''Chrome Dreams'' is a 1977 unreleased album by

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

, and also an acetate from that period which is claimed to be of that album.

Jimmy McDonough Jimmy McDonough is a biographer and journalist. He is best known for his biographies of Russ Meyer, Andy Milligan, Tammy Wynette, Al Green, and Neil Young. He is noted by critics for his remarkably exhaustive accounts and for his tendency to avoi ...

's ''Shakey: Neil Young's Biography'' supports the claim that ''Chrome Dreams'' is indeed a bootlegged acetate with said title. A document that accompanied the acetate (which according to Young's archivist

Joel Bernstein Joel Bernstein is a photographer, guitarist, and record producer based in Oakland, California. His photographs have appeared as the album covers to, among others, '' After the Gold Rush'', '' 4 Way Street'', ''Rita Coolidge'', ''Wind on the Wa ...

is a forgery) gave the impression that Young had officially given ''Chrome Dreams'' as the title, inspired by rumours in the press of a new album with the same title. Young is quoted as saying "What ''Chrome Dreams'' really was, was a sketch that avidBriggs drew of a grille and front of a '55 Chrysler, and if you turned it on its end, it was this beautiful chick...I called it ''Chrome Dreams''." Writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Alexis Petridis opined that the album "could have been Young's strongest album of the 70s". There have been a number of unofficial recreations of ''Chrome Dreams.'' Three of the songs featured on ''Chrome Dreams'' were officially released in September 2017 on ''

Hitchhiker Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...

''. On October 23, 2007, Neil Young released a new album entitled ''

Chrome Dreams II ''Chrome Dreams II'' is the 28th studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young. The album was released on October 23, 2007 as a double LP and as a single CD. The album name references ''Chrome Dreams'', a legendary Neil Young album from 1 ...

''.

Song information

''Chrome Dreams'' features a large amount of still-unreleased material. The version of "Powderfinger" included is the original acoustic demo, while the "Sedan Delivery" featured is at a slower pace than the ''

Rust Never Sleeps ''Rust Never Sleeps'' is an album with both studio and live tracks by Canadian American singer-songwriter Neil Young and American band Crazy Horse. It was released on June 22, 1979, by Reprise Records. Most of the album was recorded live, then o ...

'' take and contains an additional verse. "Pocahontas" is the same version heard on ''Rust Never Sleeps'' without overdubs. "Hold Back the Tears" is a radically different take compared to the one that appears on ''

American Stars 'n Bars ''American Stars 'n Bars'' is the eighth studio album by Canadian folk rock songwriter Neil Young with , released on Reprise Records in 1977. Compiled from recording sessions scattered over a 29-month period, it includes " Like a Hurricane", one o ...

'', also featuring additional lyrics. "Too Far Gone" would not see release until 1989's '' Freedom''. It is presented on ''Chrome Dreams'' with Crazy Horse's

Frank "Poncho" Sampedro Frank "Poncho" Sampedro (born Manuel Francisco Sampedro de Victoria, February 25, 1949) is an American retired guitarist and member of the rock band Crazy Horse, known mainly for his longtime collaboration with singer-songwriter Neil Young. Samp ...

accompanying Young on a 1917 mandolin. "Stringman", a piano ballad, was (according to ''Shakey'') written for

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spec ...

and is presented as a performance from Young's 1976 European tour with slight studio overdubs. Eighteen years later Young revived it for his ''

Unplugged Unplugged may refer to: *Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means * "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014 * "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family'' Albums and EPs * ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002 * '' ...

'' performance, never having released the song as a studio track. "Homegrown" here is a different mix than the version on ''American Stars 'n Bars''. The rest of the songs are for the most part identical to their releases on subsequent albums.

Track listing

References

{{Authority control Albums produced by Neil Young Neil Young albums Unreleased albums