CHROME DREAMS, one of Neil Young’s most individual and powerful albums, was scheduled to be released in 1977, but as is often the case with Young, things change. And then change again. What starts as one thing can often end up as another. For all those who have followed the singer-songwriter’s ever-evolving career, it’s best to let those changes happen.
With CHROME DREAMS, it has been a long time coming to this final version of an album that includes some of rock’s most unforgettable songs. And now it’s being released on August 11 via Reprise Records as Young envisioned it. Now is the time for CHROME DREAMS to find its way into the world, as Neil Young hears and sees it.
The music included on CHROME DREAMS is the debut release of the legendary 1977 “Lost” album of 12 classic Neil Young songs, including four originals. Manufactured as a 3-sided LP with an etching on side 4, CHROME DREAMS is comprised of studio recordings from 1974-1976, including two previously unreleased versions and four tracks never before released on vinyl. Listen here.
The 12 songs on CHROME DREAMS may have existed in other forms at other times, and that is part of the creative process. Many of these are the originals. The summer 2023 release as it is coming to life now is exactly how Young perceived it and has a sense of monumentality about it that conveys a place in history. Songs like “Pocahontas,” “Like a Hurricane,” “Powderfinger,” “Homegrown,” “Stringman,” and “Look Out for My Love” join six other tracks to finally present CHROME DREAMS as a guide into the world of a musician who leads the way into the future, never second-guessing what could have been.
Some of the historical lineage of the songs on CHROME DREAMS today include:
“Powderfinger” is the early/first solo version, the original.
“Pocahontas” is the same version that first appeared on RUST NEVER SLEEPS, but without the overdubs.
“Sedan Delivery” and “Hold Back the Tears” are originals with lyrics that were not included in later released versions. Both are very different versions than previously released.
“Stringman,” is another original performance, included on the ODEON/BUDOKAN disc in ARCHIVES VOL. II; prior to that the song had only appeared on Young’s UNPLUGGED album in a later version, not the original.
CHROME DREAMS will be available on vinyl and CD at the Greedy Hand Store at Neil Young Archives (NYA) and music retailers everywhere. Hi-res digital audio will be available at Neil Young Archives and most DSPs. All Greedy Hand Store purchases come with free hi-res digital audio downloads from the Xstream Store © at NYA.
Track List and Recording Dates:
1. Pocahontas (August 11, 1976)
2. Will to Love (December 3, 1976
3. Star of Bethlehem (December 13, 1974
4. Like a Hurricane (November 29, 1975
5.Too Far Gone (September 5, 1975)
6. Hold Back the tears (February 6, 1977)
7. Homegrown (November 19, 1975)
8. Captain Kennedy (August 11, 1976)
9. Stringman (March 31, 1976)
10. Sedan Delivery (May 22, 1975)
11. Powderfinger (August 11, 1976)
12. Look Out for My Love (January 20, 1976)
