Neil Young recorded his 1976 acoustic album “Hitchhiker” in a single day, but until now fans could only dream of getting their hands on it.
After sitting in Young’s vaults for more than four decades, the Toronto-born rocker has marked Sept. 8 for its official release.
Recorded in a Malibu studio, “Hitchhiker” is one of several elusive “lost albums” in Young’s repertoire.
It features two never-released tracks, “Hawaii” and “Give Me Strength,” and early versions of songs like “Pocahontas” and “Powderfinger,” which later appeared on his 1979 album “Rust Never Sleeps.”
On Friday, the album’s title track arrived on streaming music services and in digital stores. An alternate cut of the track appears on 2010’s “Le Noise.”
Pre-sales of “Hitchhiker” are available on Young’s website as a standalone CD or vinyl, or packaged with an official “Hitchhiker” campfire mug.