Phil Baker

Spotify
When Neil chose to leave Spotify, I don’t think anyone expected to see the impact it would have and how it would raise discussion in a number of new areas. As Neil has reiterated, it was not about censorship, but about his choice to not support a company that was contributing to medical disinformation that was leading to Covid deaths.

One of those areas is the public becoming aware of Spotify’s poor …

Howard Stern conducts a wide ranging video interview with Neil celebrating the release of the new Barn record. The two hour interview covers a wide variety of subjects, and we think is one of the best we’ve seen in years. You need to be a subscriber to the premium version of SiriusXM, but it’s worth joining just for this interview.

Neil is a guest on Rick Rubin’s podcast “Broken Record” available on all podcast apps. …

Two of Neil's books have just been added to the Greedy Hand Store. Check them out here

Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars
 Neil Young provides a book of reminiscences as told through the lens of one of his deepest passions: cars. As a lifelong devotee and collector, Young explores his love for the well crafted vintage automobile and examines his newfound awareness of his hobby’s negative environmental impact. It's filled with …

Vintage Organic Recycled Decade Unisex Raglan

- Design: Neil Young’s Decade Album, originally released 1977
- Brand: Printed on an Alternative Apparel blank, the brand that has been making eco-clothing since the beginning. They are committed to eco-materials and responsibly manufacturing, making a positive footprint for true sustainability.
- Materials: 50% combed ringspun ORGANIC cotton / 50% RECYCLED poly. This blend offers an extremely soft hand that creates a vintage feel
- Color: White Body …

Recently added

Check out the "Equal Time For Past Present and Future” shirt and look at the Heart Solo Black T-Shirt with a Heart Logo on the front and "Neil Young Solo 2019” printed on the back.

These are very high quality shirts that are made from premium organic cotton, and are very soft to the touch.

This is the fifth in a series of summaries of Neil’s most interesting answers to Letters to the Editor in the NYA Times-Contrarian. These replies date from December 22, 2021 to January 29, 2022 and are, as always, collated and curated by the “Neil Young Unreleased” Facebook group. Editorial comments are generally marked in [square brackets], and dates refer to the date of publication.

Albums / Films

- Neil has finally decided to prepare and …

I first heard of Neil Young in 1972. I was 12 or 13, on a school bus bound for Marco Forster Junior High School in San Juan Capistrano, California. “Heart of Gold” was getting heavy rotation at that moment when I first heard it. I remember squinting my eyes -- not to see something in the outside world, but rather to see something inside myself! I remember reacting, thinking, “this guy can’t sing,” but something …

This is the fourth in a series of summaries of Neil’s most interesting answers to Letters to the Editor in the NYA Times-Contrarian. These replies date from October 27 to December 17, 2021, and are, as always, collated and curated by the “Neil Young Unreleased” Facebook group. Editorial comments are generally marked in [square brackets] and dates refer to the date of publication.

Albums / Films / Timeline Concerts

- On plans to make Trans …

In these old photos of Omemee and Winnipeg, the Pidgeon and Red Rivers still swirl around the old bridge pilings where “a boy fished the morning away.” Every time I drive through Omemee I am so relieved that that old bridge is still standing and that old river is still flowing and the fish are still swimming. In the fifties, we could also drink from every lake and stream.

In this long-ago painting I did …

I am an old man now, not 24 with so much more. Sometimes I look in the mirror and sing, “old man, take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you are ….” Neil, your NYA is truly the best site on the internet for traveling through the years. I thank you.

I went to see Buffalo Springfield with some friends at the San Diego Community Concourse Exhibition Hall on December 19, 1967. …

A look further back at some of Neil's answers in Letters to the Editor. Please see the note at the foot of the text for more details.

Albums/Films etc.

- There are no good usable Buffalo Springfield live recordings available, according to Neil.
- Asked about making the CSG-version of his first album available on XStream for download, Neil says: “We have been working on that CSG master tape trying to reverse the process to …

In the early 1970s, my older brother got an 8-track player and the tape “Harvest.” He played it every night, all night long, and all of us kids could hear it. It’s burned into our memories, and we have all been lifelong Neil Young fans.

Fast forward a few years, and I was a young woman of the world with my first nice car, and it had a cassette deck!! My first cassette purchase was …

A summary of some of Neil’s most interesting answers to Letters to the Editor dated May 12 to August 23, 2021

This is a look back at Neil’s replies to readers’ letters in the NYA Times-Contrarian Letters to the Editor column reproduced here from my “Neil Young Unreleased” Facebook group.

Albums / Songs / Timeline Concerts
- The first six albums in the Official Bootleg Series are "all mastered and ready to press. Just no …

I’ve been to many Neil Young concerts starting in 1972. This story is about Neil’s solo tours in 1983. We went to two of those shows. The first one we went to was in January 1983 and it was a Solo Trans show. He performed a few songs with a drum machine and sang through his vocoder. A great show!

The second show was also billed as a Neil solo show, but rumors were flying …

It wasn’t back in Blind River in 1962, or in a town in North Ontario. It was back in a little town called Pudasjärvi, in the North of Finland, in 1989. I was at high school and our English lesson was about to start. Our English teacher was going to play a song which would catch my mind and change my musical life forever.

It was very late in 1989, probably December 1989. Our teacher …

Being born in Glasgow, my first exposure to Neil was my dad’s cassette tape of “Freedom.” My dad was my hero and best friend. He certainly influenced my musical tastes. But my dad was more of a deadhead. He went to all the Dead shows in Britain in 1972 and was even taken in to one of those shows at Wembley by Jerry Garcia. He was given a cassette of “Freedom” by his friend, and …

Standing at the gates of Graceland is a homage, a kind of pilgrimage. But my friend Nick and I weren’t on our way to Memphis. We were on our way to our personal Graceland, a ranch in the hills above Redwood, California. It was the summer of 2015, and on the flight to LA, eight miles high over the endless emptiness of Northern Canada, a lyric of Paul Simon’s kept going through my head:

I’m …

How would you like to submit your own material for publication here in the Member Central page? You can !! Some examples of what you can submit are: stories of when you or your family attended a favorite Neil concert, when you met Neil and his band members or other fans, or what Neil’s music has meant to you. How about a drawing or other artwork, poetry, or a good joke? Do you have any …

If you have a story you'd like to submit, please use the NYA contact form to send a message to the Archivist. Include the text "MEMBER CENTRAL" at the top of your message. (Also include an email address if your preferred contact email is different from the address associated with your NYA account.) Your submission, along with your email address, will be passed along to Judy Greenberg for review.

And as always, you can also …

Thanks to all of you for introducing yourselves and contributing your stories. The Members' Page has become one of the most read this past month.

Your stories have been illuminating to all of us, showing another dimension that Neil and his music have on our lives. They illustrate how music has the ability to bring back memories and allow us to relive important times in our lives. Another reason for our mission to bring music …

Aloha. This story is about Neil with Steve McGee’s band Mana at someone’s house on Maui, Hawaii, in 1974. I have lived on Maui for almost 20 years, but not back in 1974. I was just about to be conceived. I wrote to Steve in 2015 to inquire about it, though. I did get a message back from Steve back in 2015 on this, but I missed his reply somehow. I reached out to him …

Several weeks ago, Judy Greenberg asked the question, “Just singing a song: can it change the world?” My answer is that Neil Young sang songs that changed my world.

I’ve been a fan of Neil since first seeing him October 16, 1978, at the Dane County Coliseum in Madison, WI, on the Rust Never Sleeps tour. I remember looking around the stage during the solo set for the other musicians. I didn’t believe all that …

Sometimes I need to remind myself I’m not dreaming, because Neil is so great – my favorite artist of all time.  He is like a magician pulling rabbits out of a hat.  With inspiration from his Muse, he creates music that completely captivates me.  I don’t know how he does it, but that is okay. It’s better to just enjoy the music and not overthink.  I can’t easily explain the greatness …

I'm Jane Swidler. I grew up in a New York City suburb. From the age of 4 or 5, I've been fortunate to experience many live shows from ringside at great venues such as the Met and Madison Square Garden. Washington D.C. was a favorite stomping grounds, especially in the turbulent days of protests, sit-ins, and moratoria.

As luck would have it, I was in D.C. when Neil Young was doing a gig at the …

When as a student in the 80’s you did not have the travel money, hitch-hiking was the way to go and see the world on your own. There were countries that were perfect to travel that way: Germany, Great Britain, and the Low Countries. Some countries were gruesome when hitch-hiking. Many trips to southern France ended just on her eastern borders. Northern Italy, which is the European truckload counterpart to the Bermuda Triangle, was another …

The second in a series of features based on the fascinating information on the Sugar Mountain website. The data is reproduced here with their kind permission.

Find out more at www.sugarmtn.org

This time we look at the venues hosting the most Neil shows since 1966. Top non-US venue is the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England, later renamed twice (and incidentally where I saw my first live show in 1976!). The only other venue outside the …

A further look at guest appearances by Neil on the officially released recordings of other artists. This time covering the 1980s and 1990s. Compiled with help from the “Neil Young Unreleased” Facebook group.

Apologies in advance for any omissions or errors. Do please submit comments or corrections via the NYA Contact Us link and mention Member Central in your message or contact us via the Neil Young Unreleased Facebook group.

Corrections to Part One – …

I’ve been a longtime fan of Neil Young and his musical journey since the early ‘70s. I am a retired airline pilot (40 years of flying) but I learned to play “Heart of Gold” a year before my first flying lesson. Still listening to and playing Neil’s tunes on a regular basis today. It’s wonderful to be a member of NYA and enjoy all it has to offer.

The shows I’ve managed to attend were …

This is the first in a series of features based on the statistics and other fascinating information to be found on the sugarmtn.org website. The data is reproduced here with their kind permission.

The sugarmtn.org website provides, first and foremost, the most complete list known of Neil’s performances since his arrival in the United States in 1966, together with setlists, band details, and more. But there is so much more to see if you just …

There are many things that appeal to me about the music of Neil Young. Always have. I first became a Young man when I saw my first concert in 1986 at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. I was hooked. Dozens of concerts would follow.

I don't know what appealed to me the most -- Neil's gritty Rock and Roll riffs, his melodies, the beautiful musicianship, or his wonderfully irreverent attitude. It didn't hurt that …

A look at guest appearances by Neil on the officially released recordings of other artists. Compiled with help from the “Neil Young Unreleased” Facebook group.

In a short series of three separate articles, we thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at the officially released recordings which Neil has made as a guest performer on other artists’ records over the last few decades. It seems unlikely that many of these recordings will …

The boat owned by Neil Young is the 101’ Baltic topsail schooner “W.N. Ragland." I am a retired Merchant Marine Chief Engineer and was onboard her in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the late 1970’s. My brothers and I brought my father’s old freighter from the Turks and Caicos Islands to Florida. We docked the freighter close to Ragland. This is when my brother took us onboard to see how beautiful the boat was.

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Thanks Harry for all your support of the community and my music. We all appreciate it very much. On behalf of us all - many happy days to you!!
be well
neil

The Greedy Hand Store is the exclusive retailer for official Neil Young merchandise that include shirts, hats, totes and other items. CDs, DVDs and LPs are also available, but are also widely available elsewhere, including Amazon. Our offerings are sometimes only available at the Greedy Hand.

While we offered some of our clothing on Amazon for your convenience, we’ve decided to remove them because of the proliferation of unofficial and unauthorized items.

All the products …

What did the movie “The Last Waltz” and The Boarding House in San Francisco have in common in 1978? Neil Young. The rage at movie theaters in the San Francisco Bay Area in the spring of 1978 was the Martin Scorsese film of The Band’s farewell show at Winterland Ballroom on Nov. 25, 1976. My friend Richard and I went to see The Last Waltz at a theater in Oakland on Friday, May 26, 1978. …