Although he maintained it was restored to its “original greatness” as much as possible, he also incorporated the subtle upgrades that would form the perfect vessel for his 2021 album Barn.
“It’s flawless,” the musician reflected, adding, “It sounds like God because there’s no square to it, it has no standing waves, because it’s all the insides of these big logs one on top of another. It’s a bunch of round surfaces.”
During the renovation, a stage was built in the space, allowing Young and his band to perform with complete freedom and immersion, for Young’s choice to disregard all digital practices and replace them with analogue ones.
“When I first saw it, it had sunk into the ground,” he added, “It was half as high as it used to be.” The 19th-century find is located in Colorado and became as much a statement for Barn as it did a symbol of renewal and transformation.
In the documentary Barn (A Band, A Brotherhood, A Barn), it might seem surprising that nothing about Young’s barn seems conducive to the ‘perfect’ acoustic environment, but Young claims nothing is more suitable, mainly due to how he chose to restore the place. “It’s a perfect acoustic space because of the logs,” he told NPR. “There’s no flat surfaces. The barn has a sound. But it’s not an echo. It’s like you’re inside of a – you’re being held inside something that is very friendly.”
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - A Band A Brotherhood A Barn (Official Documentary) 1:13:58
Aside from musical equipment and a stage, the barn seems relatively minimal, with wooden walls, rustic beams, and exposed rafters bracketing the open space, giving it a sense of spaciousness but also intimacy. However, Young always knew it would make the perfect space for recording music. Its remoteness was also the best thing during the pandemic because it enabled people to get in and out safely without any additional stress.
Beyond Barn, it’s also his own private, solitary place that allows him and his fellow musicians to exist in one perfect moment, with minds focused solely on the music and nothing else. As he explained to the Associated Press, it became a place where he gets to explore creative outlets and jam with bands like Crazy Horse “without a care in the world.”
