For nearly six decades, Neil Young’s music has told a story, delivered a message or searched for the truth. In his new album “Oceanside Countryside,” however, Young does not have much new to say.
The album, released on Friday, is the latest in a string of releases by Young, who has put out at least two albums a year for the past decade. The majority of these albums are compilations or live albums, which go into his project, the “Neil Young Archives,” which chronicle his career.
In the spirit of these archives, “Oceanside Countryside” contains no new music. The album was originally recorded in 1977 with Young’s backing band, Crazy Horse, but never released.
Over time, the album was released in fragments, with each song — except “It Might Have Been” — being released on another of Young’s albums. However, it is hard to consider ‘”It Might Have Been” new, as it is often on Young’s setlists and a live version was released in “Neil Young Archives Vol. I (1963-1972).”
This all leads to my main gripe with this album: Why is it necessary?
The song “Pocahontas” has already been on Young’s albums “Hitchhiker,” “Chrome Dreams” and “Rust Never Sleeps.” The version this album presents adds nothing to the song’s meaning and is essentially indistinguishable from the versions previously released. If anything, I would argue that re-releasing the same track only diminishes from its artistic value and the artist’s legacy.
Like “Oceanside Countryside,” Joni Mitchell’s 2000 record “Both Sides Now” also includes re-releases of songs in her discography. But instead of putting out the same track, “Both Sides Now” re-imagines Mitchell’s “A Case of You” and “Both Sides Now” with full orchestral accompaniment and new vocals by Mitchell, in addition to ten other new songs.
For a more modern example, Taylor Swift’s “Taylor’s Version” albums feature complete re-recordings of her songs and include previously unreleased work. Young not having anything to add artistically to “Oceanside Countryside” after almost 50 years just further calls to question: why now?
Simply put, “Oceanside Countryside” is not an unreleased album — it’s a cash-grab. The music on the record is beautiful… just as beautiful as it was when it was originally released. I understand the sentiment of wanting to give an album the release it was intended to have, but part of me wonders if the album was better off scrapped.
3/5 stars
fcorona1@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Rolling Stone
