Early Daze

Early Daze is the 47th studio album by Neil Young, featuring his backing band Crazy Horse. Young has referenced it on multiple occasions, including 12 years earlier, in his biography Waging Heavy Peace. After being postponed and teased several times, Neil Young announced in May that he would be releasing the album on June 28, 2024.^[1]

Early Daze
Studio album by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Released	June 28, 2024
Recorded	January 17 – October 17, 1969
Studio	Sunset Sound, Hollywood Wally Heider Recording Studios, Hollywood Larrabee Sound Studios, Hollywood
Genre	Hard rock country rock rock
Length	38:36
Label	Reprise
Producer	Neil Young David Briggs Jack Nitzsche
Neil Young chronology
Fuckin' Up (2024) Early Daze (2024) Neil Young Archives Volume III: 1976–1987 (2024)
Crazy Horse chronology
Fuckin' Up (2024) Early Daze (2024)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Glide Magazine	[3]
Mojo	[4]
PopMatters	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Uncut	7/10[7]

Early Daze received a score of 79 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on three critics' reviews, which the website categorised as "generally favorable".^[2] Mojo cited that the album was "short but sweet", and Uncut said that, while the album was not remarkable, it gives insight into how much "repetitive, labour intensive hackwork" goes into transforming material into actual finished albums.^[7] PopMatters' Justin Cober-Lake said that, while the album highlights Neil Young's early days, it "adds only a little bit to our understanding of who the musicians were and are".^[5]

Recording history

Neil Young first met with Crazy Horse for the album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, but certain songs never made the cut or were recorded after the fact. All 10 songs were recorded with the first Crazy Horse lineup, which included Danny Whitten (guitar and lead vocals), Ralph Molina (drums), Billy Talbot (bass), and Jack Nitzsche.^[8] None of the songs are unreleased, as all have appeared on other albums, with and without Neil Young. However, six of the songs were revealed to be unreleased versions: "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" (later released on Tonight's the Night with a different recording), "Winterlong", "Wonderin'", "Look at All the Things", "Helpless", and "Down by the River" (with alternate lead, and perhaps also backing vocals). Two alternate mixes appear as "Birds" and "Everybody's Alone," while "Cinnamon Girl" appears as the original 7 inch single, and "Dance Dance Dance" as it appears on Neil Young Archives Volume 1.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Track listing

1. "Dance Dance Dance" – 2:36
   • Neil Young – guitar, vocal; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocal; Billy Talbot – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal; Jack Nitzsche – tambourine
   • Recorded at Larrabee Studios, 10/17/1969.
   • Recording first released with a shorter fadeout on Neil Young Archives Volume 1 in 2009.
   • Song first released on Crazy Horse's solo album entitled Crazy Horse.
2. "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" – 4:12
   • Neil Young – guitar, vocal; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocal; Billy Talbot – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal; Jack Nitzsche – piano
   • Recorded at Larrabee Studios, 10/17/1969.
   • Song first released as "Downtown" on Crazy Horse, later released on Tonight's the Night in 1975.
3. "Winterlong" – 3:39
   • Neil Young – guitar, vocal; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocal; Billy Talbot – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal; Jack Nitzsche – piano
   • Recorded at Larrabee Studios, 10/17/1969.
   • Song first released on Decade in 1977.
4. "Everybody's Alone" – 2:31
   • Neil Young – guitar, piano, vocal; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocals; Billy Talbot – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal
   • Recorded at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, 8/4/1969.
   • Recording first released as a different mix on Neil Young Archives Volume 1 in 2009.
5. "Wonderin'" – 2:19
   • Neil Young – guitar, vibes, vocal; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocal; Billy Talbot – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal
   • Recorded at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, 8/7/1969.
   • Song first released on Everybody's Rockin' as a rockabilly song, although the song dates back to 1969.
6. "Cinnamon Girl" – 3:01
   • Neil Young – guitar, vocal, handclaps; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocal, handclaps; Billy Talbot – bass, handclaps; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal, handclaps
   • Recorded at Wally Heider Recording Studios, Hollywood, 3/20/1969.
   • Recording appears on Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and the original 7 inch single.
7. "Look at All the Things" – 2:58
   • Neil Young – guitar, vocal; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocal; Billy Talbot – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal
   • Recorded at Wally Heider Recording Studios, Hollywood, 10/9/1969.
   • Song first released on Crazy Horse in 1971.
8. "Helpless" – 4:39
   • Neil Young – guitar, vocal; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocal; Billy Talbot – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal
   • Recorded at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, 10/9/1969.
   • Song first appears with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on Deja Vu.
9. "Birds" – 3:38
   • Neil Young – guitar, vocal; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocal; Billy Talbot – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal
   • Recorded at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, 8/3/1969.
   • Recording first released as a different mix on Neil Young Archives Volume 1 in 2009.
   • Song first appeared on After the Gold Rush in 1970.
10. "Down by the River" – 9:03
    • Neil Young – guitar, vocal; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocal; Billy Talbot – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal
    • Recorded at Wally Heider Recording Studios, Hollywood, 1/17/1969.
    • Song first released on Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere in 1969.

Personnel

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

• Neil Young – guitar, vocals, piano (4), vibes (5), handclaps (6), production, writing (1-6, 8-10)
• Danny Whitten – guitar, vocals, handclaps (6), writing (2, 7)
• Billy Talbot – bass, handclaps (6)
• Ralph Molina – drums, vocals, handclaps (6)
• Jack Nitzsche – piano (1–3), production (1)

Additional contributors

• David Briggs – production (2–10)
• John Nowland – mixing (1–4, 7–8)
• John Hanlon – mixing (4–5, 8–9)
• Jeff Pinn – mixing assistance
• Chris Bellman – mastering
• Frank Gironda – direction
• Gary Burden – art direction
• Jenice Heo – art direction
• Al Kramer – cover photos
• Annalie Kothschild – spread photo

Charts

Chart performance for Early Daze

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13]	20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14]	42
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[15]	66
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16]	12
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[17]	6
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[18]	88
Scottish Albums (OCC)[19]	14
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[20]	67
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21]	2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22]	19
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[23]	79
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[24]	17
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[25]	17
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[26]	23
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[27]	18
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[28]	4

References

1. "Neil Young and Crazy Horse to Release Long-in-the-Works Archival Album Early Daze". Pitchfork. May 17, 2024.
2. "Early Daze by Neil Young & Crazy Horse Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
3. Collette, Doug (June 27, 2024). "Early Neil Young & Crazy Horse Originals (Feat. Danny Whitten) Surface On Earnest 'Early Daze' (ALBUM REVIEW)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
4. "Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Early Daze". Mojo. August 2024. p. 94.
5. Cober-Lake, Justin (June 25, 2024). "Neil Young and Crazy Horse Find Fresh Sounds on Early Daze". PopMatters. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
6. Martoccio, Angie (July 2, 2024). "Neil Young's Latest Archival Release Puts the Late, Great Danny Whitten Front and Center". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
7. "Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Early Daze". Uncut. August 2024. p. 46.
8. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". Discogs. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
9. "Neil Young & Crazy Horse announce new archival album 'Early Daze'". NME. May 20, 2024.
10. "Neil Young and Crazy Horse / Early Daze". SuperDeluxeEdition. May 17, 2024.
11. "Upcoming Archival Neil Young & Crazy Horse Album Delves into the Band's Early Daze". May 18, 2024.
12. Aswad, Jem (June 28, 2024). "Neil Young Unveils Early Daze, a Companion to His Classic Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere: Album Review".
13. "Austriancharts.at – Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Early Daze" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
14. "Ultratop.be – Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Early Daze" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
15. "Ultratop.be – Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Early Daze" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Early Daze" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
17. "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2024. 27. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
18. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of July 17, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved July 17, 2024.
19. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
20. "Top 100 Albums Weekly". PROMUSICAE. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
21. "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 27". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
22. "Swisscharts.com – Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Early Daze". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
23. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
24. "Neil Young Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
25. "Neil Young Chart History (Top Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
26. "Neil Young Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
27. "Neil Young Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
28. "Neil Young Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2024.