Neil Young has announced a new live album and concert film, Young Shakespeare, from his archives. The album is set to release March 26 via Reprise Records.
The concert film will feature the earliest known live footage of Young from his January 22, 1971 concert at the Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, Connecticut. The concert occurred just months after the release of his third studio album After the Gold Rush, and three days after the concert at Massey Hall that was released as a live album, Live at Massey Hall, from 2007.
Watch the Young Shakespeare trailer here:
On Young Shakespeare, Young writes that it is “a more calm performance, without the celebratory atmosphere of Massey Hall, captured live on 16mm. Young Shakespeare is a very special event. To my fans, I say this is the best ever…one of the most pure-sounding acoustic performances we have in the Archive.”
Young has been busy during the pandemic releasing plenty of new music and versions of previous songs including the album Homegrown, which was recorded in 1974-5 but was not officially released until June 2020. He also released another archival album in November, The Archives Vol. II 1972-1976, and singles such as “Looking for a Leader 2020” and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing” which appeared on his September 2020 EP The Times. Young has also announced the release of a companion album for his 1982 record Trans, but this project does not have a release date yet.
Young Shakespeare is available for pre-order now, the album will be available on vinyl, CD via The Greedy Hand Store at Neil Young Archives and music retailers everywhere from March 26.
Young Shakespeare tracklist:
1. “Tell Me Why”
2. “Old Man”
3. “The Needle and the Damage Done”
4. “Ohio”
5. “Dance Dance Dance”
6. “Cowgirl in the Sand”
7. “A Man Needs a Maid/Heart Of Gold”
8. “Journey Through the Past”
9. “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
10. “Helpless”
11. “Down by the River”
12. “Sugar Mountain”