Neil Young became a star in the early 1970s. In the mid-1970s he took a turn into the ditch. In the late 70s he tried to balance the middle of the road with his wilder instincts. It all ended with Rust Never Sleeps, perhaps his best album. Strangely, he would follow it up with a long trek in the wilderness.
Long May You Run, 1976 (with Stephen Stills)
I was not sure where to start the post-Ditch period, but listening to this album makes for an obvious break. After some abortive sessions with the whole CSNY crew, Young cut an album just with Stills. The two of them had been the heart of Buffalo Springfield, and listening to the live CSNY stuff I kept thinking that they should have kept making more music together. Turns out that was kind of a monkey's paw situation, since this album is pretty meh. Instead of utilizing their ferocious twin guitar attack, this is some very smooth 1970s yacht rock that's just not nearly as good as Steely Dan and other masters of the form. The title song is one of Young's most famous, but the rest does not distinguish itself all that much. Perhaps it just sounds underwhelming after the brilliance of the Ditch material.
Rating: Three Neils
Hitchhiker, recorded in 1976 and released in 2017
Homegrown was not Young's only "lost" album in this period. He also cut and then shelved Hitchhiker, a very stripped-down collection recorded in a day that his label and others thought was too unfinished to release as an official record. Many of the songs would show up elsewhere, like "Campaigner" and "Human Highway." The wonderfully eerie "Hawaii" was also on Homegrown. I was most struck, however, by hearing early versions of songs that would be highlights of Rust Never Sleeps: "Pocahontas," "Ride My Llama," and "Powderfinger." In the 70s a major artist was not allowed to put out a stripped-down record like this, but Young seemed to anticipate the "unplugged" craze of the 1990s. (There's a reason why he hit a major career renaissance in that decade!) Hitchhiker is a return to his folk roots, but with the sting of his Ditch-era songwriting. It's a shame it took so long to see the light of day because I think it's one of the best things he ever did.
Rating: Five Neils
Songs for Judy, recorded in 1976 and released in 2018
This is a strange Archives release since it's selections from the acoustic sets of his 1976 tour, which featured Young on guitar in the first half of the show before bringing on Crazy Horse to rock out. I like it because there's plenty of Ditch era songs being performed in a different context. Young is loose and sounds like he is having fun or really stoned or both. I listened to it pretty incessantly when it was first released and still really enjoy it. It also benefits from better sound quality than some of the "official bootlegs."
Rating: Four and a half Neils
Odeon Budokan, recorded in 1976 and released in 2020
This is another recent Archives release from his 1976 shows. The strange name comes from the recordings being made at the Odean in London and Budokan in Tokyo. This album replicates the shows themselves, starting with acoustic songs then turning things over to the Horse. I like that the acoustic set has some lesser-known tunes, like "The Old Laughing Lady," "Too Far Gone," and "Stringman." The electric set has a lot of cuts from Zuma. This is the first live Crazy Horse record with Frank "Poncho" Sampedro on guitar rather than Danny Whitten. The latter added a touch of doomed melancholy to the songs. Poncho is more of a Falstaff figure, a lug who likes to kick out the jams with a smile on his face. He would also go on to be one of Young's most essential collaborators. The Horse sounds fantastic on the electric side, and evidently this was a concert that bassist Billy Talbot himself prized.
Rating: Four and a half Neils
Chrome Dreams, recorded 1974-1977 and released in 2023
Believe it or not, Young cut a third "lost" album in the 1970s. Most of these songs would appear on other projects in the future, but it's a shame this album was kept under wraps. It's definitely better than the "official one" that followed. Like Hitchhiker it feels raw, both musically and emotionally. There are versions of songs that will later dominate Rust Never Sleeps, most intriguingly a slowed-down, grungy version of "Sedan Delivery." I also love the bite that "Homegrown" gets on this version. Of all of his "lost" albums, I am truly the most confounded about why he did not release this one in the moment. It's one thing to prefer to put out a barnburner like Tonight's the Night, another to release something mediocre like American Stars N' Bars.
Rating: Four and a half Neils
American Stars N' Bars, 1977
While I knew "Like a Hurricane," I had never actually listened to this album before this project. Having heard all of the "lost" albums it contained few surprises since Young culls the second side from those earlier sessions. The first side is very country rock and very au courant for 1977. After a strong start it just sort of peters out into some forgettable tunes. The second side has some gems from his unreleased albums, but thrown together like this they don't really cohere. A good album has to have common theme or sound running through it, and this one just doesn't. Some individual songs are good, though. It is strange and frustrating that Young was writing so many good songs in this era but putting out less than stellar official albums.
Rating: Three and a half Neils
High Flyin', recorded with The Ducks in 1977 and released in 2023
When this Archives release came out last year I was intrigued. For a brief time in 1977 Young joined a band called The Ducks playing bars in the Santa Cruz area. The band included a former member of Moby Grape, and it was a true group effort. The members shared lead vocals and on most of the songs Young isn't singing. You can still hear him let it rip on guitar with his signature tone, which makes this group sound like the greatest bar band that ever lived. That's in fact what they were, and this album is mostly culled from these down at heels gigs. While the songs might not be as strong top to bottom as Young's work with Crazy Horse, this is still so much damn fun and I really enjoyed listening to it. It's a reminder of why Young would find inspiration in punk and go on to be an unofficial member of the grunge scene in the 90s. The man understands that rock and roll is about energy and feeling with a strong dash of chaos. I have to wonder if this road not taken is what motivated him to get back on the Horse.
Rating: Four Neils
Comes A Time, 1978
In many ways this is the album people expected from Young after Harvest. Here he is on the cover, strumming an acoustic guitar and even smiling, for crying out loud! The music is mellow and even smooth at points. Some of the lost album songs make an appearance here, too, like "Look Out For My Love" and the wonderful "Human Highway." The excellent title song speaks to Young's situation after his time drifting. There comes a time to settle down for us all. The production is maybe too good, however. It sounds like a brand new Lincoln Continental when Young is at his best sounding like a banged-out Camaro with its muffler scraping the pavement. A good but not great record.
Rating: Four Neils
Rust Never Sleeps, 1979
You could never imagine the other guys in CSNY observing punk rock lay down the gauntlet before the bougie hippie crowd and responding like this. “It’s better to burn out than to fade away” sums it all up. Kurt Cobain put that in his suicide note, which understandably upset Young, who had chronicled the wreckage of the 70s bummer and the people he lost. I think he knew he was speaking a truth and playing with fire when he wrote that line. This was my favorite Young album before starting this series and I don’t think that’s changed yet. Side one is his acoustic folkie side, but with some edge. “Hey Hey My My” cuts deep and then comes “Thrasher,” a song I’ve played on repeat during important life transitions. It helps that he goes from this emotional one two punch to the surreality of “Pocahontas,” the silliness of “Ride My Llama,” and mellowness of “Sail Away.” On side two he and the horse really let it rip. “Powderfinger” is jaw dropping, “Welfare Mothers” hilariously scuzzy, and “Sedan Delivery" more punk than punk. What’s wild is that this shouldn’t work as an album. It’s a mix of live songs from totally different concerts with a couple of studio tracks thrown in. Somehow, the whole is still greater than the parts.
Rating: Five Neils
Live Rust, 1979
In 1979 I could see why fans would have been frustrated by Young putting out a new double live album repeating a lot of songs from a different mostly live album released that year. New records are expensive! As a fan in the streaming era that don’t matter much. In fact, if someone wanted to listen to a single album as an intro to Young, I’d give them this one. He and the Horse both sound amazing. The acoustic songs cover some of his best folk material and in the case of “Comes a Time,” improves on it. The Horse rips and snorts and breathes new life into “The Loner” and “Tonight’s The Night,” The latter might be my fave live Young song this side of “Powderfinger.” This album is a kind of victory lap for Young’s miracle decade, right before a decade in the wilderness.
Rating: Five Neils
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