The earliest known recordings of Neil Young have been found in an Edmonton basement.
CHQT morning man Bob Bradburn found himself staring at music history recently when a reel
of tape, containing two of the first recorded studio performances of Young, popped out of
a box that had been collecting dust for more than 30 years.
In 1964, Bradburn was a staff disc jockey at CKRC in Winnipeg, where singer/songwriter
Young began his illustrious music career fronting a band called The Squires. Those were
the days when local bands were aligned with, or sponsored by, radio stations. It was a
regular occurrence for Bradburn to act as the master of ceremonies at dances featuring
Young and his four-piece band. CKRC also happened to own a two-track recording machine. On
occasion, Bradburn would tape Young and The Squires as they performed some of their
original tunes.
"It was a time when Chad Allen and the Expressions, who became The Guess Who, were
really big and Neil was an up-and-comer," says Bradburn. "At their peak, Neil
and The Squires would be playing dances for somewhere around 1,500 kids." The master
tape Bradburn came across includes an untitled instrumental, along with a vocal track
titled I Wonder, of which a lesser-quality dub already exists. The tape boasts that
unmistakable Neil Young guitar sound -- a twangy tone and lots of single-note runs. As
much as the untitled instrumental owes much to the influences of the day, there are
moments when a progression sounds like the blueprint for what was to come a couple of
years later on the first Buffalo Springfield disc. "This really reflects the sound of
the period that was dominated by groups like The Shadows," says Bradburn. "Neil
was a great kid and he'd work for hours on something. He and The Squires put the music
first. I don't think I ever saw Neil have even a beer. We'd just let them record at what
would be early evening sessions and they would end when the station engineer said it was
time to go home."
"I've admitted it before, I just didn't think Neil would make it as a singer; I
thought he'd find success as a writer and guitar player," Bradburn says. So what
happens with archival tapes like this? Young is on his reunion tour with Crosby, Stills
and Nash, but John Einarson, a Winnipeg-based country-rock historian and Neil Young
authority, feels the next chapter will unfold as soon as Young gets off the road.
Einarson, who wrote the book Neil Young, Don't Be Denied/The Canadian Years in 1992, has
contacted Young's archivist Joel Bernstein. There's little doubt they will want the tape.
"All they had of this tune up until now was a very poor-quality copy of it. These are
master tapes and they sound marvellous. Neil is still working on his box-set of his entire
career, which is going to be between five and 10 discs, so maybe they'll use them."
Among the handful of people who've heard these tunes since they found their way out of
Bradburn's basement is Randy Bachman. When reached at his Salt Spring Island studio last
week, Bachman couldn't conceal his enthusiasm. "The playing on the instrumental is
incredible. Neil is playing a Hank Marvin/Shadows type of lead, but what is so unique is
that the drummer is playing Ventures-style. It is such a cool capturing of that moment in
time. As soon as I heard it, I was reminded of the days when we had instrumental bands
with no vocalist. We'd play three 50-minute sets and run through material like Walk Don't
Run and Sleepwalk."
To this day, he maintains a strong friendship with Young. Bradburn remembers those days
vividly as well, and a few more memories have surfaced with these tapes. For now, he's
content to sit and wait for the phone call from the Young camp to suggest what the next
move will be with his version of the basement tapes.
Neil Young's first tapes found in basement Recordings from 1964.