Neil Young's "Time Fades Away
Published March 07, 2005
It's been called the "missing link" of the "Ditch Trilogy".
Neil Young's 1973 Time Fades Away is one of the most remarkable live albums ever recorded.
Certainly at the time of release, it was almost unprecedented for an artist to release a live concert recording of previously unreleased material. Long out of print on vinyl, still unavailable on CD in the early 21st century and widely bootlegged, the album is considered to be the "Holy Grail" of all Neil Young albums.
In an effort to gain wider distribution of this essential Neil Young recording, fans have started a petition requesting that the album be officially released. Those interested in obtaining a legal copy of Time Fades Away are urged to sign the petition today.
In 2003, it seemed that an official release was near when four of the "Missing 6" Neil Young albums surfaced. (On The Beach, one of the four albums released after a long hiatus, was also the subject of a fan's petition drive which would eventually gather over 5,000 signatures from the Neil Young Internet fan community Rust and Human Highway.)
HDCD test pressings were circulated and have been widely bootlegged by fans without turntables and no other means of hearing the album. Searches on eBay regularly turnup worn out copies of Time Fades Away commanding top dollar in vinyl auctions. An autographed vinyl copy in excellent condition recently sold for $100.00.
Time Fades Away is the first installment of the trio of albums known as the "Ditch Trilogy" along with his two other early 1970's materpieces Tonight's The Night and On The Beach. The edgy moody darkness of recording and brilliantly erratic song selection offer the portrait of the artist undergoing a deep catharsis and unraveling simultaneously. The tension is so palpable on the recordings that most listeners turned away — or worse — ignored completely.
Rock historian Pete Long writes in Broken Arrow:
"There is a chapter in Neil Young's history that is often referred to as his Dark Period. A time when his personal life appeared to gradually disintegrate amidst a series of mishaps and misadventures while critical career decisions seemed irrational and ill thought-out. Yet, paradoxically it has become recognized as one of the most artistically productive and critically, if not commercially, acclaimed periods of his life. A period that spawned a trio of outstanding released albums and a legendary unreleased album."
From Robert Christgau's review of "Time Fades Away":
"This is no desperate throwaway or quickie live album. Loud and dense but never heavy, singing with riffs concocted from the simplest harmonic components, it's squarely country, yet it never hints at nouveau-rockabilly good times."
The Time Fades Away tour took place in the aftermath of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten's death. Whitten had been trying to kick a heroin habit and was fired by Young, who gave him an airline ticket home and fifty dollars. The next day Whitten was dead of an overdose and Young was devastated by the news. As the stress of the tour and grief over Whitten's death sank in, Young's concerts became more and more ragged and raw.
- Neil Young's "Time Fades Away
- Published: March 07, 2005
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- Section: Music
- Writer: Thrasher
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Comments on this articleComments
I loved this album even before it was collectible. "Fourteen junkies too weak to work...." "Last dance...."
Neil's first whacked out masterpiece.
Rodney - thanks for the nice words! And the signature. Hopefully, we can get some more Blogcritics on board. Spread the word.
Thrahser
there has to be a cd release of this album,i used to listen to this as a kid in the late 70s on vinyl...i wish i still had it now it would be worn ,but id still play it,and on cd it would be great why are reprise holding back on this
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The hopefully-soon-to-be-gone spammer above realerted me to this post. Hey Thrasher, any word on Time Fades Away? As I said above, I am still -- STILL -- checking the used record bins for an old copy.
WOW!!! I just realised that I have this album on vinyl! Well, actually my uncle has it, along with *ALOT* of other Young vinyls which sit in a stack, unused in my grandma's house in Geelong. I went there last holidays, and I'd always like looking through my uncles old vinyls; no idea why he doesn't listen to them anymore; but I've only recently become a huge Neil fan. Man that album is great... Can't wait till Christmas when i go down there again.
Apparently my uncle was a HUGE Neil Young fan. But I don't think he has listened to them in a long time. I've never seen him either.
Didn't realise how hard it was to find.
Oh, and my mum has On The Beach on vinyl, but our turntable is screwed so I can't listen to it.
The most underestimated Live Album ever recorded to this day! I can still remember coming home from school - '73-74' and my brother would be playing this album constantly. I'm became a huge Neil Young fan as a kid - and I still listen to his albums today. People older, same age or younger will come in to my office and pick up the CD and say Neil Young what album is this? What Year did this come out? No one quite writes or produces music better than Neil! -Lester D. Long Live 11th Street!
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Thrasher -- you rock, as always. I regularly go through the bins at the local record store looking for this thing and of course always walk away empty-handed. I signed the petition immediately (with the comment "Release this bastard now!") and I hope the response of Young fans everywhere will put this back in the stacks.
Thanks for letting me know about this. You are a primo Neil Young scribe.