa Monica Flyers at the Roxy in West Hollywood on Sept. 22, 1973. Notably, the song includes future E Street Band member Nils Lofgren on guitar. Listen to it below. Last week, Young shared an unheard version of “Powderfinger” from the box set. Young has spent a lot of 2020 not only releasing unheard tracks, but he’s also been taking on Trump and tech companies and playing a series of livestream shows. Additionally, he’ll be releasing a 50th-anniversary edition of After the Gold Rush. Young’s Archives Vol. II ...

Neil Young has been on fire this year. Between his multiple releases, livestreams, battling Trump and the tech companies, the man really hasn’t stopped. It should come as no surprise as the 50th anniversary of After the Gold Rush approaches that Young has a new archival release for that record as well. As is his wont, Young has shared an unreleased track from the collection, an early version of “Wonderin’” from After the Goldrush. The song wasn’t released until 1983’s Everybody’s Rockin’, but regardless, this original version is an interesting comparison to that — it’s a lot folkier than the later edition. Listen below. [embedded content] After the Gold Rush 50 arrives on Dec. 11 on Reprise Records with a vinyl edition arriving in March 2021. P...

Neil Young has started to serve up songs from his 10-disc Archives Volume 2: 1972-1976 collection due in November, and today offered the previously unreleased 1972 cut “Come Along and Say You Will.” The tune was recorded at Young’s Broken Arrow Ranch on Dec. 15, 1972 with drummer Kenny Buttrey, bassist Tim Drummond, and pedal steel guitarist Ben Keith, Young’s group of musicians known as The Stray Gators, who backed him on 1972’s Harvest and the Time Fades Away record from 1973. “Come Along and Say You Will” begins with the lyrics “come along and say you will / be the one to change the meaning / of the writing on the wall.” Young goes on to sing, “I’ll never understand / why walk around a sinner / with a nail through your hand.” Check out the tune below. [embedded ...

At this point in 2020, it’s fair to say that Neil Young has been one of the most prolific artists of the year (that doesn’t count his political disputes either). He’s continuing that run with the announcement that he’s releasing one of his most memorable concerts. In 1974, Young dropped by New York City’s the Bottom Line where he ended up playing a set of new songs during a late-night show that would ultimately become On the Beach. “In my mind it’s a hazy memory, but this moment really captures the essence of where I was in 1974,” Young recalled on his Neil Young Archives website. “Folks at ‘The Bottom Line’ heard seven new songs for the first time. I just remember I was 24 years old, bare and letting it all out,” he continued. “Two months later, the album ‘On The ...

Neil Young will release Return To Greendale, a limited-edition live album and concert film box set of his 2003 Greendale concert tour. Out Nov. 6 via Reprise Records, the collection includes a Blu-ray of the full concert, two LPs and two CDs, and a DVD of Inside Greendale, a documentary of the album’s creation. It will also be available separately on double vinyl, a two-CD set, and digitally on Neil Young Archives (NYA) and streaming services. For more info, visit Young’s site. Inside Greendale features footage of Young and Crazy Horse in the studio, mixed with segments from 2003’s Greendale fictional film. Both Inside Greendale and the concert film are directed by Bernard Shakey and produced by L.A. Johnson (Rust Never Sleeps). Young’s immersive, small-town rock opera tells the ...

Despite being stuck at home, Neil Young’s had a busy year between his Fireside Sessions and prepping a lawsuit against Trump. He’s also been curating three new archival releases, including the long-awaited Archives Volume 2: 1972-1976. On Sunday, he announced the collection’s full track list via his website, Neil Young Archives. The double-box set spans 10 discs that are organized chronologically, beginning with material recorded shortly after the release of Harvest in 1972 and ending with Young’s March 1976 Asian/European tour with Crazy Horse. Archives Volume 2 features 12 songs that have never been released in any format, and 50 previously unreleased versions of songs. Archives Volume 2 is slated for a Nov. 20 release and will only be available via NYA...

In a post on his website a few weeks ago, Neil Young teased the release of “Official Bootlegs” from his live archives while announcing several other releases in the coming months. Over the weekend, Young revealed that the first in this series would be from his 1970 show at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall. Young performed two shows that week at the venue — which he says that bootleggers only were able to record the second. This release would be from the first show. “There was one at 8:00 pm and one at midnight [the next night]. No one got that first one — the first time I walked onstage at Carnegie Hall, blowing my own 25-year-old mind,” he wrote. The show in question took place in December 1970, just a few weeks after the release of After the Gold Rush. Young notes that he pre...