Neil Young Announces Release of Live Album “Way Down in the Rust Bucket”

The album documents a 1990 performance

Neil Young Performs At Farm Aid
Neil Young plays guitar as he performs onstage during the Farm Aid benefit concert, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 7, 1990.
Paul Natkin/Getty Images

It’s been a good time for listeners looking to make a deep dive into Neil Young’s archives. Last year saw the release of his previously-shelved album Homegrown, recorded during the same 1970s run of form that led to some of his most beloved albums. There’s more in store from Young in 2021 — now, Pitchfork is reporting that a live recording from 1990 is the next previously-unreleased work of Young’s to see wide release.

Titled Way Down in the Rust Bucket, the recording will span both a live album and a concert film. The set itself took place in Santa Cruz and found Young joined by longtime backing band Crazy Horse. Pitchfork’s report on the album notes that the show came not long after the release of Young’s album Ragged Glory. As a 2015 Ultimate Classic Rock article on that album points out, Ragged Glory helped connect Young to a new generation of listeners. This live recording should give a solid indication of why.

Way Down in the Rust Bucket is slated for release on February 26. Young fans will be able to choose between a 4 LP and a 2 CD version; there’s also a box set that comes with the aforementioned LPs and CDs, along with a DVD. It’s not quite the same experience as seeing Young and Crazy Horse live in 1990, but it’s not a bad substitute.

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