For decades, Oceanside Countryside has lived in the shadows of Neil Young’s bountiful catalog - a whispered-about “lost” album that was the missing link between 1977’s American Stars ‘n Bars and 1978’s Comes A Time. Now, as part of his Analog Original Series, Young finally dusts off this long-shelved recording, giving fans a time capsule gift from his seemingly endless archives.

Recorded between May and December 1977, Oceanside Countryside finds Young at a crossroads, caught between the intimacy of his solo acoustic work and the rich, full-band sound he’d later embrace. The album’s two halves reflect this split: Oceanside features Young alone, armed with nothing but his guitar and harmonica, recorded at Triad Studios in Florida and Indigo Ranch in Malibu. Countryside brings in a tight-knit crew - Ben Keith (steel guitar), Rufus Thibodeaux (fiddle), Karl T. Himmel (drums), and Joe Osborne (bass) - capturing the warmth of his Nashville sessions at Crazy Mama’s studio.

While several tracks like “Goin’ Back,” “Human Highway,” and "Field Of Opportunity” later found a place on Comes A Time, these original takes offer rawer, more immediate versions, untouched by the glossy production of the late ‘70s. Meanwhile, alternate versions of “Lost In Space,” “Captain Kennedy,” and “The Old Homestead” - later reworked for Hawks & Doves - appear here in all their unfiltered, analog glory. And then there’s “Pocahontas,” one of Young’s most haunting moments, laid bare in its original solo form.

Though bits and pieces of Oceanside Countryside have surfaced on Archives Vol. III, this is the first time fans can hear the album as Young originally envisioned it and sequenced as intended. “This analog original album, recorded in 1977, was unreleased at the time,” Young reflects. “I sang the vocals and played the instruments on Oceanside, in Florida at Triad Studios and Malibu at Indigo. 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.”