Hitchhiker
Recorded under a full moon in late 1976, *Hitchhiker* captures an unaccompanied Young at his most penetrating and stripped down. Though several of these songs later became staples (“Pocahontas,” “Ride My Llama,” the haunting “Powderfinger”), they never sounded quite as pure as they do here—never quite captured that elusive balance of ethereal and elemental that makes Young such a legend. First written off by record labels at the time as little more than a set of demos (in Young’s telling, at least), *Hitchhiker* stands now as a beautiful, singular document—and it\'s lightning in a bottle.
Recorded over one night in 1976, Hitchhiker is an acoustic snapshot of Neil Young’s creative process, captured at a time when he was crafting music strong enough to last his whole career.
It’s an ability to take the familiar and present it in dramatically different forms, with the potential for rediscovery that this allows, which makes Hitchhiker – faults and all – a must-hear for Neil Young fans.
Stripped of the subsequent mythology or knowledge of what these songs would eventually become, each performance remains…
Ever prolific, Neil Young released a live album and a new studio album last year, both to mixed reviews.
Although Hitchhiker isn't Neil Young's first abandoned album to be unearthed later, it's certainly his most realized — impressive, given the...
Hitchhiker is the rare archival release that can appeal to both rabid superfans and casual listeners.