Chrome Dreams

Neil Young

Released on 8/4/23 by Reprise
Main artists: Neil Young
Genre: Rock
Distinctions: Pitchfork: Best New Reissue

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In the '70s, Neil Young got in the habit of creating some of his best work and keeping it to himself. In addition to projects like the long-shelved country-rock album Homegrown (recorded between 1974 and 1975 but not officially released until 2020) and the sublime 1976 solo sessions that were ultimately packaged as 2017 album The Hitchhiker, Young also tracked an album titled Chrome Dreams that would have a highly uncommon trajectory for the next 40-odd years. Made up of 12 songs recorded between 1974 and 1977, many of which became some of the most loved in Young's repertoire, Chrome Dreams was considered for release in 1977, but was instead reconfigured with different versions of some of the same tunes and many others for Young's eighth proper solo effort American Stars 'n Bars. The flow, atmosphere, and overall impact of Chrome Dreams was different, however, intimate and personally derived but still mysterious. Bootleggers got hold of the recordings and issued many different illicit versions of Chrome Dreams over the years, and Young even went so far as to make Chrome Dreams II in 2007, when the first chapter of the series was still living primarily as an obscure collector's item traded between the more obsessive of his fans. All of the songs from Chrome Dreams eventually surfaced in one form or another, but the first officially released version of the album is full of slight variations and differences in now-familiar songs, standing as one of the more famous "lost albums" in rock history. While the versions of classic Neil tunes like moody rocker "Like a Hurricane," "Captain Kennedy," and the beautifully searching "Look Out for My Love" are identical to the way they appeared on different albums in Young's catalog, the dream-like rumble of "Sedan Delivery" (which appeared in a different form on Rust Never Sleeps) and the wistful American Stars 'n Bars ballad "Hold Back the Tears" both appear in recordings unique to Chrome Dreams. Similarly, "Stringman," Young's soft-hearted ode to his former bandmate Stephen Stills, appeared in a different form on his 1993 Unplugged album than the thoughtful storytelling ballad here. There are subtle variations to other better-known songs as well, among them "Pocahontas" and "Powderfinger." While these subtleties might not register for the casual fan, Young devotees are probably already aware of the legacy and niche cultural importance of Chrome Dreams and will appreciate the specifics of the listening experience, even if the songs have become less obscured since they were first put to tape.

© Fred Thomas /TiVo

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Chrome Dreams

Neil Young

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Pocahontas