Neil Young’s ‘lost’ album Oceanside Countryside was announced on vinyl at the beginning of the year and is released in early March. There was an assumption that this wouldn’t surface on CD since it’s similar – although not the same – to CD 4 in last year’s Archives Vol III, but Reprise have just announced a CD edition, due in April.
Young stresses that “These songs are the original mixes done at the time of the recordings”. The Oceanside element (side one) was recorded in Florida and Malibu with NY singing and playing (most of) the instruments. Countryside (side two) features songs recorded in Nashville with Ben Keith, Joe Osborn and a few others.
The CD edition features the same 10 tracks at the vinyl, so quite why the label split the announcements and release dates of both formats is unclear. Perhaps they had no plans for a CD version until Neil Young intervened. (Superdeluxeedition)
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The album is part of Young's Analog Originals series. The 10 songs share themes with the record that replaced Oceanside Countryside in 1978, Comes a Time. Three songs - "Goin' Back," "Human Highway" and "Field of Opportunity" - appeared on Young's ninth album when it was released in October of that year as UCR reports.
Meditative, delicate and with a soothing lightness of touch, the album is a joy. The material was partly laid down at Oceanside Studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (hence the title); although all of the songs have appeared elsewhere in various guises, these analogue recordings have never been heard before.
"This analog original album was recorded in 1977 and unreleased," Young notes in a statement accompanying the announcement.
Young sounds like a songwriter who has given his demons the weekend off.
"These songs are the original mixes done at the time of the recordings in the order I planned for the album. I sang the vocals and played the instruments on Oceanside in Florida at Triad studios and Malibu at Indigo studio. I sang the vocals and recorded with my great band of friends, Ben Keith, Joe Osborn, Karl T. Himmel, and Rufus Thibodeaux at Crazy Mama's in Nashville on Countryside.
"I hope you enjoy this treasure of an Analog Original recording, recorded by Tim Mulligan, as much as I do. Listening to it now, I think I should have put it out back then."
The album's first side features Young performing solo; Side Two includes assistance from steel guitarist Ben Keith, fiddle player Rufus Thibodeaux, drummers Karl T. Himmel and Levon Helm, and bassists Joe Osborne and Tim Drummond.
What's on Neil Young's 'Oceanside Countryside'?
While these songs have appeared on other Young albums over the years, and Oceanside Countryside tracks were issued as part of 2024's Archives Vol. III (1976-1987), the upcoming release marks the debut of several previously unreleased versions and the first time the track listing reflects the album's original running order.
You can see the track listing for Young's Oceanside Countryside below.
Neil Young, 'Oceanside Countryside' Track Listing
Side One: Oceanside
1 Sail Away
2 Lost In Space
3 Captain Kennedy
4 Goin’ Back
5 Human Highway
Side Two: Countryside
1 Field Of Opportunity
2 Dance Dance Dance
3 The Old Homestead
4 It Might Have Been
5 Pocahontas
