Neil Young to continue bootleg series with two new albums
Having a bootleg series is a hot commodity in music these days. While artists like Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead plunder their vaults for releases that fans go crazy over, one of the only artists who can match these acts is Neil Young. A famously thorough archivist, Young has so much unreleased material that he’s been able to release entire cancelled albums at a time without hardly breaking a sweat.
Fans will soon get much more from Young’s archives when the artist’s bootleg series drops two albums from the vault later this year. The two LPs will both be live albums featuring two of Young’s lesser-known 1970s bands. The first is from an ad-hoc group of musicians called The Ducks, and the second is from The Santa Monica Flyers, the mutation of Crazy Horse that was credited on Young’s 1975 LP Tonight’s the Night.
“High Flyin’ is a totally unique double-live album from the summer of 1977 recorded by a storied Northern California aggregation called The Ducks,” the official press release announces. “It was a band that often made unannounced appearances in their own backyards at clubs like the Back Room, The Crossroads Club, The Catalyst and others, featuring Neil Young (guitar, harmonica and vocals), Bob Mosley (bass and vocals), Jeff Blackburn (guitar and vocals) and Johnny Craviotto (drums and vocals).”
“In the magical time The Ducks existed, the rumors of their shows took on a word-of-mouth excitement that made those in the small audiences feel like the chosen few and allowed bragging rights for all who were lucky enough to be there,” it continues. “The quartet’s set lists included songs from a wide range of the band members’ backgrounds and were often decided on the night of the shows.”
For the second release, the messages adds: “Somewhere Under The Rainbow features Neil Young with the Santa Monica Flyers, recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre in London. It is a long-cherished show that has been celebrated for its completely spontaneous and high-revved performance featuring Neil Young (vocals, guitar) with the stellar band consisting of Nils Lofgren (lead and rhythm guitar, piano, accordion, vocals), Ben Keith (pedal steel guitar, vocals), Billy Talbot (bass, vocals) and Ralph Molina (drums, vocals).”
“In a night of high-wire performances and semi-unhinged sonics, the concert has taken on a mythic legend in the past 50 years,” the statement concludes. “All the musicians were in a free-form state of mind and swung for the fences on every track.”
Check out the full tracklistings for both High Flyin’ and Somewhere Under the Rainbow down below. Both albums will be available on April 14th.
The Ducks’ High Flyin’ vinyl tracklist:
Side 1
- ‘I Am a Dreamer’
- ‘Younger Days’
- ‘Gypsy Wedding’
- ‘Are You Ready For The Country?’
- ‘Hold On Boys’
Side 2
- ‘My My My (Poor Man)’
- ‘I’m Tore Down’
- ‘Hey Now’
- ‘Wide Eyed and Willing’
- ‘Truckin’ Man’
Side 3
- ‘Sail Away’
- ‘Gone Dead Train’
- ‘Silver Wings’
Side 4
- ‘Human Highway’
- ‘Your Love’
- ‘I’m Ready’
- ‘Little Wing’
- ‘Car Tune’
Side 5
- ‘Windward Passage’
- ‘Leaving Us Now’
- ‘Mr. Soul’
Side 6
- ‘Two Riders’
- ‘Honky Tonk Man’
- ‘Sailor Man’
- ‘Silver Wings’
Neil Young & The Santa Monica Flyers’ Somewhere Under The Rainbow vinyl tracklist:
Side 1
- ‘Tonight’s The Night’
- ‘Mellow My Mind’
- ‘World On A String’
- ‘Speakin’ Out’
- ‘Albuquerque’
Side 2
- ‘New Mama’
- ‘Roll Another Number (For The Road)’
- ‘Tired Eyes’
- ‘Tonight’s The Night – Part II’
Side 3
- ‘Flying On The Ground Is Wrong’
- ‘Human Highway’
- ‘Helpless’
Side 4
- ‘Don’t Be Denied’
- ‘Cowgirl In The Sand’
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.