It Might Have Been: Neil Young Premieres Lost Album "Oceanside Countryside" in February

It Might Have Been: Neil Young Premieres Lost Album “Oceanside Countryside” in February

January 7, 2025 By Joe Marchese — No Comments

Last September, Neil Young unveiled his biggest Archives collection yet. The third volume encompassed 17 CDs and five Blu-rays, boasting 15 previously unreleased songs, 121 previously unreleased tracks, and 11 full-length films (four of which were also previously unissued). On February 14, the musical iconoclast dips into Archives Vol. III – with a twist, naturally – for the premiere vinyl release of his once-lost album, Oceanside Countryside.

Oceanside Countryside was recorded from May to December 1977. The first side comprised solo Young performances, while most of the second featured a full band. It never saw release, though; instead, Comes a Time hit store shelves in October 1978. Both albums shared the same country-rock DNA as well as three songs (“Goin’ Back,” “Human Highway,” and “Field of Opportunity”) and some of the same musicians; Ben Keith (steel guitar), Rufus Thibodeaux (fiddle), Karl T. Himmel (drums), and Wrecking Crew veteran Joe Osborn (bass) are heard on both LPs. In addition, Tim Drummond plays bass and Levon Helm plays drums on O/C‘s “The Old Homestead.”

Young shares in the press release, “This analog original album was recorded in 1977 and unreleased. These songs are the original mixes done at the time of the recordings in the order I planned for the album. I sang the vocals and played the instruments on Oceanside in Florida at Triad studios and Malibu at Indigo studio. I sang the vocals and recorded with my great band of friends, Ben Keith, Joe Osborn, Karl T. Himmel, and Rufus Thibodeaux at Crazy Mama’s in Nashville on Countryside. I hope you enjoy this treasure of an Analog Original recording, recorded by Tim Mulligan, as much as I do. Listening to it now, I think I should have put it out back then.”

This vinyl-only release of Oceanside Countryside includes some tracks that are on the CD of the same name in Archives Vol. III, but the versions are not always identical and the track list here reflects the original running order. This new LP’s versions of “Lost in Space,” “Captain Kennedy,” and “The Old Homestead” are the same ones Young later used on 1980’s Hawks and Doves. “Sail Away”, “Goin’ Back”, “Human Highway”, “It Might Have Been,” and “Pocahontas” are the same tracks presented on Archives Vol. III. “Field of Opportunity” and “Dance Dance Dance” are unique to this LP, with Young on background vocals. (Nicolette Larson sings the backgrounds on the Archives versions.)

Oceanside Countryside has been mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. It will be available on black vinyl and limited clear vinyl at Young’s Greedy Hand Store and independent retailers. It will also be released digitally, including an Atmos mix from the Neil Young Archives Download Store. All Greedy Hand purchases come with a high-res digital download, as well.

Look for the vinyl premiere of Oceanside Countryside on February 14. You’ll find the track listing and pre-order links below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Neil Young, Oceanside Countryside (Reprise/NYA, 2025) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Greedy Hand (clear))

Side One: Oceanside

Sail Away (*)
Lost in Space (**)
Captain Kennedy (**)
Goin’ Back (*)
Human Highway (*)

Side Two: Countryside

Field of Opportunity (+)
Dance Dance Dance (+)
The Old Homestead (**)
It Might Have Been (*)
Pocahontas (*)

(*) first released on Archives Vol. III, Reprise/NYA 075993996258,2024
(**) first released on Hawks and Doves, Reprise HS 2297, 1980
(+) previously unreleased mix

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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others.

Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams.

Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.

Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.