Neil Young has announced a new archival album set for release in 2021. Titled Road Of Plenty, it includes a smattering of ’80s recordings including a live take of the titular “Road Of Plenty” — which later became “Eldorado” on his 1990 album Freedom — captured in Minneapolis with Crazy Horse in 1986. Young believes this to be the best version of the song. Also on the tracklist are a number of studio recordings captured at the Hit Factory in NYC while rehearsing for Young’s 1989 Saturday Night Live — the one with “Rockin’ In The Free World” that rejuvenated Young’s career and essentially launched his ’90s run as a benevolent elder of the grunge movement.

In a message on his Neil Young Archives site, Young explains:

“ROAD OF PLENTY” is a song with a long history, finally morphing into “Eldorado” on the album ‘Freedom’ back in 1990. I tried it out with Buffalo Springfield in 1986 and it was my fault we didn’t get it together at that time and have a reunion, tour and album. I don’t even know why. It was my own fault. I should have done it. Apparently I was distracted by other things at the time. Life was moving fast, perhaps a bit too fast for me to see.

‘Road of Plenty’ lived on with Crazy Horse on the road in a 1986 tour. We have a monster take of it! With the VOLUME DEALERS working again, Niko Bolas has mixed a real masterpiece! How this song escaped is hard for me to believe….

There is a ROAD OF PLENTY album coming in 2021 and it includes that magical night in Minneapolis were the Horse nailed the song. Also included are rarities from that period, including a 17 minute studio version of ’60-0′ with the Bluenotes and the original studio take of ‘Fuckin Up’ — recorded at the Hit Factory in NYC with Poncho, Charley Drayton (bass) and Steve Jordan (drums), the band that played with me on Saturday Night Live when we did ‘Rockin in the Free World’ and ‘No More.’

During the rehearsals for that show, we recorded some amazing music at the Hit Factory in NYC, all of which is in ROAD OF PLENTY. Moving around a lot during that time, I was restless and it shows in this music. Niko and (THE VOLUME DEALERS) have been working on this project now for a while and I think it will be a highlight of 2021…. ROAD OF PLENTY, another album to look forward to here at the Archives!

Hang in there folks, we will get through this all together if we are meant to. Life will never be the same and that’s not bad at all. Look at what we will have…

Love one another and be true to our beautiful EARTH. The future is ours to save.
love!
be well,
ny

So there you go, a lot of information on Road Of Plenty, albeit no official tracklist or release date. Too bad about that Buffalo Springfield reunion that never was!