By 1972, the backlog of all-time great songs Neil Young had could stretch across several albums. They do, in fact, given the perfection of Harvest. The ill-forgotten Journey Through the Past, a compilation soundtrack used for Young’s debut film of the same name, is a staggering listen. These alternate versions offer live recordings, chatter that would otherwise be removed from the standard versions. Some pieces heard on Journey Through the Past are improved by the little moments. Those quality-of-life reductions like tape static and quality reduction, which feels like unearthing a casette and mangling it into playable condition. Just listen to the punch and bass of Rock and Roll Woman for an example of this divergence. Isolated vocals, tape changes, and what comes through Journey Through the Past is what its title suggests.
It is not enough to visit the glory days, we should look to extricate the hardship, the lessons learned from a few years ago. Journey Through the Past is both a best-of Young performances compilation but also a journey through the ever-evolving sound he has provided audiences. Slight differences on those Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young songs are welcome, coming to a head with Ohio, a roaring achievement which sets the tone for the solo works to follow. Southern Man here studies the fundamental desire Young has to be perceived as a rocker more than anything. A little more focus on the guitar than the studio offering, a gruffer voice which carries the emotional weight of the song before both blur together, crashing into one another like speeding freight trains. It makes for an incredible reason, one of many highs to be heard on Journey Through the Past.
Teases of Are You Ready for the Country and Let Me Call You Sweetheart amount to just that, suggestions. Alabama more than makes up for it – an all-time great performance from Young with one of his best songs. Intercut with news commentaries and other performances from the time, Alabama serves as a great example of Young as a politically conscious and active person, whose music is tied to the times, past and present. Journey Through the Past showcases this. The film may have been slated by critics of the time but the musical accompaniment, the constant blur of religious intertextuality, modern political horrors and the haranguing of those turning problems into permanent pain is clear to hear. Young does brilliantly to bring this all together and as a listening experience, it is one of his most out-there creations.
Latter parts of Journey Through the Past feel messy, but so too is the act of reflection. Young finds a hidden longevity in this project that comes from the unexpected, the leftfield moments which do not match up with our interpretations of memory or the experiences of the past. Journey Through the Past is not some passive glimpse at life as it goes by but an active participation in, and fear of, the changes our mind makes to soften the blows of heartbreak or horror. Young grasps that as best he can with the soundtrack to this film of the same name, a seemingly misunderstood project which, with the benefit of taking a journey into the past of Journey Through the Past is commenting on an ever-changing, yet worryingly static world.
