''Decade'' is a compilation album by Canadian-American musician
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 Furay ...
, originally released in 1977 as a
triple album
A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...
and later issued on two
compact discs
The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in October ...
. It contains 35 of Young's songs recorded between 1966 and 1976, among them five tracks that had been unreleased up to that point. It peaked at No. 43 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Top Pop Albums chart, and was certified
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
in 1986.
History
Compiled by Young himself, with his hand-written
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
about each track, ''Decade'' represents almost every album from his career and various affiliations through 1977 with the exception of ''
4 Way Street
''4 Way Street'' is the third album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, their second as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and their first live album. It was originally released as Atlantic Records SD-2-902, shipping as a gold record and peaking at No. 1 on the ...
'' and ''
Time Fades Away
''Time Fades Away'' is a 1973 live album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young. Consisting of previously unreleased material, it was recorded with the Stray Gators on the support tour following 1972's highly successful album '' Harvest''. Due ...
''. Of the previously unreleased songs, "Down to the Wire" features the
pianist
Dr. John
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.
Active as a session musician from ...
with
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", rele ...
on an item from their shelved ''Stampede'' album; "
Love Is a Rose" was a minor hit for
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
in 1975; "Winterlong" received a cover by
Pixies
A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...
on the Neil Young tribute album from 1989, ''
The Bridge''; and "Campaigner" is a Young song critical of
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
. The track "Long May You Run" is a different mix to that found on the
album of the same name, featuring the harmonies of the full
Crosby Stills & Nash before
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...
and
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, photographer, and activist. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and the supergroups Crosby, Stills ...
left the recording sessions.
For many years, ''Decade'' was the only Neil Young compilation album available. A 1993 compilation called ''
Lucky Thirteen'' was released, but it only covered Young's 1982–1988 output. It was not until 2004 that
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels.
Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...
released a single-disc retrospective of his best-known tracks, titled ''
Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
''. Throughout the 1980s and '90s, Young promised fans a follow-up to the original ''Decade'' collection, provisionally titled ''Decade II''; eventually, this idea was scrapped in favor of a much more comprehensive anthology to be titled ''
Archives
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
'', spanning his entire career and ranging in size from a box set to an entire series of audio and/or video releases. The first release of archival material since ''Decade'' and ''Lucky Thirteen'' would appear in 2006, ''
Live at the Fillmore East'', a recording from a 1970 concert featuring
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse ( lkt, Tȟašúŋke Witkó, italic=no, , ; 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by wh ...
with
Danny Whitten
Danny Ray Whitten (May 8, 1943 – November 18, 1972) was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with Neil Young's backing band Crazy Horse, and for the song "I Don't Want to Talk About It", a hit for Rod Stewart and Every ...
. Several other archival live releases followed, and in 2009 the first of several planned multi-disc box sets, ''
The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972
''Neil Young Archives Vol. 1: 1963–1972'' is the first in a planned series of box sets of archival material by Canadian-American musician Neil Young. It was released on June 2, 2009, in three different formats - a set of 10 Blu-ray discs in ord ...
'', was issued. In April 2017 ''Decade'' was reissued on vinyl as a limited-edition
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
release, with remastered vinyl and CD editions planned for general release in June 2017.
Alternate early version
Initially, ''Decade'' was to be released in 1976, but was pulled at the last minute by Young. It was shelved until the following year, where it appeared with two songs removed from the original track list (a live version of "
Don't Cry No Tears" recorded in Japan in 1976, and a live version of "Pushed It Over the End" recorded in 1974). Also removed were the following comments on those two songs and ''
Time Fades Away
''Time Fades Away'' is a 1973 live album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young. Consisting of previously unreleased material, it was recorded with the Stray Gators on the support tour following 1972's highly successful album '' Harvest''. Due ...
'', from Young's handwritten liner notes:
Reception
The album has been lauded in many quarters as one of the best examples of a career retrospective for a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
artist, and as a template for the
box set
A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit.
Music
Artists and bands ...
collections that would follow in the 1980s and beyond. However, in the original article on Young from the first edition of the ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
Illustrated History of Rock and Roll'' and a subsequent article in the ''1983
Rolling Stone Record Guide
''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'', critic
Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of ''Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone (magazine), ...
used this album to accuse Young of deliberately manufacturing a self-mythology, arguing that while his highlights could be seen to place him on a level with other artists from his generation like
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
or
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
, the particulars of his catalogue did not bear this out.
The magazine has since excised the article from subsequent editions of the ''Illustrated History'' book.
Track listing
All songs written by Neil Young.
Side one
#"Down to the Wire" – 2:25
#*Previously unreleased (1967); performed with
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", rele ...
members
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...
and
Richie Furay
Paul Richard Furay (born May 9, 1944) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member (with Buffalo Springfield). He is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruc ...
along with
Dr. John
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.
Active as a session musician from ...
; planned for inclusion on the unreleased album ''Stampede''
#"Burned" – 2:14
#*Performed by Buffalo Springfield; appears on the album ''
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", rele ...
'' (1966)
#"
Mr. Soul
"Mr. Soul" is a song recorded by the Canadian-American rock band Buffalo Springfield in 1967. It was released June 15, 1967, as the B-side to their fourth single "Bluebird" and later included on the group's second album ''Buffalo Springfield Agai ...
" – 2:41
#*Performed by Buffalo Springfield; recorded live in the studio in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, with guitar overdubs added subsequently; appears on the album ''
Buffalo Springfield Again
''Buffalo Springfield Again'' is the second album by Buffalo Springfield, released on Atco Records in November 1967. It peaked at #44 on the Billboard 200. In 2003, the album was ranked number 188 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of the 500 gr ...
'' (1967)
#"
Broken Arrow" – 6:13
#*Performed by Buffalo Springfield; appears on the album ''Buffalo Springfield Again''
#"
Expecting to Fly" – 3:44
#*Appears on the album ''Buffalo Springfield Again'' but no band member other than Neil Young appears on the track.
#"
Sugar Mountain" – 5:43
#*Recorded live in concert on November 10, 1968, at the Canterbury House,
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...
; released as the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
to "
The Loner", February 21, 1969
Side two
#"I Am a Child" – 2:17
#*Appears on the Buffalo Springfield album ''
Last Time Around
''Last Time Around'' is the third and final studio album by the Canadian-American folk rock band Buffalo Springfield, released in July 1968. The line-up at the time officially consisted of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin, ...
'' (1968) but features no members of the band other than Neil Young and drummer Dewey Martin
#"
The Loner" – 3:50
#*Appears on the album ''
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 Furay ...
'' (1968)
#"
The Old Laughing Lady" – 5:59/5:35**
#*Appears on the album ''Neil Young'' (** – Edited version on 1990 CD reissue)
#"
Cinnamon Girl
"Cinnamon Girl" is a song by Neil Young. It debuted on the 1969 album ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'', which was also Young's first album with backing band Crazy Horse.
Songwriting Music
Like two other songs from ''Everybody Knows This ...
" – 2:59
#*Performed by Neil Young &
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse ( lkt, Tȟašúŋke Witkó, italic=no, , ; 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by wh ...
; appears on the album ''
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'' is the second studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released in May 1969 on Reprise Records, catalogue number RS 6349. His first with longtime backing band Crazy Horse, it peaked at number 3 ...
'' (1969)
#"
Down by the River" – 9:16/9:00**
#*Performed by Neil Young & Crazy Horse; appears on the album ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere''
Side three
#"
Cowgirl in the Sand
"Cowgirl in the Sand" is a song written by Neil Young and first released on his 1969 album ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere''. Young has included live versions of the song on several albums and on the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album '' 4 Wa ...
" – 10:01
#*Performed by Neil Young & Crazy Horse; appears on the album ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere''
#"
I Believe in You I Believe in You may refer to:
Film
* ''I Believe in You'' (film), a 1952 British film starring Celia Johnson
Music Albums
*'' I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real.'', a 2007 album by Yacht
* ''I Believe in You'' (Dolly Parton album), 2017
...
" – 3:27
#*Performed by Neil Young & Crazy Horse; appears on the album ''
After the Gold Rush
''After the Gold Rush'' is the third studio album by the Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released in September 1970 on Reprise Records, catalogue number RS 6383. It is one of four high-profile albums (all charting within the top fifteen) ...
'' (1970)
#"
After the Gold Rush
''After the Gold Rush'' is the third studio album by the Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released in September 1970 on Reprise Records, catalogue number RS 6383. It is one of four high-profile albums (all charting within the top fifteen) ...
" – 3:45
#*Appears on the album ''After the Gold Rush''
#"
Southern Man" – 5:31
#*Appears on the album ''After the Gold Rush''
#"
Helpless" – 3:34
#*Performed by
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member ...
; appears on the album ''
Déjà Vu
''Déjà vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is a French loanword for the phenomenon of feeling as though one has lived through the present situation before.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford Univer ...
'' (1970)
Side four
#"
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
" – 2:56
#*Performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; released as a non-album
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
in June, 1970 and later appeared on
''So Far'', 1974
#"
Soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
" – 2:28
#*Edited version originally from the album ''
Journey Through the Past'' (1972)
#"
Old Man" – 3:21
#*Appears on the album ''
Harvest
Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
'' (1972)
#"
A Man Needs a Maid" – 3:58
#*Appears on the album ''Harvest''
#"
Harvest
Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
" – 3:08
#*Appears on the album ''Harvest''
#"
Heart of Gold" – 3:06
#*Appears on the album ''Harvest''
#"Star of Bethlehem" – 2:46
#*Appears on the album ''
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 ...
'' (1977); originally recorded in November 1974
Side five
#"
The Needle and the Damage Done
"The Needle and the Damage Done" is a 1972 song by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young. The lyrics describe the effects of heroin addiction on musicians Young knew, including his friend and Crazy Horse bandmate Danny Whitten, who would ...
" – 2:02
#*Recorded live in concert on January 30, 1971, at the
Royce Hall
Royce Hall is a building on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Designed by the Los Angeles firm of Allison & Allison (James Edward Allison, 1870–1955, and his brother David Clark Allison, 1881–1962) and completed ...
,
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
,
Westwood, Los Angeles
Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Bordering the campus on the south ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
; appears on the album ''Harvest''
#"
Tonight's the Night" (Part 1) – 4:41
#*Appears on the album ''
Tonight's the Night'' (1975); originally recorded in 1973
#"
Tired Eyes" – 4:33
#*Appears on the album ''Tonight's the Night''
#"Walk On" – 2:40
#*Appears on the album ''
On the Beach'' (1974)
#"For the Turnstiles" – 3:01
#*Appears on the album ''On the Beach''
#"Winterlong" – 3:05
#*Previously unreleased; recorded in November 1973 and appeared on certain
acetate
An acetate is a salt (chemistry), salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base (e.g. Alkali metal, alkaline, Alkaline earth metal, earthy, Transition metal, metallic, nonmetallic or radical Radical (chemistry), base). "Acetate" als ...
pressings of ''Tonight's the Night''
#"Deep Forbidden Lake" – 3:39
#*Previously unreleased
Side six
#"
Like a Hurricane" – 8:16
#*Performed by Neil Young & Crazy Horse; previously unreleased (but originally recorded in November 1975); different lead vocal dub from version on ''American Stars 'n Bars'' (Regular version on 1990 reissue CD)
#"
Love Is a Rose" – 2:16
#*Previously unreleased; later released on ''
Homegrown'' (2020)
#"
Cortez the Killer
"Cortez the Killer" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young from his 1975 album, '' Zuma''. It was recorded with the band Crazy Horse. It has since been ranked No. 39 on '' Guitar World's'' 100 Greatest Guitar Solos and No. 329 on '' Ro ...
" – 7:29
#*Performed by Neil Young & Crazy Horse; appears on the album ''
Zuma'' (1975)
#"Campaigner" – 3:30 / 4:19
S LP test pressings and first LP pressings in Germany included an unedited 4:19 version with an extra verse#*Previously unreleased; unedited version later released 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 ...
'' (2017)
#"Long May You Run" – 3:48
#*Performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; previously unreleased; original
mix (without Crosby and Nash's vocals) appears on the Stills-Young Band album ''
Long May You Run
''Long May You Run'' is a studio album credited to the Stills–Young Band, a collaboration between Stephen Stills and Neil Young, released in 1976 on Reprise Records. It peaked at #26 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified gold in the Unite ...
'' (1976)
Personnel
*
Elliot Mazer
Elliot Mazer (September 5, 1941February 7, 2021) was an American audio engineer and record producer. He was best known for his work with Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Band, and Janis Joplin. In addition, he worked on film and telev ...
–
Producer
*
David Briggs –
Producer
*Neil Young –
Guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
,
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
,
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
,
vibes,
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
Charts
Certifications
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Decade (Neil Young Album)
Neil Young compilation albums
Reprise Records compilation albums
Albums produced by Neil Young
Albums produced by David Briggs (producer)
Albums produced by Elliot Mazer