May 15, 2020 (Los Angeles, CA)- Roughly forty-six years after its original recording, Neil Young announces the release of one his most storied and sought-after albums ever, Homegrown.
Often referred to by fans as one of Young's mysterious, great "lost albums," the twelve studio tracks will be released on all formats on June 19th, via Reprise Records.
Neil Young describes Homegrown as "The One That Got Away," and posted the following letter on Neil Young Archives below:
"I apologize. This album Homegrown should have been there for you a couple of years after Harvest. It's the sad side of a love affair. The damage done. The heartache. I just couldn't listen to it. I wanted to move on. So I kept it to myself, hidden away in the vault, on the shelf, in the back of my mind....but I should have shared it. It's actually beautiful. That's why I made it in the first place. Sometimes life hurts. You know what I mean. This is the one that got away.
Recorded in analog in 1974 and early 1975, Homegrown was mixed at that time to original stereo analog master tapes. These original mixes have been restored with love and care by John Hanlon, and mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, making Homegrown a completely original album.
Levon Helm is drumming on some tracks, Karl T Himmel on others, Emmylou Harris singing on one, Robbie Robertson plays on one. Homegrown contains a narration, several acoustic solo songs never even published or heard until this release and some great songs played with a band of my friends, including Ben Keith - steel and slide - Tim Drummond - bass and Stan Szelest - piano. Anyway, it's coming your way in 2020, the first release from our archive in this new decade. Come with us into 2020 as we bring you the past." - Neil Young
Neil Young puts it best, "This album is the unheard bridge between Harvest and Comes A Time." Recorded between June 1974 and January 1975, Homegrown was intended to come out in 1975 before Young cancelled the release. The album has remained unreleased until now, achieving a legendary status among Neil Young fans in the process.
The album is made up of twelve Neil Young songs, of which seven are previously unreleased - "Separate Ways," "Try," "Mexico," "Kansas," "We Don't Smoke It No More," "Vacancy"and "Florida" (a spoken word narration). Also included are the very first recordings of "Homegrown"and "White Line". "Little Wing," "Love Is A Rose,"," and "Star Of Bethlehem" - different mixes of which would all later appear on other Neil Young albums, retain their original form in Homegrown.
Recorded in analog, and mastered from the original master tapes, this long-lost album is a wonderful addition to Young's incomparable catalog.