One of the most famous Neil Young bootlegs is the recording of his solo show at a Greenwich Village club called The Bottom Line, recorded in the early hours of May 16, 1974 in a surprise appearance after a Leon Redbone and Ry Cooder show. Taking the stage around 2:30AM with nothing but his guitar, Young played 11 songs, some of which would appear on his dark masterpiece On The Beach two months later. Three songs had their debut: “Citizen Cane Jr. Blues,” “Long May You Run,” and “Pardon My Heart.” It’s one of many legendary moments in his long, storied career.

Today Young announced that the full set is seeing official release for the first time. The Bottom Line – Citizen Cane Jr. Blues will be out in early 2021 and will mark the launch of Young’s Official Bootleg Series. In a note on his Neil Young Archives site, the singer-songwriter says the series will include at least six full bootlegs, all of them spruced up sonically by the Volume Dealers (Young and Niko Bolas).

Here’s his full note announcing the release:

In 1974, on May 16th about 2:30 am in a famous NYC music club located in Greenwich Village called ‘The Bottom Line,’ I climbed onto the stage with my D’Angelico New Yorker and played eleven songs, including many new unreleased ones plus three that had never been played anywhere — “Citizen Cane Jr Blues,” “Long May You Run” and “Pardon My Heart.”

That late night set went like this:

• Citizen Cane Jr. Blues
• Long May You Run
• Greensleeves
• Ambulance Blues*
• Helpless
• Revolution Blues*
• On The Beach*
• Roll Another Number
• Motion Pictures*
• Pardon My Heart
• Dance, Dance, Dance

In my mind it’s a hazy memory, but this moment really captures the essence of where I was in 1974. Two months later, the album ‘On The Beach’ was released, including songs I played that night — “Ambulance Blues,” “Revolution Blues,” “On The Beach” and “Motion Pictures.”

Folks at ‘The Bottom Line’ heard seven new songs for the first time. I just remember I was 24 years old, bare and letting it all out.

‘The Bottom Line – “Citizen Cane Jr. Blues”‘ is part of the Official Bootleg Series now in production and is scheduled for release through Shakey Pictures Records in first quarter 2021. This first edition of the NYA ‘Official Bootleg Series’ will contain at least six complete Bootleg series offerings, the majority of which are from our own original master recordings.

Produced by ‘The Volume Dealers,’ these six albums will provide the highest quality listening available.

For those willing to hear the recording in something less than the highest quality, here’s a YouTube bootleg of the full show.