Neil Young: New Vault Release – 1977’s ‘Chrome Dreams’ Finally Sees Official Release

Things are always busy down at the Neil Young Archives, but it feels like there’s a lot going on down there recently. Just a few weeks ago Neil released an extended version of 1990’s Ragged Glory, augmented with four new exceptional songs, entitled Ragged Glory – Smell The Horse. Last Friday he finally(!) released the long sought after, oft bootlegged 1977 “lost album” Chrome Dreams. This one is an album I’ve been hearing about for decades. And, if I’m being honest, I have a bootleg version of the album I acquired in a shady, back alley transaction ten years ago. This “official” release, after so many years comes with better, cleaned up sound and cool album art (pictured above) featuring a drawing from Ronnie Wood of the Stones. The artwork is signed by Wood and dated “Christmas ’76” which would be right after the Band’s Last Waltz concert where both Wood and Young appeared. And speaking of The Last Waltz, we just sadly lost lead guitarist/songwriter Robbie Robertson. That’s a lot going on and I didn’t even mention last year’s release of Toast with Crazy Horse…

I mention Ronnie Wood’s artwork as it’s a lot different from what I had on my bootleg copy. Young has said the title, Chrome Dreams, came from a drawing by his producer David Briggs of a car that if you turned on it’s side became a “hot chick.” It was the 70s folks, that’s how people talked. I don’t know if the Briggs drawing is still in the vaults or Young just confused who’d drawn the picture. Regardless, the artwork I’ve associated with this album was always this:

In 1977, Young burned an acetate (from which you press an album) of Chrome Dreams and reportedly submitted it for release, but then pulled it back. Instead he released what’s considered a hodge-podge of an album, American Stars ‘n Bars. It was an album compiled of songs that Neil had recorded over the prior two to two and half years. However, if we were to look closely at Chrome Dreams, it was also a bit of a hodge-podge… if I’m being honest. However, if I’m comparing the two competing potential 1977 releases, I’d say American Stars ‘n Bars is a minor addition to Young’s catalog and Chrome Dreams would have ranked amongst his finest work. For me, this ranks amongst his recent “lost albums” like Homegrown or Hitchhiker as “must have” Neil Young. Back during the middle 70s Young had a standing, monthly reservation at a recording studio for the night of each full moon. He’d go in, stare at the production team for a while and then conjure up some genius from the muse. It sounds a little like Pagans dancing in a field at the witching hour, but hey, it worked.

With a list of his released albums and then these lost albums, perhaps a timeline might be helpful on this. As best as I can tell, here’s a history and where Chrome Dreams fits in:

• 1972, Young releases Harvest, making him a superstar.
• 1973, Young doesn’t like being a superstar and decides to veer into the “ditch.” He records a live follow up of all new songs, Time Fades Away, the beginning of his “Ditch Trilogy.”
• 1973, Young records a follow up, the raw Tonight’s The Night but doesn’t release it. Although he does play a few shows and plays songs from the album compiled years later on Roxy:Tonight’s The Night Live.
• 1974, After reuniting with CSN for a tour, and attempts to record a follow up to Deja Vu fails, he releases On The Beach.
• 1975, Young records a very personal album about his failing relationship with Carrie Snodgrass, Homegrown. After hosting a listening party for friends where he played both Homegrown and Tonight’s The Night, Young opts to release Tonight’s The Night (recorded in ’73) instead of Homegrown which he deems “too personal.”
• Fall of 1975, Young releases Zuma, recorded with Crazy Horse.
• 1976, Young joins Stephen Stills band and records Long May You Run. Young bails on Stills midway through the tour with a telegram that reads, “Funny how things that start off spontaneously end that way. Eat a peach.”
• On the night of a full moon in August of 1976, Young does an all night session that results in the stripped down, acoustic Hitchhiker. He turns it into the record company but they reject it as being a “collection of demos.”
• 1977, Young puts together the acetate for Chrome Dreams but pulls it back from the record company.
• 1977, Young releases American Stars ‘n Bars compiled from recording sessions spanning back as far as two and half years.

That’s a lot of music going on. I can only marvel at his pulling back three amazing records… well 2, the record company rejected one. I think we’d look at Young’s back half of the 70s completely differently if he’d released Homegrown and Chrome Dreams. Although that might have catapulted him back into the limelight he so despised. And if we look closely, the songs on Chrome Dreams – depending on the copy you own – run from 46 to 51 minutes… too long for a conventional 1 disc vinyl album.

The songs on Chrome Dreams, like Stars ‘n Bars, come from various sources and will be familiar to longtime fans as versions of these songs – if not these exact versions – have been released before. Three of the tracks here are the same takes that ended up on Stars ‘n Bars, “Will To Love” a 7 minute song about a salmon swimming upstream to spawn. “Homegrown,” which was originally recorded for the album of the same name and “Hold Back The Tears” are also here, identical to the Stars ‘n Bars versions. 

“Pocahontas,” which wouldn’t see release until Rust Never Sleeps is the version from Hitchhiker and doesn’t have any overdubs like the Rust version. I love this song. “Pocahontas, Marlon Brando and me…” just talking about the “Astrodome and the first teepee.” One of the real finds here is an acoustic version of “Powderfinger,” one of my all time favs of Neil’s. I’ll admit that the electric version that also ended up on Rust is definitive, but this stark, acoustic track is a great addition. This version also hails from Hitchhiker. “Star of Bethlehem,” recorded for the pulled Homegrown and eventually released on the 3-LP retrospective Decade is a great acoustic track with Emmylou Harris on harmony.

“Like A Hurricane,” with it’s cascading sheets of electric guitar, originally recorded during the sessions for Zuma is here. I’ve always felt this song, although a brilliant epic track, felt out of place on Stars ‘n Bars, and that’s probably true for Chrome Dreams. It should have been on Zuma. Also here is a pre-punk influenced “Sedan Delivery” and it also dates from those Zuma sessions. It’s not as punchy as the Rust Never Sleeps version released a few years later. I might like this version better. It’s another reason to pick this album up. “Captain Kennedy” is a beautiful acoustic track that ended up on Hawks and Doves. “Look Out For My Love” is a menacing little acoustic love song that ended up on Comes A Time.

Finally, two of the gems round out the line up. “Too Far Gone” which was included in a different version on Freedom is here. I kind of like this stripped down, acoustic guitar/mandolin version. Finally, the wonderful ballad “Stringman” which prior to this release was only available live or on Neil’s Archive Vol 2.

I’ve looked at the vinyl version of Chrome Dreams and its close to $60… that’s a bit much for even a music fanatic like me. But if you’re not as obsessed with Neil and rock n roll as I am, you probably don’t own all the albums, bootlegs (ahem) and greatest hits compilations that I do. There’s a good chance you don’t own all of these songs already. The case could be made that after all these years, since the songs have all been released somewhere in some form, this might be superfluous. I disagree. Considering all of that, I still think this is definitely an album you’re going to want to pick up either on CD or download. It’s one of those lost albums that people have been raving about for 45 years… and they were right! It’s that classic Neil sound – forlorn acoustic tracks with a couple of rockers including the epic “Like A Hurricane.” There’s not a bad moment on this one. I just wish he’d released it all those years ago.

This is a must have Neil Young album for all fans, not just Neil fans! I own the bootleg and I bought it… I guess I am a touch obsessive. Enjoy this one, it’s a classic!

Cheers!