'Second Song' was recorded at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California, in early 2026. It was produced by iconic producer Lou Adler and "The Volume Dealers" (the production duo of Neil Young and Niko Bolas), and released on the Reprise Records label on September 18, 2026 (Yesterday)
This is Uncle Neil's 50th studio album, and his second studio recording with his latest backing band, The Chrome Hearts. It consists of seven songs: five entirely new compositions, alongside two resurrected archival pieces originally written during Young's teenager years in Canada.
Along with lead vocals, Neil plays acoustic & electric guitars, piano, harmonica, vibes, mellotron and marxophone (a rare, fretless zither).
The Chrome Hearts are:
Micah Nelson on electric guitar, dulcimer and vocals.
Spooner Oldham on Hammond B3 organ, Farfisa organ, pump organ, piano, mellotron and vibes.
Corey McCormick on bass (upright and electric), and vocals.
Anthony LoGerfo: Drums, wave drum, percussion and vocals.
Tracklist
1. The Foggy Edge of Time
2. Day After Day
3. Earth Girl
4. Second Song
(An epic title track running nearly 11.5 minutes)
5. Casting Me Away From You
(Originally captured as a home recording in 1965 in a friend's attic in Toronto, Canada. Young later reworked its melody into the instrumental track "The Emperor of Wyoming" for his 1969 debut album.)
6. Soon I Might Be Going
7. I’ll Love You Forever
(a 1964 surf-tinged love song written for his high school girlfriend)
The album's two archival tracks not withstanding, 'Second Song' reminds me musically of 'Comes A Time' and 'Prairie Wind'. The main themes of the songs deal with memory, mortality, and looking back from the vantage point of an 80-year-old. This is an album for people who have "been around the block".
The freeload is Hi-Res 24bit/192kHz, and how your Uncle Neil prefers you listen to it. It sounds pretty sweet . . .
For the freeload, let's try something new, will the first regular poster (you know who you are) to see this post, please ask "the question du jour".
Probably not regular, in terms of you know, regular (& probably not who you had in mind), but guessing I'm the first to see this post. I would like to know about a "typical day" for Babs, please & thank you Babs
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely a regular and valued poster here, mumbles. I was hoping for a question everyone could answer.
DeleteOops, sorry about that.
DeleteHow about, What is your favorite artwork of any type? Thanks Babs
Slightly off the usual road, but who is your favorite photographer? This question came to mind since I have a loooonnnggg day ahead of me after spending last night catching up with a good friend, French photographer Stephane de Rouvalle. Stephane embeds with nomadic groups for months before he ever attempts to photograph them (always with their consent and always with a portion of sales going to them). Met him about 4 years ago and we have kept in touch since. Have 2 of his photos depicting a Kenyan tribe.
ReplyDeleteand, here's a link to my Stephane photos:https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZvtyLJZO51rueYQDO5emvLbtmkREQD9BLIX
DeleteGreat photos, wish I could see some more...
DeleteThanks,
Jon
Is it true that a rotating igneous fragment accrues no lichen?
ReplyDeleteI suspect the artist who designed the Foreign Tongues album might not agree. Old Jags looks a bit mossy on the cover.
DeleteApart from the usual suspects, Ansel Adams, Edward S. Curtis, Diane Arbus, and Robert Frank, my father ranks highly among the photographers I most admire. He was a bombardier on Lancaster bombers in the RAF during World War II, and throughout the war carried a reflex camera with him. Although he was completely untrained, he had a canny eye for framing and getting human subjects comfortable in front of the lens. As a kid, I spent countless hours paging through his album of World War II subjects, including a photo of Winston Churchill addressing the troops in North Africa. Having served in Libya and Sudan, the Middle East, Italy, and Europe, he saw a lot of action and captured many astonishing images both of war subjects as well as many civilians he encountered. I find his most affecting work was of ordinary people, An old man riding a donkey in Jerusalem. A topless young Sudanese woman defying the camera with her direct stare, and many more startling portraits. Using white ink and calligraphy on the pages of the album he wrote carefully considered captions for each photograph. Though he, like many of his generation, was prone to avoid war talk, the album spoke volumes. My brothers and I have had some of the images copied, and they hang in our homes today, a reminder of both our father and some of the most momentous events of his lifetime.
ReplyDeleteWent to a friend's house in Seville for a small party about a month ago. Was browsing through his immense library, when I found a book about the resistance in Seville to Franco, and started to thumb though it. Came across a photo that looked like our host and a brief written passage about a successful sabotage campaign in Seville that destroyed many aircraft that were destined for Germany in WW2. The photo was of our host's father!
DeleteIt's hard to top this so I'll go with the question from mumbles. Like everyone here I'm obsessed with music but motion pictures are (is?) the art form I understand the most. I wouldn't want to do without either of them.
ReplyDeleteThis is already fascinating and the potential seems rife...ripe?
ReplyDeleteFav artwork? Hmmm. "Starry Night" is trite but true. "Guernica" fucked me up the first time I saw it in a book and seeing it in person has haunted me since. Paul Klee's "Angelus Novus" because of the Benjamin connection. Picasso's "3 Musicians." "The David"'s another trite but true; a thing."The Great Wave off Kanagawa"?
Photographer? Annie Leibovitz. Austin's Nine François?
Photog: Francis Wolff. Painter: Van Gogh. @Mumbles asks artist of any type, so... Musician: I dunno.
ReplyDeleteNot my top favorite, but gotta nominate that 60's poster of Zappa on the crapper! It had in my teenage room until my mother tore it down while I was not home. Got it off the internet now, but won't print it out hang it on the wall, even though mother's long gone.
ReplyDeletemy momma, a refuge from Nazi Germany who could handle all sorts of shit, 'bout lost it over the Blue Öyster Cult cover with the drawing of the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter from World War II on it. It had to be removed from the house instantly & there was hell to pay (plus a lomg lecture I coulda done without...I knew; I got it. Fair)
DeleteDoes the Macklemoore issue signal the terrifying prospect of art being defined by where you were born?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely
DeleteMy fav are 4'33 by John Cage, and the Black Square by Malevich for both give all followers the greatest freedom in developing their own art. And Socle Du Monde by Manzoni
ReplyDeleteLink
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/ca6eAgMhJqx
Live Bonus Link
https://workupload.com/file/hvJd4cGCA4w
Thank you dearest Babs! - FiveGunsWESTchester
ReplyDelete