Neil Young’s personal life was in free fall by 1974. His wife, actress Carrie Snodgrass, was gone for good, and attempts to rekindle a working relationship with CSNY only resulted in the aborted Human Highway project and the goodwill-shattering “Doom Tour.” It was during this turbulent time that he composed songs for a new collection to be named “Homegrown”.
“It was intense, like trying to make a record in the middle of 42nd Street, or Vietnam,” says producer Elliot Mazer “Here’s a guy going through hell, and this is like a fuckin’ catharsis for him.” Titles like “Frozen Man,” “Separate Ways” and “Love-Art Blues” paint a stark portrait of a lonely and heartbroken man. Those who heard the completed album insisted that it was as strong as Young’s breakthrough smash, Harvest. Cover art was printed, and label executives braced themselves for a million seller.
And then Young changed his mind. He had assembled friends, including the Band’s Rick Danko, at L.A.’s Chateau Marmont to get an opinion on his latest work. As a tape of “Homegrown” came to an end, a mix of the dark, gritty and unreleased “Tonight’s the Night” came on the stereo by chance.
Danko preferred the raw power of “Tonight’s the Night” to the comparatively delicate “Homegrown”. Disregarding advice from his label, Young released it instead that June. “[Homegrown] might be more what people would rather hear from me now, but it was just a very down album,” he told Rolling Stone at the time. “It was a little too personal. It scared me.
Neil Young fans have been clamouring for the release of Homegrown, the lost album that was nearly released in 1975 and most recently slated for the still-yet-to-happen Record Store Day 2020. Now, it’s been announced that the album described by Neil as “the missing link between “Harvest, Comes” “A Time, Old Ways” and “Harvest Moon” will finally reach fans on June 19th.
“Homegrown” is all analouge! The purest sound,” Young wrote in a post on his Neil Young Archives site. “Hear the vinyl. Get a nice phonograph player. This is the record to do that on! My first ever narration with Ben ‘Longgrain’ Keith and live sound effects. Some beautiful music and fun rockin’ songs as well. This is the one that got away. I am stoked to share this with you.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4epYGZ3XeN0
While much of the industry is in flux due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Neil hasn’t stopped moving forward with his Archives projects. Also on the radar is a audiovisual release of a Greendale stage tour performance from Toronto in September 2003 entitled Return to Greendale. That one is currently set for release on double vinyl in July.
The Neil Young Archives team has also unearthed pro-shot video and multitrack audio tapes of Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s celebrated November 1990 show at The Catalyst. Previews have been posted sporadically in the Hearse Theatre section of the Archives website, whetting the appetite for the October release. “I think this has to be one of my all-time favorite Crazy Horse performances!” Neil wrote last year. “It’s hard to believe this did not come out a long time ago! .
Neil will also look back to a solo show from January 1971 with Young Shakespeare, the show came three days after his Massey Hall concert and stands as a career “high water mark,” according to producer John Hanlon. Currently slated for November 27, Young Shakespeare will include both audio and video content.
If that weren’t enough, it seems that the long-awaited box set Neil Young Archives, Volume 2 will finally arrive on August 21st should all go to plan. Neil has revealed it will be a 10-CD set covering the prolific period from 1972-1976 and will include Odeon Budokan, a live album and concert film from the Zuma tour’s stops in London and Japan.
Finally, Neil has been in touch with Graham Nash about compiling a 50th Anniversary Edition of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Deja Vu” album which would likely appear by the end of the year.Looking ahead to 2021, Young has announced that he’s also been working on an album called Road of Plentywhich spotlights his work with Crazy Horse during the late ’80s. The album will feature recordings from the group’s 1986 tour, plus “some amazing music” recorded during the rehearsals for Saturday Night Live in 1989.
This is the first of 5 Archives releases Neil Young has announced for this year. It’s confirmation gives me hope that the other 4 will happen as scheduled. The release schedule is 31st July-“Back To Greendale Live” album plus film of a 2003 Toronto concert of the Greendale album with Crazy Horse complete with actors and stage settings. He has been previewing a song a week on the Archives site
21st #August- Archives Volume 2.The big one-10 cds plus a DVD covering the years 1973 to 1976. Includes the already released Tuscaloosa, Roxy and Songs For Judy..The only other confirmed disc is a live album from the Zuma tour taken from shows at the Hammersmith and Budokan which is also the basis of the DVD. The Homegrown tracks are likely to be included but mixed in with other recordings rather than as a stand alone album.
16th October-Down In The Rust Bucket Live album plus film of a Crazy Horse show at a small club called the Catalyst at the outset of the Ragged Glory tour. Again he has been showing a song a week on the web site.
27th November-Young Shakespeare Live album plus film of a solo show done within a few days of the Massey Hall concert that was in Volume 1. Yet again previews have been on site.
There was some mention this would be part of an expanded After The Gold Rush but lately it is being referred to as a stand alone.
This Will be a great year to be a Neil fan if all this happens. Another good reason to stay safe.
The Fat Angel Sings 