Never one to tread a straight line, Neil Young reported in the liner notes his 1977 compilation Decade that after the success of Harvest, he “headed for the ditch” out of boredom. Now Universal Electricity pays homage to Young’s ditch ethic with a compilation of indie artists covering his songs. No playing it safe here: these covers range from the unconventional to the downright bizarre.
The free album Headed for the Ditch – the second tribute to use that title – opens with an almost completely unrecognizable cover of “Hey Babe” (fittingly subtitled “Butchered Version”) by Lost Boy. Teen Daze, who recently showed up here with a collaborative Pink Floyd cover, drop a wildly inventive electro-pop version of “Harvest Moon.” Foxes In Fiction‘s delta-bluesy “Tell Me Why” sounds like they followed Robert Johnson into the studio in 1937. Check out a couple samples below and then go here to download the whole thing.
MP3: Teen Daze – Harvest Moon (Neil Young cover)
[audio: News0411/20HarvestMoon.mp3|artists=Teen Daze|titles=Harvest Moon]
MP3: Foxes in Fiction – Tell Me Why (Neil Young cover)
[audio: News0411/20TellMeWhy.mp3|artists=Foxes in Fiction|titles=Tell Me Why]
Headed for the Ditch Tracklist:
01. Lost Boy? – Hey Babe (Butchered Version)
02. Fossil Cities – After the Gold Rush
03. Quilt – Sugar Mountain
04. Kind Spirit – Lotta Love
05. Medallions – Like a Hurricane
06. Warm Body – See The Sky About To Rain
07. Vacation – Barstool Blues
08. Ivana XL – Heart of Gold
09. Foxes In Fiction – Tell Me Why
10. Emily Reo – On the Beach
11. Teen Daze – Harvest
12. Brown Bread – Pocahontas
13. Ghost Animal – Helpless
14. Breakfast In Fur – Cripple Creek Ferry
Download the whole collection here.
