The 1977 project Neil Young called a “career vacation”
While for millions of us, being a rock star appears to be the ultimate dream vocation, even they get burnt out and need a break occasionally, as Neil Young can attest.
The art of making music or playing live is rarely a part of the job remit, which becomes tiresome, however. Instead, it’s the industry pressure to follow up on the commercial success of the last release, and the business side, which makes musicians desperate for a break.
Sometimes, the only thing necessary to restore that love is for an artist to go back to their roots, and attempt to recapture the very thing which made them want to dedicate their life to the pursuit in the first place. Back then, money wasn’t on the mind, and it was a hobby rather than a full-blown career.
In 1977, Neil Young was only in his early 30s, but he’d already spent a decade in the machine, becoming a folk-rock superstar in the process. Over those years, he seemingly never stopped to catch his breath, and any moment he did have spare was poured into recording more material. Then, he finally put his foot on the brakes before he ran out of gas.
After moving to Los Angeles and forming Buffalo Springfield, Young devoted himself to his career but rolled with the punches rather than following a meticulous plan. Before he knew it, he’d enjoyed success with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and also balanced a solo career plus work with his backing band, Crazy Horse.
He didn’t take his position for granted. After all, Young had given blood, sweat and tears to his craft after waving goodbye to his native Canada in order to give it everything he had. As a result, he always viewed his position as a privilege rather than a chore. Even now, as an older gentleman, Young continues to work at a frantic pace in the studio, which puts many artists decades younger to shame with his output.
Nevertheless, one constant throughout his career has been his tendency to trust his gut instincts. While this has occasionally confused his fanbase, such as his 1983 rockabilly album Everybody’s Rockin’, which led to him being sued by Geffen Records for its uncommercial nature, this tactic has largely served Young beneficially.
A few years prior, in 1977, following the release of his album Everybody’s Rockin’, Young moved to Santa Cruz, California. Rather than soaking up the summer rays on the beach with a cocktail in hand, he didn’t take long to form a new group with friends.
After an impromptu jam session with Jeff Blackburn, Moby Grape’s Bob Mosley and drummer Johnny Craviotto, the quartet, known collectively as The Ducks, began performing across the local bar scene. Young may have been one of the biggest names in the American music industry, but he wasn’t above playing half-filled rooms and earning his keep in free beer.
While The Ducks only lasted for a few months, they’d regularly play three or four shows a week during this period. Thankfully for Young, Blackburn took care of vocal duties. Therefore, he could stand back, allow somebody else to be the centre of attention, and focus on playing the guitar. It was a brief period, but one that Young desperately needed to restore his energy.
Young later reflected on the brief musical adventure to Mojo in 1995, “Oh, The Ducks was basically me having fun and taking a musical vacation. It was a great band, and a friend of mine managed them, so I got into them because it presented me with a perfect vehicle for playing in a band without being the leader or having to sing too many songs. I wrote a few songs with them, but I was really just the lead guitarist.”
The halcyon period didn’t last long, sadly. After locals became aware of Young’s involvement with the group, it became the talk of the town. Frustratingly, their shows got hyped up by the local press, leading to their concerts becoming overwhelmed by demand, which was precisely the opposite of what Young wanted. In a perfect world, he’d have been an anonymous lead guitarist playing to a man and his dog in a backroom of a bar.
No material ever surfaced with The Ducks abruptly ending after Young’s property was burgled, which led to him relocating and waving goodbye to Santa Cruz.
The Ducks could have become another revered project that Young balanced alongside his other ventures, but that was never his plan for the outfit, who never thought beyond their next show. At that moment in time, they were precisely what Young needed in his life, and he fostered no ambitions for their legacy to exist beyond the bars of Santa Cruz.
