Beck drops stunning cover of Neil Young song ‘Old Man’
Beck has shared a cover of Neil Young’s classic Harvest track ‘Old Man’. Released in 1972, the song has come to encapsulate everything pure and true about Young’s melodic brand of rusted Americana. As of yet, it remains unclear if this new rendition is a standalone release or part of a larger project, though I imagine many are hoping it’ll be the latter.
Written about the caretaker of a ranch Young was looking to purchase back in 1970. ‘Old Man’ is a time capsule of ’70s folkdom. It features Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor on backing vocals, the former of whom recalled the last-minute session during a conversation with Mojo: “I can’t remember why Neil wanted me to sing with him,” she began. ” I guess he just figured I was there and could do it – but we went in there and they were doing ‘Heart of Gold’ and ‘Old Man’ and I thought they were such beautiful songs. I loved them.”
Ronstadt continued: “And I knew how to do harmonies. I’d listened to the Buffalo Springfield harmonies and I knew how to get that 7th they always used. I don’t think we started until midnight and it was dawn when we came out, and it was snowing – we came out to this beautiful snow storm in the rising sun. It was really exciting. I just thought I’ve been part of something really wonderful.”
Beck is by no means the first artist to cover ‘Old Man’. Back in 2002, Bob Dylan performed the track live in Madison Square Garden. In this new cover, Beck has made an effort to retain much of the track’s original warmth. His arrangments are sparse, his acoustic guitar throwing out the same jangly chime that makes Young’s version so undulating. With tight harmonies in all the right places, Beck’s ‘Old Man’ is a celebration rather than a reimagining.
Elsewhere, Beck recently took to the stage of Los Angeles’ Forum during Gorillaz’s headline performance. The American musician performed ‘Posessin Island’, one of the new singles from the forthcoming album Cracker Island – slated for arrival in February 2023. Beck, Damon Albarn and co. also performed their 2020 track ‘The Valley of The Pagans’ from Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. Make sure you check out Beck’s rendition of ‘Old Man’ if you haven’t already.
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