Time Fades Away  by Neil Young

The live-recorded "Time Fades Away" of 1973 constitutes one of the most peculiar and controversial milestones in Neil Young's career. It is the first part of the so-called Ditch Trilogy, a period where Young consciously distanced himself from the commercial success of "Harvest" to explore darker and more raw paths. For decades, Young considered the album the worst of his career due to the bad memories from the Harvest tour. For this reason, it remained out of print on CD until 2017, gaining the reputation of the "Holy Grail" for collectors.

Unlike most live albums, it exclusively includes new songs that had not been previously released in studio versions. The recording was done directly from the sound console to a 16-track machine, and the mixing was done simultaneously with the disc cutting using the Quad-Eight Compumix system. This method left no room for corrections (overdubs), giving the album an absolutely raw sound. Young described the style as "audio verite," a realistic and unfiltered recording of the tour, with all its mistakes and tensions. The sound is rough, with Young's voice often strained due to fatigue and illness during the tour. The songs reflect the artist's alienation from his fame and his sadness over the death of his associate, Danny Whitten.

Despite its unconventional character, the album "Time Fades Away" reached No. 22 in the US and quickly went gold. While it initially divided audiences and critics who expected something similar to "Harvest," today it is considered one of his most courageous and honest works.