"Second Song" Album by Neil Young & Chrome Hearts Released Today
- Anthony LoGerfo: drums.
- Corey McCormick: bass, vocals.
- Micah Nelson: electric guitar, vocals.
- Spooner Oldham: Farfisa organ.
In a new interview with MOJO magazine, Neil Young discusses his unconventional approach to making new music. He says of his writing process:
“If I have an idea, just in order to preserve it, I’ll sit down and play whatever I can. Usually there’s a lot of mistakes, and I’m still finding it, but that’s what I record. I know where I’m trying to go. I can tell by listening.” He also explains why he likes his backing band to be unrehearsed and unfamiliar with the new songs when they begin recording.
“You don’t want to think about it,” Young says. “You don’t want to have it practiced. The whole idea is to not know what you’re doing.”
"Second Song is by far his best work since the monumental 2012 album Psychedelic Pill, the last great album of the Crazy Horse era under Poncho Sampedro. And while Young's current backing band, The Chrome Hearts, can certainly recapture the monolithic stomp of the Crazy Horse era, it's their grace and sensitivity, their Stray Gators-esque acoustic style, that truly stand out on this late-career classic. " 4 stars
"The fragility of his age-worn voice lends these songs an added melancholy—a reminder that these reflections come from an artist approaching his ninth decade . Far from sounding diminished, however, Young has delivered one of his most poignant albums of the 21st century, one that is both sad and beautiful . For all the album's reflections on aging and loss, Second Song is carried by what remains ." 9 out of 10
Labels: album, archives, chrome hearts, neil young, neil young archives, video
by thrasher@PermaLink: 9/18/2026 09:21:00 AM
33 comments
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33 Comments:
Hey now, where are the experts? I expected some of the following wisdoms at least:
The best record since "After the Goldrush"!
I does not compare to ... (Fill in: OTB, TTN, Live Rust, Psychedelic Pill)
Why did Poncho not play on this record?
At 80 Neil isn't that young anymore.
The last song I liked was "Chevrolet".
Is there a vinyl product that doesn't cut Second Song in half?
How many new melodies are needed to justify an album?
After having listened to the album the umpteenth time I have discovered that...
Bring on the Horse!
Which of the new songs will be played during the three up-coming shows?
Which of the songs definetely will not be played?
The difference between the CD and the vinyl version is tremendous (or barely audible).
That being said I hope for substantial comments.
I am not very impressed by the new album. Very simple repetitive chord changes and recycled melodies. However I do like the two old songs that he re-recorded.
I dunno.
I’m not a musician.
Not a songwriter.
And I am not a critic.
Just a fan of the man.
(And his muse).
As a fan my low water mark is lyrical rhymes.
But then lines like “I miss you like tomorrow and I see you like today. I wanted to say something before I go away.”.
Wow.
And the musicianship is stellar, understated & present at the same time.
Re-imagining old songs is fine.
If they were old songs that needed re-imagining.
Else it just comes off as filler?
There is, how ever, something poignant, something that resonates here. It draws me in, brings me back.
Just like all Neil records do.
They should ALL be named “Second Listen”.
All one song.
That All take more than one listen.
😎
A perfect Neil album for sitting outside as the season changes to autumn.
Thanks for the thoughts on Neil’s latest.
Could this really be Neil’s 50th studio album? How is this calculated? Including CSNY, etc?
More to the point, what about the warm ups and Farm Aid? Talking to the Trees failed to have any live performances as we recall.
The new, introspective songs wouldn't seem to work for a rowdy crowd.
We'll just go back to our initial assessment of Second Song: any song that can both bring a smile to our face and a tear to our eye is special. So we're thankful to have yet another Neil album here in 2026.✌️♥️
By my count (Neil, studio) closer to 45? Not including CSNY, Stills-Young, Compilations, Soundtracks or, obviously, Live.
Or guesting appearances (even on Crazy Horse albums).
But my goodness!
It’s not quantity. It’s quality.
“Whether you want it or not”.
As to set lists, I always expect the unexpected.
It’s Fall. It’s Farm aid.
It’s also mid terms…
I predict some acoustic & some electric.
And some protest songs in the mix.
Enjoy the show(s)!
And carry the messaging with you into the voting booth…
My current favourite track is "Soon I Might be Going". It has the spook of both "Dead Man" and "Sleeps With Angels" (Song), also something that reminds me of the song "On the Beach". A Beatles song is quoted...
I'll have to give it a few more spins I guess.
Soon I might be going. Wow. Worth the price of admission. If I was a strange for My Daughter, I would be heartbroken and you can hear it in this song
Estranged. Sorry
I'm sure at least a few of these songs will grow on me soon, as certain songs do off of every Neil album. I like to hear other people's opinions to sometimes be able to appreciate a certain song (that I didn't realize were classics) from any music act.
I commend to all the Atlantic Monthly review of the record
More songs in "Soon I Might be Going"
"The water shone like diamonds": Thrasher
First half of second verse: "See the Sky about to Rain"
"Take It As It Comes" (Song title by the Doors)
The fifth verse seems to allude to the Bridge School sing-along to "All You Need is Love"
I know this look at the lyrics is taking words out of context, narrowing the songs meaning but I couldn't help noticing
I’m also finding myself drawing comparisons to “Before & After” of a few years ago.
Where Neil re-imagined newer, solo acoustic versions of some well known tunes of his.
The comparisons for me come mainly from his voice, the tonal inflections of an older artist.
Kinda drives the point home that time is indeed exploding. Fleeting.
The thing about Before.& After is it worked better as a hi res digital, by way of the flow. No breaks in between songs. Didn’t really work so well on vinyl, interrupting the flow for the flip.
Conversely, I think this new recording will play better as a vinyl?
It is a long, slow ride.
I completely agree that it is a perfect recording for Fall.
😎
After only one listen on vinyl so far, my first impression is that Neil has created something special here. It’s not just the lyrics, or the musicianship. It’s the intention behind them.
Yes there are some familiar melodies, but they seem to help link each song to the next. I was surprised by Second Song being broken up between sides, but I understand just how important sequencing is to Neil. Obviously on the CD the song will remain in tact. And I’m sure people would have complained about the price of a three sided double album.
He hasn’t lost his touch for lyrical genius, and his vocals fit perfectly with the subject matter of each song on the album. The band is clearly committed to delivering the goods, and the whole listening experience feels like a single piece.
For a man in his eighties who has created so much remarkable music for so many decades; this album is a testament to his creativity and devotion to his craft.
Peace to all 🙏
Thanks Dan, fer the heads up.
It’s just a personal choice, but I never liked the “8 track” tape effect :(changing “programs” mid track), so I’ll pass on this vinyl.
FWIW I would’ve been cool paying fer a 3 sided double album with a Chrome Hearts etching…to not split a track.
😎
so, I do not care if the melodies are similar to x, y, or z. Poets frequently use old lines, etc. Second Song is about climate change. It is brilliant.
OK, trying to get my stuff together and contribute something. I continue to be amazed and horrified by the US dismissal of climate change and I think Neil is seeing beneath the antagonisms to the spiritual truth: as the seasons perhaps melt into each other or winter loses its bite, we lose our bearings. The coming of fall means everything to me and I cannot always express why but I feel it. Change makes for life and lifts the spirit. The winters of my childhood were, in fact, different from winter now (this is NOT nostalgia). I can't imagine what all else will happen to us unless we "bring it back somehow." And the rest of it all forms a whole. I feel real sadness as I listen. This much can redeem us some.
The fossil-fuel based economies and societies are burning the candle on both ends, firing up the (geological) past, thus burning our common future. The current incarnations of our lifestyles are not sustainable, no matter whether they are based on Neil Young's five or six old cars to maintain mobility in a beautiful Colorado back-country setting, on a suburban sprawl existence only to be kept up with automobiles for commuting purposes, or on a fantastic AI-future requiring energy guzzling data centers. With no fundamental and likely very hurting changes in sight there isn't very much else to express but sadness. What I am going to tell my students? How can they relate to the sadness of their grandfathers and grandmothers? Or a song by Neil Young?
@Abner & Dionys :
You both make meaningful contributions on the subject of climate change. Neil has been a voice in the wilderness for decades now, and he continues to address the ramifications through his art, yet all the warnings have fallen on deaf ears.
The global climate organization for the UN (IPCC) has made it clear that we have passed the threshold. So all that’s left is to limit the global suffering as much as possible. The Government of the United States has withdrawn all the funding to support such a cause.
Humanity is on a downward spiral, and not just with climate change. Artificial Intelligence has already illustrated its potential for harm, and we still haven’t reached Artificial Super Intelligence yet.
Technology has always been a double edged sword, but the real problem is our willingness to exploit it. Humans are a flawed species, and AI is only capable of being a reflection of its creator. So it’s no surprise that AI has become difficult to control. It’s inherently flawed like the humans that designed it.
We are approaching a decisive moment where we see what humanity is truly capable of. Do we seek unity as a species, or do we stand by and watch our own demise, and do nothing.
Throughout history humans have strived for a fair and just system, but it has eluded us time and time again. What we actually need is to become a fair and just species.
Peace to all 🙏
Dan, I agree, especially your last point. Have we given up on our most important work? Species improvement?
I had lost all hope, but here it is: Neil Young's first good album with new songs since "Psychedelic Pill" in 2012.
I've given this a few listens already, which in itself a real positive sign as Peace Trail is the only album since Psychedelic Pill that I've done that with, and I gotta say that this is a very nice return to form for Neil. The lyrics seem so much more focused than they have in quite a while. Seems like he took this one pretty seriously.
Foggy Edge of Time gets things off to a nice start, the refrain of "alcohol" has me wondering who he is singing about, Rassy perhaps? Or maybe himself?
Earth Girl is the best surprise. Is it me, or is Neil channeling his inner Brian Wilson on this tune? It has a dreamy Beach Boys quality to my ears.
Second Song and Casting Me Away From You are two different types of songs, but both are Neil tunes of the highest quality. Second Song especially is a revelation.
I'll Love You Forever ends it with a beating love song. In my perfect world he'd be singing it to Pegi, but DH should be honored to be the subject of such a lovely song.
Not everything works, Day After Day is pleasant, but not his best lyrically. And Soon I'll Be Gone was kind of disappointing. With that title I thought it was gonna be pretty deep, but it went political. I know Neil's gonna do that, but truthfully on this album, I don't think politics really fit in.
Musically, the Chrome Hearts provide their usual excellent backup. It's mellow for sure, and I don't think we hear Ol' Black at all, but maybe that's for the best.
I've been pretty critical of Neil's recent output, but this one is a winner for sure. Nice to hear he still has it in him, maybe the start of another run like '89-'97???
Its been driving me crazy, but at last I worked out the guitar chords in Second Song and Soon I Might be Going are almost the same as Grandpa's Interview on Greendale, I find myself singing the lines "Share your lovin' and you live so long" to them....
Sumth’n old, Sumth’n new, Sumth’n borrowed?Sumth’n fer these times so blue.
Whilst living w/War, &
Rock’n in the Free World, Stiil…?
Thousand points of light fer the Orange Man.
A lil’ Country, a lil’ Rock ‘n Roll.
’Lectric
& Acoustic, to soothe the soul.
😎
A great conversation about a moving and important record.
I’ve been digesting the album slowly over several listenings, as I suspect it’s meant to be appreciated. Day After Day, blending the mundane and the insightful, makes the point directly: “this isn’t a fast song, so fade it up […] say it slow.” This is, dare I suggest, Neil Young music you can mediate to!
Soon I Might be Going, with the slow-burn of its crunchy guitar soundscape, is both deep and (partly) political. Earth Girl could have been a single. It also happens to be an ecological love song. I’ll let others assess the political implications thereof. Sometimes, our responses say more about us than about Neil.
To me, the whole album sounds like a natural extension of World Record, which I found to be focused and musically adventurous. These qualities carry over to the Chrome Hearts. There are sounds here that haven’t been heard on an NY album before.
It's always interesting when people state their opinions on any kind of art form if their opinion is based on their own thoughts or if it is based on what others have already said.
I would hope it's the former, but unfortunately it's usually the latter. Not sure why other opinions would shape one's own, but that's what seems to happen so often. Kind of a lazy way of thinking.
I avoid reading reviews of new albums or films before I have the opportunity to experience them myself. I prefer to go in blind, and allow myself the privilege of being affected by the art itself.
Which is also one of the reasons I dislike music videos. They tend to rob us of our own internal movie. So when the first song from this new Neil Young album was released with a video I just closed my eyes and listened to the song without watching the video. Then my second time listening I watched the video, and was impressed with the drive through Broken Arrow Ranch. In this particular case I thought the video was a perfect fit.
I’m always interested in what others share about how the music affected them, but it doesn’t necessarily change my opinion. Yet there are times when someone else will make an observation that will resonate with me. So I believe it’s important for us to share our thoughts. We are; after all, social beings.
Peace to all 🙏
I haven’t read any reviews. Since I treat TW as an ongoing conversation, my usual mode is to respond to others while (hopefully) offering thoughts of my own. There’s no reason one can’t do both, and it would be a shame not to take other people’s perspectives into account.
No one exists in a vacuum. It wouldn’t be much of a conversation without responding to each other, would it?
As an album, Second Song is marked by longer, slower songs. Earth Girl is the closest to an uptempo number. The overall vibe is one of refusing to rush into, or through, anything. These days, that’s a refreshing change.
Note: I’m referring mainly to the new songs. Casting me Away is uptempo, but still mellow, and an effective preamble to Soon I Might be Going.
I finally got it.
This is not a commercial record.
It's a series of meditations, or one long meditation, on life, time, mortality, love and loss. And the beauty and gift of it all.
Releasing non-commercial records is not exactly foreign to Neil Young... Beginning with "Journey Through the Past" non-commercial or "This shit don't sell"-records abound throughout Neil Young's discography. But then some of them took on a life of their own. I am pretty sure that TTN was a non-commercial record with all these HOGTTs expecting another "Harvest", and now it's one of the most cherished core releases.
Is there a latter day ditch trilogy?
I think introvert songs and explicit political messaging tracks are interdependent. The delta and balance between them is not so much an effort to play to different audiences but necessary to keep going. Ultimately these parallels will meet as they are expressing the same "Don't forget love" and "People want to hear about love".
Wow, the more I listen to it, the more I like it. All the songs are great. I think it's a hell of an album.
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