Back in December, Neil Young detailed the wealth of unreleased projects in his archives. At the time, the folk icon asked devoted fans to vote on what they’d like to see freed from the vault, and Young has apparently listened to those requests. Today, he’s revealed the release dates for not one, not two, but five archival projects coming over the next few months.
As detailed on his Neil Young Archives website, the veteran rocker first confirmed his previously shelved 1975 acoustic album, Homegrown, will arrive on April 18th. That happens to be Record Store Day, though the vinyl release isn’t explicitly described as an official part of the annual event. Calling the long-teased album as “the one that got away,” Young said, “[Homegrown] is all analog! The purest sound. Hear the vinyl. Get a nice phonograph player. This is the record to do that on!”
Next up will be Return to Greendale, a live album captured during Young and Crazy Horse’s 2003 tour performing their rock opera Greendale in full. That arrives June 19th, followed by the much-anticipated box set Archives Volume 2 on July 24th. The live project Rust Bucket, capturing a 1990 performance with Crazy Horse, drops next October 16th. Young’s slate of 2020 releases will then conclude on November 27th with Young Shakespeare. As previously reported, Shakespeare captures a solo performance from Young at Stratford, Connecticut’s Shakespeare Theater on January 22nd, 1971.
Of course, this is all in addition to Young’s recently announced After the Gold Rush 50th anniversary deluxe reissue, expected out some time in September. Footage from the Shakespeare performance was initially believed to be include with the reissue, though it’s unclear if the separate release will change those plans.
As for newer material, Young re-teamed with Crazy Horse for COLORADO, but folks hoping to see the band perform the songs live are out of luck. In another post dated March 7th, Young explained that the “Barn Tour” he’d teased on the site back in February would be postponed due to coronavirus concerns. “We find ourselves looking at this uncertain world, with our Crazy Horse Barn Tour booked and ready to announce the first leg,” he wrote, continuing,
“The idea of announcing the tour and putting tickets on sale is questionable and needs to be thought through. Many of our music loving fans have been waiting for almost 10 years for us to break it out and hit the road. We are all super ready to go, and the last thing we want to do is put people at risk, especially our older audience. No one wants to become sick in this pandemic.”
This isn’t the Bernie Sanders supporter’s first tour snag in recent months. Last summer, the classic rocker announced a tour hiatus to focus on wrapping up the very archival projects he announced today. While it’s a shame the novel coronavirus has forced him to put off yet another tour, it’s not as if he’s the only artist who’s been affected.
Neil Young Shares Release Dates for Five Archival Projects
Robin Bacior
