Neil Young Drops New Live Album “Coastal”: Intimate Shows Meet Documentary!

Only a few artists have the ability to delve into a treasure trove of songs spanning at least six decades of creative output during their performances. Among this exclusive group are Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney – the latter performed In Spite Of All The Danger, originally by the pre-Beatles group The Quarrymen in 1958, during his latest tour. Neil Young is, of course, another such artist. With his discography continuously expanding through reissues, new releases, and previously unreleased tracks (like Oceanside Countryside, unveiled last month but dating back to 1977), being a fan of Young’s work is like exploring an endless universe where time bends. His live performances add another layer of complexity. The Coastal Soundtrack album brings together highlights from the 2023 Coastal Tour, which saw Neil Young, at 77, return to the stage solo after nearly four years away.

Intimacy on Stage

This intimate album is complemented by a black-and-white documentary film directed by Daryl Hannah, who followed her husband through this post-Covid concert series. For those who follow every release in the Canadian’s prolific discography – about twenty since 2020! – Coastal Soundtrack might feel somewhat familiar. This tour had previously been covered by Before and After, an acoustic album released in 2023 which, unlike this one, erased audience reactions. Both live albums share several tracks (in slightly different versions), including Comes a Time, the ballad first recorded in 1978, performed here appropriately with guitar and harmonica. There are also duplicates like the romantic When I Hold You in My Arms – first released on the rhythm’n’blues-infused Are You Passionate? (2002) with Booker T. & the M.G.’s – and I’m the Ocean, performed here with fervor on acoustic guitar, though originally recorded thirty years ago with Pearl Jam for Mirror Ball.

Coastal Soundtrack also joyfully revisits other songs from this grunge collaboration: a folk rendition of Throw Your Hatred Down and an electric performance of Song X. Young luxuriously leaps across decades from one track to another, performing some of his most famous contributions to the Buffalo Springfield era (the wonderful Expecting to Fly on piano and I Am a Child) or reviving Vampire Blues (from the On the Beach era). This live album, transcending time, concludes with a brief yet poignant thirty-second rendition of Don’t Forget Love, a beautiful closing mantra.

Coastal Soundtrack (Reprise Records/WEA). Released on April 18. Live at the Adidas Arena, Paris, on July 13.