Reprise

Young Neil: Oceanside Countryside (1977) [Digipack / CD]

Over Neil Young's long and storied career, a few special shows have earned an almost mythic reputation, thanks to the dubious but nevertheless appreciated (in retrospect) practice of bootlegging.<br/><br/>Shakey Pictures Records and Reprise Records are now happy to announce the first of a new series - The Neil Young Official Bootleg Series -- Carnegie Hall 1970.

This new collection of Neil Young with Crazy Horses; earliest recordings include several original versions that have not been released before, and along with the 7-inch Mono mix that was released in 1970 that includes a guitar outro not on LP version not on original LP version. <br/><br/>All the songs on EARLY DAZE sound and feel like a new beginning for where rock &amp; roll was going at the end of the 1960s. <br/><br/>The tide was turning on some of the psychedelic experimentation of the San Francisco bands, and moving towards a style of intricate songwriting and bands that were able to take the beginnings of folk-rock and find new ways to let it explode in different settings. <br/><br/>Neil Young with Crazy Horse were leading the charge in this completely expressive style of new music. It opened doors for a wide variety of new styles, and allowed a whole generation of musicians to find a new way forward. In many ways, that achievement.

World Record is produced by Rick Rubin and Neil Young, and Neil is accompanied by his longtime band, Crazy Horse (Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Nils Lofgren). The album features 10 new Neil Young compositions (plus a short reprise of one song) and was mixed to analog tape at Rubin's Shangri-la studios using a selection of vintage instruments and equipment.

"Why do these old songs live so vividly now? They do to me."<br/><br/>Neil Young with Crazy Horse in all their "Ragged Glory". <br/>Neil & The Horse have played together for over 50 years and the performances of these songs is a true highlight of that long relationship.<br/><br/>9 songs, with the original song titles replaced with selected lyrics. ("Farmer John", being a cover, retains its original title.)<br/><br/>The album was recorded in 2023, with this line-up:<br/><br/>Billy Talbot - Bass, vocal<br/>Ralph Molina - Drums, vocal<br/>Micah Nelson - Guitar, vocal, piano<br/>Nils Lofgren - Guitar, vocal, piano<br/>Neil Young - Guitar, vocal, harmonica<br/><br/>Neil: "In the spirit it's offered...made this for the Horse lovers. I can't stop it. The horse is runnin'. What a ride we have. I don't want to mess with the vibe. I am so happy to have this to share."

RAGGED GLORY (1990) was a non-stop celebration for the music Neil Young & Crazy Horse are still creating at full force, and was recorded at Young's Broken Arrow Ranch in Northern California. The 10 song original album is expanded for this re-issue with 4 rare tracks. "Interstate" and "Don't Spook The Horse" were both b-sides to singles. "Box Car" and the 12 minute "Born To Run" were both previously unreleased versions prior to release in the ORS 5 box. The 4 additional songs have resulted with the album expanded to 2 CDs. The album was remastered from the original analogue tapes.

For the past two decades, Toast has been whispered about in collectors' circles in hushed tones, as Young has dropped pieces of information about it here and there, especially as it contains three never-before-released songs.<br/>Last year, in his online daily newspaper, The Times Contrarian, Young wrote about the album in-depth. "The music of Toast is about a relationship," he said. "There is a time in many relationships that go bad, a time long before the breakup, where it dawns on one of the people, maybe both, that it's over. This was that time."<br/><br/>Aptly, Toast is heavy and distressed, brimming with electrifying tension. Even its sweet-sounding opening track, "Quit," features the refrain, "Don't say you love me." "Standing In The Light of Love" and "Goin' Home" let the Horse off the tether in fields of overdriven guitar; an out-of-work logger grapples with his faith on the breakneck "Timberline;" and on "Gateway of Love," Young dreams of a less painful future over a hypnotizing 10 minutes, leading into the somber, brokedown "How Ya Doin'?" The songwriter sums up the album best during its shadowy finale "Boom Boom Boom": "All I got is a broken heart, and I don't try to hide it when I play my guitar."