Neil Young announces new album ‘Before And After’

Neil Young has announced details of a new album called ‘Before And After’.

Set for release later this year, the forthcoming LP will see the rock and roll icon re-visit his back catalogue and re-record various tracks in a new light.

“Picking from a vast array of his originals, Young chooses favourites from his playbook like a trip into his music history,” reads a press release. It also states that the majority of tracks on the new album are solo acoustic re-recordings.

Set to arrive on December 8 via Reprise, the album will see Young structure the tracklist so that the songs blend together and create one continuous flow from beginning to end.

“The feeling is captured, not in pieces, but as a whole piece — designed to be listened to that way,” said Young of the new album. “This music presentation defies shuffling, digital organisation, separation. Only for listening. That says it all.”

Tracks in the album include his earliest Buffalo Springfield appearance, ‘Burned’, and his more recent track ‘Don’t Forget Love’, taken from 2021’s ‘Barn’. A previously unreleased song titled ‘If You Got Love’ is featured too.

‘Before And After’ was produced by the singer-songwriter, alongside Lou Adler. Young took on the role of mixing the album too with the help of Niko Bolas – recognised as The Volume Dealers. You can pre-order the album here and check out the tracklist and artwork below.

The ‘Before And After’ tracklist is:

‘I’m The Ocean’
‘Homefires’
‘Burned’
‘On The Way Home’
‘If You Got Love’
‘A Dream That Can Last’
‘Birds’
‘My Heart’
‘When I Hold You In My Arms’
‘Mother Earth’
‘Mr Soul’
‘Comes A Time’
‘Don’t Forget Love’

In other Neil Young news, just last month the rock and roll veteran announced details of a 50th anniversary reissue of his 1973 album, ‘Time Fades Away’ – set for release on November 3.

Additionally, back in June Young kicked off his first tour in four years with a series of solo acoustic dates on the west coast. These shows were his first run of headline gigs since pre-pandemic.

He made his live comeback at a march and rally in support of the United For Old Growth campaign, which aims to stop the Canadian government from allowing logging companies from destroying old-growth forests.

Since then, he has reunited with Stephen Stills at a show in Los Angeles in April and performed at Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday party alongside Snoop Dogg, Beck and more.

The post Neil Young announces new album ‘Before And After’ appeared first on NME.