NEIL YOUNG - Chrome Dreams
September 8, 2023, a year ago
(Reprise / Warner Bros.)
Has there ever been a rock artist with more unreleased (or at least lengthily delayed) albums than Neil Young? Case in point, Homegrown (recorded in 1975, not released until 2020), Hitchhiker (recorded in 1976, not released until 2017), and now, Chrome Dreams.
The story goes that Chrome Dreams was an LP initially planned for release sometime in 1977 (comprised of both folky/acoustic tunes and rockers, recorded from 1974-1977), but was ultimately shelved. An acetate of the proposed album that had been submitted was poached at some point by some sneaky scoundrel, which led to bootleg copies making the rounds amongst collectors over the years.
But here in 2023, we finally get an officially released/fully approved version. Quite a few of the tunes here would eventually surface on subsequent NY LP’s, some in identical versions (best known being the rocking jamfest “Like a Hurricane,” “Homegrown”) and some that would be re-recorded (“Sedan Delivery,” “Powderfinger,” “Too Far Gone,” etc.). Kudos to ol’ Neil for granting us this rescued blast from the past.
