Reprise Records
Reprise RecordsNeil Young‘s acoustic archival studio album, Hitchhiker — recorded live in one evening in August 1976 at Indigo Studio in Malibu, California — hits stores today, September 8. In honor of the release, an official video for his performance of “Powderfinger” has premiered on Amazon.
The clip uses a series of animated paintings to bring to life the song, which tells the story of a young man who is shot and killed while trying to defend his rural home from a boat which is apparently full of law-enforcement officials.
“Powderfinger” was first officially released on Young’s 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps, although that version was an electric rendition that Neil recorded with Crazy Horse. All of the songs on Hitchhiker were recorded solo by Young, accompanying himself on harmonica, guitar and piano.
In addition to “Powderfinger,” the album features versions of seven other tunes that went on to appear on other Young albums, including “Pocahontas,” “Human Highway,” and the title track. Hitchhiker also boasts two previously unreleased tunes: “Hawaii” and “Give Me Strength.”
The original Hitchhiker session was produced by frequent Neil collaborator David Briggs, who died in 1995. The album is available on CD, vinyl and as a digital download.
Here’s the Hitchhiker track list:
“Pocahontas”
“Powderfinger”
“Captain Kennedy”
“Hawaii”
“Give Me Strength”
“Ride My Llama”
“Hitchhiker”
“Campaigner”
“Human Highway”
“The Old Country Waltz”
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