When Neil Young played the Keller Auditorium earlier this year, he debuted a new song called “Rainbow of Colors.” The tune, a catchy waltz, was one of the only songs—maybe the only?—that Young played on electric guitar during that otherwise acoustic solo appearance, and was a memorable highlight. With thunderous guitar chords, a sing-along melody, and a simple but potent anti-racism theme, the song is a response to Trumpian exclusionary politics (“no one’s gonna whitewash those colors away”) and feels like it could be one of the few songs Young’s written in recent years that has the capacity to reach the wider audience of his earlier material.
That Portland, Oregon, live rendition of “Rainbow of Colors”—the first time the song had ever been performed in front of an audience—is slated to be a bonus track on Young’s forthcoming album Colorado, which comes out October 25. The double-vinyl version includes a bonus 7-inch that contains the solo live version of “Rainbow of Colors,” recorded live at the Keller Auditorium on May 17, 2019. The 7-inch’s flipside is a bonus track called “Truth Kills.” (For some reason, these two tracks are given their own separate 7-inch, while the fourth side of the double 12-inch vinyl is an etching that doesn’t contain any music.)
A studio recording of “Rainbow of Colors,” recorded with Young’s longtime backing band Crazy Horse, also features on the album proper. Colorado was recorded in April 2019, largely in the Rocky Mountains—hence the album title—and is Young’s first LP with Crazy Horse since 2012’s Psychedelic Pill. The new album also marks Nils Lofgren’s first appearance as full-time guitarist for Neil Young and Crazy Horse, replacing Frank “Poncho” Sampedro. Lofgren has collaborated with Young and Crazy Horse on and off throughout the years starting with Young’s 1970 classic After the Gold Rush and Crazy Horse’s very good 1971 debut album under their own name.
The Portland-recorded version of “Rainbow of Colors” is not the first time Young has included a live recording from a Portland show on one of his albums. 1992’s Harvest Moon closed with an augmented live recording of “Natural Beauty” that was also recorded at the Keller Auditorium, then known as the Civic Auditorium, during a two-night run in 1992. The archival live album Dreamin’ Man Live ’92 also included another song recorded during that pair of shows.
A different song from Colorado called “Milky Way” has been released as an advance track and can be heard on Neil Young’s website, Neil Young Archives, as well as on streaming services. Colorado is available for pre-order and includes an early download of “Milky Way.”
That’s why for the first time I won’t be buying a Neil Young/ Crazy Horse album. His solo music has slipped into oblivion because of his attacks on Bush and the military, Monsanto with putrid lyrics and sloppy music. Now he has TDS and he’s infecting Crazy Horse with his tripe. Like the media, Hollywood , Comedians and academia which have moved to the extreme left so he brings Crazy Horse. At least his 20th century work is extraordinary.