Oceanside Countryside

In 1977, Neil Young recorded 10 tracks he planned to include on his ninth studio release, Comes a Time. One of the recordings would never officially see the light of day until Oceanside Countryside, with every other song on the album being released on other Young albums. As Young wrote: "This analogue original album, recorded in 1977, was unreleased at the time. These songs are the original mixes done at the time of the recordings. 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 at Crazy Mama’s in Nashville on Countryside. I hope you enjoy this treasure of an Analog Original recording as much as I do." == Album cover ==

The album cover shows Neil Young wearing sunglasses, a cowboy hat and a plaid shirt. == Reception ==

On Metacritic, a review aggregator site that compiles reviews from mainstream publications and assigns a weighted average score out of 100, Oceanside Countryside received a "generally favorable reviews" score of 77, based on eleven reviews. Nieve Elis states it "feels like a time capsule that, for newer fans, opens up a fresh route into discovering his work, offering different iterations of songs that have cropped up on various albums across several decades", noting that it "might not offer anything that hasn't been heard before, making 'Oceanside Countryside' a skip for some die-hards, other long-time fans will find fresh nuance to these 'new' songs, no matter how subtle their changes may be". The Telegraph critic Andrew Perry states it "captures the maverick Canadian songsmith in relaxed mood", stating the music "wonderful. It's supremely chilled yet deeply soulful, a dream soundtrack for early-summer evenings – should we ever scrape clear of this bitter winter." Michael Galluchi stated in his review of the album for Ultimate Classic Rock that it "isn't as revelatory as the other formerly shelved records from the era, it does give a new perspective to songs such as the opening "Sail Away" (later on Rust Never Sleeps), "Field of Opportunity" (without Nicolette Larson's backing vocals that were added for Comes a Time) and "Dance Dance Dance," which Young first recorded in 1969 with Crazy Horse for another unreleased album before that band released a version on their 1971 self-titled debut, stating it "offers a more pure depiction of the time". == Track listing ==

All songs are written by Neil Young. Oceanside: • "Sail Away" – 3:49 • "Lost in Space" – 4:21 • "Captain Kennedy" – 2:52 • "Goin' Back" – 5:08 • "Human Highway" – 3:11 Countryside: • "Field of Opportunity" – 3:08 • "Dance Dance Dance" – 2:33 • "The Old Homestead" – 7:10 • "It Might Have Been" – 2:36 • "Pocahontas" – 3:26 == Personnel ==

Track personnel is according to Uncut: Side one "Sail Away" • Neil Young – guitar, vocals "Lost in Space" • Neil Young – guitar, vocals "Captain Kennedy" • Neil Young – guitar, harmonica, piano, vocals • Greg Thomas – drums • Dennis Belfield – bass • Ben Keith – steel guitar, Dobro • Rufus Thibodeaux – fiddle "Goin' Back" • Neil Young – guitar, stringman, vocals "Human Highway" • Neil Young – guitar, vocals Side two "Field of Opportunity" • Neil Young – guitar, vocals • Ben Keith – pedal steel guitar • Rufus Thibodeaux – fiddle • Joe Osborn – bass • Karl T. Himmel – drums "Dance Dance Dance" • Neil Young – guitar, vocals • Ben Keith – Dobro • Rufus Thibodeaux – fiddle • Joe Osborn – bass • Karl T. Himmel – drums "The Old Homestead" • Neil Young – guitar, harmonica, piano • Levon Helm – drums • Tim Drummond – bass • Ben Keith – steel guitar, Dobro • Rufus Thibodeaux – fiddle • Tom Scribner – saw player "It Might Have Been" • Neil Young – guitar, vocal • Ben Keith – Dobro • Rufus Thibodeaux – fiddle • Joe Osborn – bass • Karl T. Himmel – drums "Pocahontas" • Neil Young – guitar, vocals == Charts ==