Neil Young's long-lost mid-1970s album 'Homegrown' to be released in June

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Cover art: Tom Wilkes/Reprise RecordsThis past November, Neil Young announced that Homegrown, a collection of unreleased acoustic tunes recorded in 1974 and ’75, finally would hit stores this year.  Now the folk-rock legend has unveiled official plans for its release.

The 12-track collection, which is considered by many to be a long-lost masterpiece, will be available on June 19 in a variety of formats.

Young describes Homegrown as “the unheard bridge between [1972’s] Harvest and [1978’s] Comes a Time,” and apologizes to fans for its long-delayed release.

“This album Homegrown should have been there for you a couple of years after Harvest,” he says in a statement. “It’s the sad side of a love affair. The damage done. The heartache. I just couldn’t listen to it. I wanted to move on. So I kept it to myself, hidden away in the vault, on the shelf, in the back of my mind…but I should have shared it.”

He adds, “It’s actually beautiful. That’s why I made it in the first place. Sometimes life hurts. You know what I mean. This is the one that got away.”

Homegrown includes seven previously unreleased songs, along with some that wound up appearing on subsequent Young albums, including “Love Is a Rose,” “Little Wing,” “Star of Bethlehem” and the title track.

In advance of Homegrown‘s arrival, one of the tracks, “Try,” has been made available as a digital single and via streaming services. In addition, pre-order Homegrown and you’ll receive an instant download of the song, which you also can check out at Neil’s YouTube channel and official website. The tune features backing vocals by Emmylou Harris and drums by The Band‘s Levon Helm. Helm and The Band’s Robbie Robertson also played on a number of other tracks.

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