Shakey Pictures Records/RepriseA new archival Neil Young compilation titled Songs for Judy, featuring acoustic performances from his 1976 solo tour, will be released on CD and digitally on November 30. A vinyl version will follow on December 14.
The album features 22 songs culled from 11 different concerts, including shows in New York City, Boston, Atlanta and Chicago. The performances were recorded on cassette by Young’s longtime photographer and archivist Joel Bernstein, who served as Neil’s guitar tech throughout the trek.
The album was curated by Bernstein and rock journalist/film director Cameron Crowe, who traveled on Young’s tour bus during the outing. In a new essay posted on the Neil Young Archives site, Crowe and Bernstein share their recollections of the trek and describe how they painstakingly went through the recordings of the shows to put together an “‘essential’ audio compilation” from the tour.
Songs for Judy‘s title comes from a monologue Young gave during a concert in Atlanta — which is used to kick off the album — where he muses about Judy Garland and The Wizard of Oz.
“The album is quite unique and I think the period was very well captured in the sound and performances,” says Neil. “It was a moment in time, and it’s easy to tell why it’s called Songs for Judy.”
The record features a mix of well-known songs, gems and rarities from throughout Young’s career. It includes a song called “No One Seems to Know” that hasn’t appeared on any other release by Neil.
A version of Young’s tune “Campaigner,” recorded at a show in Boston, has been released as a digital single in advance of Songs for Judy, and fans pre-ordering the album will receive a free instant download of the track.
Here’s the full Songs for Judy track list:
“Songs for Judy” Intro — Atlanta, GA, 11/24 (late show)
“Too Far Gone” — Boulder, CO, 11/6
“No One Seems to Know” — Boulder, CO, 11/7
“Heart of Gold” — Fort Worth, TX, 11/10
“White Line” — Fort Worth, TX, 11/10
“Love Is a Rose” — Houston, TX, 11/11
“After the Gold Rush” — Houston, TX, 11/11
“Human Highway” — Madison, WI, 11/14
“Tell Me Why” — Chicago, IL, 11/15 (late show)
“Mr. Soul” — New York, NY, 11/20 (early show)
“Mellow My Mind” — New York, NY, 11/20 (early show)
“Give Me Strength” — New York, NY, 11/20 (late show)
“Man Needs a Maid” — New York, NY, 11/20 (late show)
“Roll Another Number” — Boston, MA, 11/22 (late show)
“Journey Through the Past” — Boston, MA, 11/22 (late show)
“Harvest” — Boston, MA, 11/22 (late show)
“Campaigner” — Boston, MA, 11/22 (late show)
“Old Laughing Lady” — Atlanta, GA, 11/24 (early show)
“The Losing End” — Atlanta, GA, 11/24 (late show)
“Here We Are in the Years” — Atlanta, GA, 11/24 (late show)
“The Needle and the Damage Done” — Atlanta, GA, 11/24 (early show)
“Pocahontas” — Atlanta, GA, 11/24 (late show)
“Sugar Mountain” — Atlanta, GA, 11/24 (late show)
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