Neil Young’s album Homegrown has been collecting dust since it was recorded in 1974-75. With its April 2020 release date pushed back to June because of the pandemic, Luis Santos takes a look at how the man behind it continues to inspire us.
It’s no exaggeration to suggest Neil Percival Young might arguably stand as one of the coolest dinosaurs in rock ‘n’ roll.
The Canadian-born country rock rebel has served as an inspiration for generations, including artists such as Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain or Nick Cave.
Although famous for loathing his anti-hero status, Young’s onstage energy alone ignited the birth of grunge more than 30 years ago.
From riff-hanging to gentle ballads
With a catalogue stretching six decades and 39 albums, Young has more than earned his stripes.
However, when we think of Young an I’ve-see-it-all aura seems to hover him, something the 74-year-old has seemed to carry since the Sixties.
While the rock rebel’s raging fury might seem ageless, his generosity doesn’t go unnoticed either.
In a 2009 interview with the BBC, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke recalled one story in particular.
Before playing at the annual Bridge Concert in 2002, Young invited every participating band to his house.
That night, to pay tribute to the legend and one of his idols, Yorke asked Young’s permission to play a cover of After The Gold Rush at the end of the concert where, in his own words, the whole experience remains one of his craziest memories.
“You should play it on the original piano, then,” Young told Yorke.
Yorke remembers: “So there I was, playing on his old piano at his house while trying to remember the lyrics in the right order.”
What Yorke retained from that evening was how reachable Young is, in his own peculiar way.
Always aware, it’s as though the old dog’s mind is always ready to wander off, drifting into the past.
Could this explain why Homegrown has remained in the shadows for so long?
Written at the time of Young’s painful separation from actress Carrie Snodgress, Homegrown may throw us back into intimate territory but, while we wait for its scheduled release on 19 June, the single Try serves as a hint to what to expect from Homegrown.
- Tom DeLonge watches clip of John Travolta doing aerobics each month without fail
- Christina Bobb: Age and bio of Trump’s attorney amid Mar-a-Lago fallout
- How old is Nikki on The Young And The Restless? Character’s age explored
- Inside Robert De Niro’s life – Hollywood icon to becoming dad again at 68
- RIP Virginia Grohl: Death of Dave’s mother adds to band’s recent woes
