Along with Time Fades Away, Journey Through the Past is the other Neil Young album never to have been officially released on CD. Not to be confused with the well-known live acoustic bootleg of the same name, the album here is the soundtrack to Neil’s rare 1974 film experiment, and features a wildly eccentric collection of Harvest outtakes, CSNY live recordings, Buffalo Springfield TV performances, a gospel choir and organ music -- plus a Beach Boys number tossed in for good measure. More of a glimpse into the mind of Neil’s mad genius than an album proper, Journey Through the Past contains some really great material. Highlights include a 15 minute alternate take of "Words", a studio run-through of "Southern Man" and plenty of studio banter of Neil teaching the songs and vocal harmonies to his band. Awesome stuff from the man at the peak of his power.
Note: a good chunk of the material here has finally been officially released on Neil's Archives Volume 1. However, the soundtrack itself remains out of print.
One of the two Neil Young albums that to this day, remain unreleased on CD, Time Fades Away is the first entry in what is considered Young's "In the Ditch" trilogy. In the liner notes for his 3-LP compilation Decade, Young writes: "'Heart of Gold' put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch." While rehearsing for a grueling 90 city tour in support of Harvest, Young's guitarist Danny Whitten was in the midst of trying to kick heroin. In no shape for the road, Whitten was fired from the band and given fifty dollars and a plane ticket home. The next day, Whitten was dead, having used his severance pay to buy the drugs that killed him. The Time Fades Away album is a live recording of the handful of new songs Young and his band played on the subsequent tour, and despite the addition of David Crosby and Graham Nash on several tracks, the mood is expectedly dire. Hands down the most emotionally charged and erratic album in Young's vast catalog, and essential listening for fans of the two released albums in the trilogy, Tonight's the Night and On the Beach. Thrasher's Wheat has a great site dedicated to the "ditch trilogy", including quotes, reviews, history and cover art.
Along with Time Fades Away, Journey Through the Past is the other Neil Young album never to have been officially released on CD. Not to be confused with the well-known live acoustic bootleg of the same name, the album here is the soundtrack to Neil’s rare 1974 film experiment, and features a wildly eccentric collection of Harvest outtakes, CSNY live recordings, Buffalo Springfield TV performances, a gospel choir and organ music -- plus a Beach Boys number tossed in for good measure. More of a glimpse into the mind of Neil’s mad genius than an album proper, Journey Through the Past contains some really great material. Highlights include a 15 minute alternate take of "Words", a studio run-through of "Southern Man" and plenty of studio banter of Neil teaching the songs and vocal harmonies to his band. Awesome stuff from the man at the peak of his power.
