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The Times (EP)

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The Times
A photograph of Young playing guitar in silhouette
EP by
Neil Young
ReleasedSeptember 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)
RecordedJune 19–23, 2020
StudioNeil Young's porch
GenreLo-fi music
Length26:46
LabelReprise
Producer
Neil Young chronology
Homegrown
(2020) 		The Times
(2020) 		Return to Greendale
(2020)
Singles from The Times
  1. "Lookin' for a Leader 2020"
    Released: August 14, 2020[1]

The Times is a live EP from Canadian-American folk rock musician Neil Young. Released on September 18, 2020, the album is made up of live recordings that Young did in his home for the Fireside Sessions series.[2]

Recording and release

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The Fireside Sessions is a series of concerts that Young streamed online for fans to provide some solace during the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] This EP was made available only via Young's site and Amazon Music HD for maximum audio quality.[4]

Critical reception

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Review aggregator Album of the Year characterizes critical consensus for The Times as a 73 out of 100 with three reviews.[5] Writing for NME, Leonie Cooper gave the album four out of five stars, citing its relevance to ongoing Black Lives Matter protests and in opposition to the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign using Young's music.[6] Vish Khanna of Exclaim! agrees that the music is timeless, which is why he finds it depressing, considering the political climate. His review gives The Times eight out of 10 for being "stark and haunting".[3] The editorial staff of JamBase named it a new album highlight.[7] Writing for AllMusic Guide, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, writing that the album is "designed to stir memories of past activism" and "it feels almost more nostalgic than modern", noting that "Young's voice quivers slightly and by supporting himself with just a guitar, he seems slightly fragile, a quality that gives these simple, straightforward covers a subtle new dimension." The editorial staff of the site gave it three out of five stars.[8] Writing for Pitchfork Media, Jesse Jarnow gave the EP a 6.9 out of 10, praising the "lo-fi but distinctly modern starkness that stands in contrast to Young’s longstanding fixation on sound quality and love of vintage (and expensive) analog gear" and Young's "commitment to righteousness" but noting that the protest songs, "neither hit particularly hard as music".[9] Rolling Stone included this release as one of the 18 picks for the month of September 2020.[10]

Track listing

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All songs written by Neil Young, except where noted.

  1. "Alabama" – 3:00
  2. "Campaigner" – 3:28
  3. "Ohio" – 2:49
  4. "The Times They Are A-Changin’" (Bob Dylan) – 5:01
  5. "Lookin’ for a Leader 2020" – 4:11
  6. "Southern Man" – 3:32
  7. "Little Wing" – 4:45

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for The Times
Chart (2020-21) Peak
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] 38
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 144
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] 66
French Albums (SNEP)[14] 107
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 57
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[16] 10
Italian Albums (FIMI)[17] 89
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] 14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 31
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 99
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[21] 71
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[22] 47
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[23] 14

References

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  1. ^ "Neil Young - Lookin' For A Leader 2020 (Official Music Video)". August 14, 2020 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Roffmanon, Michael (August 17, 2020). "Neil Young Announces New The Times EP". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Khanna, Vish (September 18, 2020). "Neil Young's 'The Times' Is Timeless, and That's Why It's So Depressing". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  4. ^ Kaye, Ben (September 18, 2020). "Neil Young Releases The Times EP". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  5. ^ "Neil Young – The Times". Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Cooper, Leonie (September 16, 2020). "Neil Young – The Times EP Review: Classic Protest Songs Reworked to Reflect the Current Chaos". NME. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  7. ^ "Release Day Picks: September 18th New Album Highlights". JamBase. September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  8. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Times – Neil Young". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Jarnow, Jesse (September 22, 2020). "Neil Young: The Times EP". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  10. ^ Martoccio, A. (October 1, 2020). "Best Albums of September 2020: Alicia Keys, Neil Young, Toots and the Maytals, and More". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Neil Young – The Times" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – Neil Young – The Times" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Neil Young – The Times" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  14. ^ "Top Albums (Week 39, 2020)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Neil Young – The Times" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  16. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 8. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  17. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 39 (dal 18.09.2020 al 24.09.2020)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Neil Young – The Times". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  21. ^ "Neil Young Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  22. ^ "Neil Young Chart History (Top Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  23. ^ "Neil Young Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
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