Comment of the Moment: "big change is coming" by Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts

 "big change is coming" 

by Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts

(Video Frame via Official Video)

Yesterday, January 17, Neil Young dropped a track from his latest album titled "big change is coming".

In addition, an Official Music Video was released featuring the band  The Chrome Hearts waving the U.S. of A. flag and marching to the beat.

All of which brings us -- obviously -- to our Comment of the Moment on "big change is coming" by Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts by Dan:

Throughout Neil’s career he was borrowed elements from other songs that he has written. 

This isn’t a criticism, but simply an observation. And I have always enjoyed his occasional songs with familiar themes and chord changes. It’s kind of like his signature in a way, and this new track has several different reference points from his past.

I don’t watch music videos when previewing a new song. Because I’d rather let the song stand on its own merits. And I really like the fact that the lyrics aren’t telling you what to think, it’s just observing what’s coming. And the riff is definitely catchy.

I’m looking forward to hearing the whole album in context with the other songs. Neil has always been a great sequencer of his albums, and depending on where each song lives on the album, tends to enhance both the song before and, the song after. This is one of many reasons why I love listening to complete albums. The artists lays out the tracks with a very specific theme, or intention.

But for now; judging from this one song, I’m actually pretty excited about this new album. So hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to hear the whole thing…… soon.

Peace to all……..and here’s hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. 🙏

“Without deviation from the norm, progress is impossible “

Frank Zappa

"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials".
Seneca (ancient Roman philosopher)

Thanks Dan for the comment, being here and sharing.

For us, the big takeaway is the preparation for change. Awareness of the ongoing #BigShift.

Just as  A Big Shift is coming to the Neil Young Archives, everywhere we look, we hear folks tuning into the accelerating Big Shift. Certainly, a rather major shift in thinking at Neil Young Archives and the newspaper Times Contrarian. Again, this is not merely politics or religion we speak of.  This is fundamental ... our core essence of spirit and soul. Humanity in an age of technocracy.

Earlier, we said that at the risk of saying "told you so", Here Comes "The Big Shift" and the  corruption of mainstream media is blatant and dangerous, it is sadly ironic that this all comes so late in the game for those who should have been paying attention. But, better late than never.  (More on the intersectionality of politics, art and the media.)

Stay tuned, consciousness and awareness are coming! Thanks for the heads up Neil & Hearts!

"There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye"

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NEW TRACK: "big change is coming" by Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts

 "big change is coming" by Neil Young & The Chrome Heartsvia Qobuz
 (Click photo to enlarge)

Neil Young's latest album title will be  "big change is coming" and the title song is scheduled for release tomorrow, January 17, per Qobuz. (thanks HtH!)

 

Also, there is an Official Video being released. 

 

Video Frame via Official Video

 

Last November, we reported that Neil Young was in the studio with his latest new band The Chrome Hearts.

Neil Young and The Chrome HeartsShangri-La Studio, Malibu, CAvia John Hanlon | Instagram 
 (Click photo to enlarge)

Per producer and sound engineer John Hanlon's Instagram  (via Rusted Moon Rusted Moon), Neil Young recorded at Rick Rubin's Shangri-La Studio in Malibu. From photo caption, the recording is analog 16 track direct to vinyl.

 

Lou Adler is credited as co-producer.

Shangri-La Studio is where Neil Young recorded his last studio album "World Record" with Crazy Horse in 2022. 

Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts  

Farm Aid 2024: Saratoga Springs, NY, Sat., Sept. 21  

photo by thrasher

 

The new album will precede Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts Europe Summer 2025 Concert Tour.  Thus far, the only confirmed concert is Glastonbury Festival this summer, which Neil Young will headline.

In December, we reported that  A Big Shift was coming at Neil Young Archives.  Everywhere we look, we hear folks tuning into the accelerating Big Shift.

Stay tuned, conciousness and awareness are coming! Thanks for the heads up Neil & Hearts!

"There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye"

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"We Will Be In Glastonbury": Neil Young Confirms Festival Performance

T-C | Letters | Neil Young Archives
 (Click photo to enlarge)

Neil Young has confirmed he will perform this summer at the Glastonbury Festival saying: "We Will Be In Glastonbury" per a Letter to The Editor | Neil Young Archives.

Neil Young Glastonbury Festival 2009(Click photo to enlarge)

Neil Young's appearance at the Glastonbury Festival has been on and off for weeks now, but Neil adds that "The problems have apparently been solved".

Earlier, Neil Young declined a Glastonbury slot because "The BBC wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in".

Then, Neil did a 180 and said:

"Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury Festival, which I always have loved.

Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing. Hope to see you there!"

Recall last November, when a new  Timeline Concert of the Moment streamed on NYA of Neil Young @ Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury Festival on June 26, 2009.

Glastonbury 2009

Timeline Concert of the Moment | NYA

From TW coverage in 2009, Review: Neil Young rocks Glastonbury - Glastonbury - QTheMusic.com:

"No review’s going to do this justice, so let’s just get this out the way. Neil Young was just phenomenal.

Michael Eavis has tried and failed four times previously to get Neil Young to play at his little party down on Worthy Farm dating right back to the days when local stores would put ‘No Hippies Allowed’ on their windows.

Why Old Farmer Eavis has been so determined to book him is apparent from the moment Neil Young hits the stage. There’s no farting about, his trusty scarred Gibson Les Paul, Old Black, comes straight out and he clangs straight into My My Hey Hey. Seldom has the lyric “better to burn out than fade away” been more pertinent than the day after the death of a King. But also because at this festival of legends there are some here who have faded beyond repair. What this set proved more than anything is that Neil Young isn’t among their number."

Photo by Gary Wolstenholme// Drowned In Sound

Also, BBC Responds to Coverage Criticism of Neil Young's Glastonbury Concert (2009). 

+ Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts: Europe Summer 2025 Concert Tour Planning Underway

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On This Date: Neil Young Returns to Winnipeg - January 13, 1971

 "Neil Young: Don't Be Denied - The Canadian Years" by John Einarson

On this date, Wednesday evening, January 13, 1971, Neil Young made his triumphant return to Winnipeg.

From "Neil Young: Don't Be Denied - The Canadian Years" by John Einarson (thanks HtH!)

On this date, Wednesday evening, January 13, 1971, Neil Young made his return to Winnipeg. It had been six years since he last graced a stage there and many old friends and fans came out to welcome him home. He had left Winnipeg years earlier as a rock 'n' roller with a dream; now he had returned as rock's premier singer/songwriter. It had been quite a journey.

With barely any advertising, ticket demand at the Centennial Concert Hall was so great that two shows were scheduled that evening [I attended both]. The word was out that Neil was back. Everyone entering the hall was checked for cameras and tape recorders. Neil did not like to be distracted by camera flashes concertgoers were informed as they shuffled through the turnstiles.

Appearing alone on the stark stage with just acoustic guitar and piano, lumberjack outfit and back brace that kept him stiffly in a wooden-backed chair, Neil proceeded to mesmerize the capacity crowd. Bent over his acoustic guitar, head down, eyes closed, long, straight hair draping past his shoulders, Neil spoke rarely, choosing, like he always had, to let his music speak for him. The odd reference was made to being home and to people in the crowd. "There's a guy out there in the audience who used to tune my guitar," he offered. The intensity of his performance led those in the audience to feel that they were in the presence not of a local boy-made-good, but a world-class singer/songwriter. It was a magical night.

Walking onstage without introduction and offering no greetings, Neil opened the show with the Buffalo Springfield's On the Way Home. It seemed a fitting number for the tour. Throughout the concert, Neil interspersed the familiar with new material, much of it written recently on his ranch. Some, like Heart of Gold, Old Man, and A Man Needs a Maid, appeared a year later on his HARVEST album. Others, like See the Sky About to Rain, Dance, Dance, Dance, and Bad Fog of Loneliness would wait much longer to appear on vinyl. For the Winnipeg show, Neil added Clancy to unrestrained applause.

Afterwards, Neil hosted a party for family and friends at the posh, downtown Winnipeg Inn. The general theme of the conversations floating about the room focused on how each individual present just knew that Neil would make it someday. Neil mingled among the patrons, hugging, shaking hands and reminiscing. As is the case with these post-concert soirees, the room was well represented by hangers-on, the radio and record company set, most of whom didn't know Neil's name from Adam two years earlier. Neil was disappointed that many of the former Squires were not present. In particular, he had wanted to see Allan Bates and Ken Smyth. "I was looking for them but I didn't find them," recalls Neil. "You never realize at the time that you'll never see people again." Asked years later about his absence that night, Ken replies, "We weren't sure if he would remember us." Pam Smith adds, "I was afraid that my life would seem so trivial compared to who he was now and all the things he had done. He was somebody and we were all still just here."

Neil spent some time the next day visiting a few old haunts but the hectic pace of the tour forced Neil to move on. His brief stop in his old hometown had been a personal triumph and a kind of reconciliation with his past.

The Journey thru The Past tour would bring Neil to Massey Hall, Toronto's premier concert venue, on January 19 for another triumphant homecoming and a reconciliation with his father. During the Massey Hall concert, Neil acknowledged his father's presence in the audience. He also sang Old Man which Scott Young heard as a note of reconciliation. The Massey Hall concert was recorded and released decades later as part of his Neil Young Archives series.

Thanks for this historic reminder from 50+ years ago John! 

And thanks to those of you who said to go ahead with this (you know who you are) and today's part goes like this: THE KEEPER OF THE FLAME: there is rock. There is roll. And there is Neil Young.

More on "Neil Young: Don't Be Denied - The Canadian Years" by John Einarson @ Neil Young Book Reviews. 

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What Might Neil Young's 2025 Bring Us?

Oceanside Countryside by Neil Young
"Original Analog Series"  (Click photo to enlarge)

 

You ask, "so what might Neil Young's 2025 bring?"

Good question and a comment by Dionys whets the appetite with expectations: 

• Talkin’ to the Trees (the new album) 
• Oceanside Countryside (the vinyl version)
• Tennessee (The Int’l Harvesters rediscovered 1985 tape) 
• ORS set (with Mirrorball, Sleeps with Angels) 
• Mirror Ball Live  (w/ Pearl Jam)
  
• Homefires
• Europe + U.S. tour with The Chrome Hearts

Thanks for the "informed speculation" Dionys. That pretty well tracks what we're seeing as well.  Obviously, all eyes on tour planning.

Regarding Oceanside Countryside, a comment by Tomatron notes that "Field Of Opportunity" landed on streaming services such as Apple Music last Friday. This is the mix with Neil’s original harmonies, before Nicolette Larson vocals were added to the track. 

There is some level of confusion on the release details of "Oceanside - Countryside" which is also available as a standalone CD  -- with the same cover -- from "Neil Young Archives Volume III". This CD of the same name contains eight of the ten songs, five of which are identical versions, however as a digital mix instead of analog. 

Here's what seems to be the difference: the order of the songs. The 1977 version sequence is as originally planned by Neil Young, as opposed to the CD of the "Archives Vol. III" which is arranged chronologically by recording date. In addition, two songs - "Field Of Opportunity" and "Dance Dance Dance" - are missing the vocals by Nicolette Larson, which were added later via overdub. 

Got it?  Another Valentine's Day gift from Neil with a February 14th release date of a black vinyl and a clear vinyl limited edition.

Or, just sit back and enjoy Neil Young's "Fireside Sessions".

Neil Young's "Fireside Sessions" 

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