Album Review: Neil Young - Oceanside Countryside

Neil Young

Oceanside Countryside

** out of *****

Neil Young has been going back through his archives and releasing 'lost albums', and it can be a mixed bag for long time fans (RtBE Included). Is the music good? Yes. Have we heard it all before? For the most part, yes. Are these new albums needed? Not really. Can the artist do what they want? Sure.

The biggest issue on this 'lost album' Oceanside Countryside is the presentation itself. Nine out of the ten songs here have already been released and are well known to Young fans. As we have mentioned before when reviewing these 'lost albums' like Summer Songs, Toast or even the vaunted Chrome Dreams, Young is recontextualizing these releases (and his discography in general) and while it isn't a true cash grab, it isn't far from it. 

When Young started this process with Hitchhiker and Homegrown, those 'lost albums' felt like vital missing pieces in the Neil Young saga, but with each future release things begin to feel a bit worse on the commercialism side of things. 

If you are brand new to Neil Young, these albums are fine entrance points, but they don't really tell the full NY story. Also of note is that these are not albums record companies forbid Young to release, if that was the case they would take on greater meaning, these were held back, chopped up, scavenged over for other releases, by Young himself. Not releasing these albums were artistic choices by Young, now we have multiple versions of the exact same songs.      

Recorded back in 1977 Oceanside Countryside has the same title as CD 4 in the Archives Vol III release, but even more confoundingly there are differences with that album and this offering. The versions presented here of "Lost in Space", "Captain Kennedy" and "The Old Homestead" are the same that were released on Hawks and Doves while "Sail Away", "Goin’ Back", "Human Highway", "It Might Have Been" and "Pocahontas" are actually the same as on Archives Vol III. Young takes over backing vocals from Nicolette Larson for these offerings of  "Field of Opportunity" and "Dance Dance Dance" making them slightly different than those on Archives Vol III.

It all becomes a little bit pedantic to anyone but real fans, but who are buying these? The real fans. I mean "Captain Kennedy" and "Pocahontas" were just released on another supposedly 'lost album' Chrome Dreams!  Maybe nobody really cares, but for someone who loves Neil and is very into full length albums, things can feel a bit odd. 

When it comes to the music, it is hard to discount the songs, they are all solid, especially if you are into countrified Young as the second half, or the 'Countryside', is rich with violin, pedal steel and more. Young recorded these songs originally in Nashville with  Ben Keith, Joe Osborn and others. "Dance Dance Dance" is a hoedown hoot while "It Might Have Been", the only unreleased song here, is weepy goodness while "The Old Homestead" is ominous in cinematic fashion. 

If you are brand new to Neil Young and randomly stumble on this, you will love the songs, but if you have been following Young's career, you will already know all of these and in almost the exact same versions and can pass on this 'lost album'. 

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