''Long May You Run'' is a studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

credited to the Stills–Young Band, a collaboration between

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Manassas (band ...

and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

, released in 1976 on

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

. It peaked at #26 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was

certified gold Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

in the United States by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. The album is the sole studio release by Stills and Young as a duo.

Background

Following the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young stadium tour of 1974, an attempt by the quartet to finalize a new album ended amidst acrimony without result.

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelic music, psych ...

and

Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is a British and American musician, singer and songwriter. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills ...

resumed their partnership, while Stills and Young continued their independent careers. Songs from the aborted CSNY album appeared on various albums by group members, and Stills covered two Young songs on his contemporary studio albums: "New Mama" on '' Stills'' and " The Loner" on ''

Illegal Stills ''Illegal Stills'' is an album released by American musician Stephen Stills on 7 May 1976. This was Stills second album on Columbia Records and his fourth solo album overall. After it was released he would start an album and tour with Neil Young. ...

''. In early 1976, Stills and Young reached a rapprochement, and began to work on a joint album project from a desire by both to pick up where they left off with their

Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a Canadian-American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1966 by Canadians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin (musician), Dewey Martin and Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely know ...

-era guitar explorations, a decade after the inception of the band. Crosby and Nash signed on as well, and briefly ''Long May You Run'' looked to be the awaited CSNY reunion album. However, on a deadline Nash and Crosby left

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

to finish the sessions for what would become their 1976 album ''

Whistling Down the Wire Whistling, without the use of an artificial whistle, is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. Th ...

'', and Young and Stills reacted by removing the duo's vocals and other contributions from the master tapes. Crosby and Nash vowed never to work with either again, although less than a year later they would regroup with Stills for the album ''CSN''. In a 1981

Rockline ''Rockline'' was a nationally syndicated radio interview program hosted by Bob Coburn that was broadcast live via satellite every Monday and Wednesday night from 8:30pm-10pm PT to radio stations in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1981, ...

interview, Young reflects on his working relationship with Stills and their collaboration on the album:

Writing

Reflecting Young's apparent desire to tie up loose ends with Stills and CSNY, several of the songs Young brought to the album sessions had previously been attempted by the group in previous years. The album's title track was sung as a duet on CSNY's 1974 "Doom" tour. The chorus to "Ocean Girl" bears similarity to the Young/Nash collaboration "War Song", a single from 1972 in support of

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...

. The guitar playing on "Fontainebleau" recalls "Pushed It Over the End", first recorded by the group during the 1974 tour. Unused songs "Traces" and "Human Highway" were also recorded during the sessions, as was "Separate Ways", the lead track on Young's then-unreleased 1975 album '' Homegrown''. Master takes of each of these songs would appear on 2020's '' Neil Young Archives Volume II: 1972–1976''. The album's advance single, "Long May You Run", peaked at #71 on the UK singles chart. The song was an elegy for Neil Young's first car (which he nicknamed "Mort"), a 1948

Buick Roadmaster The Buick Roadmaster is an automobile built by Buick from 1936 until 1942, from 1946 until 1958, and then again from 1991 until 1996. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared the ...

hearse A hearse () is a large vehicle, originally a horse carriage but later with the introduction of motor vehicles, a car, used to carry the body of a deceased person in a coffin to a funeral, wake, or graveside service. They range from deliberately ...

that died in 1962 when its transmission blew in

Blind River, Ontario Blind River is a town situated on the North Channel (Ontario), North Channel of Lake Huron in the Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. The town, named after the nearby Blind River (Ontario), Blind River, celebrated its centennial in 2006. History ...

. Mort was a different vehicle from the 1953 Pontiac hearse, nicknamed Mort 2, that

Richie Furay Paul Richard Furay (born May 9, 1944) is an American musician and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member (with Buffalo Springfield). He is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey ...

, traveling with Stills, saw Young driving in a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

traffic jam in 1966 that led to the formation of Buffalo Springfield. On January 22, 2010, Young performed "Long May You Run" on the final episode of ''

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fifth installment of ''The Tonight Show'', hosted by Conan O'Brien. It aired from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, succeeding ''The ...

''. A few weeks later, Young performed the song during the

closing ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.

of the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

in Vancouver, accompanying the extinguishing of the Olympic cauldron.

Recording

The album was recorded at

Criteria Studios Criteria Studios is a recording studio in North Miami, Florida, founded in 1958 by musician Mack Emerman. Hundreds of gold, platinum, and diamond singles and albums have been recorded, mixed or mastered at Criteria, for many notable artists and ...

in Miami, Florida in the Spring of 1976. The duo was backed by Stills' backing band of the time,

Joe Lala Joseph Anthony Lala (November 3, 1947 – March 18, 2014) was an American musician and actor. In 1966, he co-founded the rock band Blues Image. Life and career Lala was born in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, into a family of Italian-American bac ...

on percussion, Joe Vitale on drums,

George "Chocolate" Perry George Wesly Perry (born 1953), known professionally as "Chocolate Perry" is an American bassist, songwriter and producer. Perry has worked with the Bee Gees, John Cougar, Jon Secada, Stephen Stills, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Al Kooper, Di ...

on bass, and Jerry Aiello on organ. The group had all appeared on Stills' previous album ''

'' which had also been recorded at Criteria a few months prior with producer

Don Gehman Don Gehman is an American record producer, engineer, and executive, best known for his work with John Mellencamp and Hootie & the Blowfish. AllMusic calls him one of "the most successful producers of the 1980s and 1990s." As a sound engineer, he ...

. During the sessions, Young lived in a houseboat in

Coconut Grove Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as "The Grove", is an affluent and the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhoods of Miami, neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by North Prospect Driv ...

, as he explains in his memoir ''Waging Heavy Peace'': "Back when I was living in Coconut Grove in Florida in the mid-seventies, there was a houseboat that I slept in that was owned by a lady named Heather. We were recording the Stills-Young Band's ''Long May You Run'' at Criteria Recording Studios, and it was quite a trip from the studio in Fort Lauderdale back to the Grove every night." The schedules of the two artists rarely overlapped during the sessions. Roadie Guillermo Giachetti remembers in ''Shakey'': "There was a lotta friction from the start. Stills would stay in the studio all night, and then when Neil came back the next day, everybody would be wiped out. Stephen had this majestic mansion with a pool, Greek pillars and a fleet of rental cars, Neil stayed on a funky boat down in Coconut Grove." In March, Young took a break from the sessions to tour Europe and Japan with his band

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( , ; – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota people, Lakota war leader of the Oglala band. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by White Americans, White American settlers on Nativ ...

. Upon returning to the sessions, he invited Nash and Crosby to participate. The duo were finishing up their album ''

'', but were able to contribute some of their own songs, including "Taken at All" and add background vocals to the material Stills and Young had already completed. Nash recalls the sessions "flowing beautifully" until he and Crosby took a break to finalize the mixes for their own album, meeting a tight deadline. He remembers in his memoir ''Wild Tales'': Stills and Young made the decision to excise Crosby and Nash's contributions, and release the album as a duo in order to meet their own deadlines for the upcoming tour. Young quietly bailed on the sessions and returned to California. Nash did not take news well and unleashed a memorable tirade towards Stills and Young: "I think it's his cock he keeps putting in the meat grinder. Stephen's totally stupid, man... I'll thump that fucker right in the nose when I see him again. I see Stephen's career going downhill and I see Neil's career going downhill, and I don't give a shit. I WILL NOT work with them again." Angered, Nash would later refuse to allow Young to include "Pushed It Over the End" on his 1977 compilation ''

Decade A decade (from , , ) is a period of 10 years. Decades may describe any 10-year period, such as those of a person's life, or refer to specific groupings of calendar years. Usage Any period of ten years is a "decade". For example, the statement ...

''. By 1977, however, tempers would cool enough for Crosby, Stills and Nash to release a new studio album together.

Tour

The Stills-Young Band, comprising Stills' then-current touring band behind the pair, began a tour in 1976 prior to the album's release. The tour commenced in

Clarkston, Michigan Clarkston is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Detroit, located about northwest of downtown Detroit, Clarkston is surrounded by Independence Township, Michigan, Independence Township, but admin ...

on June 23, but after nineteen dates Young dropped out after July 20 via a

telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

to Stills, forcing Stills to complete the concert tour solo through October. The telegram read: "Dear Stephen, funny how some things that start spontaneously end that way. Eat a peach. Neil." Young would later cite cryptic personal reasons for his departure, namely that he had "voice issues" but he has since stated the tour "wasn't working" and that the "balance was off in some way" as it progressed. During the tour, critics were writing harsh reviews of Stills while praising Young, titled "Young Hot, Stills Not". Stills began drinking heavily and started to take out his frustrations on tour personnel thinking they were purposefully making him look bad. However, even after Young told Stills not to read the reviews, he would not accept the advice, so Young left.

Track listing

Side one

Long May You Run ''Long May You Run'' is a studio album credited to the Stills–Young Band, a collaboration between Stephen Stills and Neil Young, released in 1976 on Reprise Records. It peaked at #26 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified gold in the U ...

" (Young) (3:53) #* ''Neil Young – guitar, harmonica, vocal; Stephen Stills – guitar, vocal;

– percussion, vocal; Joe Vitale – drums, vocal;

– bass, vocal; Jerry Aiello – organ'' #* ''Recorded at

, Miami, 2/5/1976. Produced by Stephen Stills, Neil Young &

with special thanks to

Tom Dowd Thomas John Dowd (October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002) was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multitrack recording method. Dowd worked on a veritable "who's who" of recordings ...

.'' #"Make Love to You" (Stills) (5:10) #* ''Stephen Stills – guitar, vocal; Neil Young – guitar, vocal; Joe Lala – percussion, vocal; Joe Vitale – drums, vocal; George "Chocolate" Perry – bass, vocal; Jerry Aiello – organ'' #* ''Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, 4/13/1976. Produced by Stephen Stills, Neil Young & Don Gehman.'' #"Midnight on the Bay" (Young) (3:59) #* ''Neil Young – acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocal; Stephen Stills – guitar, vocal; Joe Lala – percussion, vocal; Joe Vitale – drums, vocal; George "Chocolate" Perry – bass, vocal; Jerry Aiello – organ'' #* ''Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, 2/19/1976. Produced by Stephen Stills, Neil Young & Don Gehman.'' #"Black Coral" (Stills) (4:41) #* ''Stephen Stills – piano, vocal; Neil Young – electric guitar,

Univox Univox was a musical instrument brand of Unicord from the early 1960s, when they purchased the Amplifier Corporation of America of Westbury, New York, and began to market a line of guitar amplifiers. Univox also distributed guitars by Matsumoku ...

Stringman keyboard, vocal; Joe Lala – percussion; Joe Vitale – drums, flute; George "Chocolate" Perry – bass; Jerry Aiello – electric piano'' #* ''Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, 4/19/1976. Produced by Stephen Stills, Neil Young & Don Gehman.'' #"Ocean Girl" (Young) (3:19) #* ''Neil Young – piano, vocal; Stephen Stills – guitar, vocal; Joe Lala – percussion, vocal; Joe Vitale – drums, vocal; George "Chocolate" Perry – bass, vocal; Jerry Aiello – organ'' #* ''Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, 4/14/1976. Produced by Stephen Stills, Neil Young & Don Gehman.''

Side two

#"Let It Shine" (Young) (4:43) #* ''Neil Young – guitar, harmonica, vocal; Stephen Stills – guitar, vocal; Joe Vitale – drums; George “Chocolate” Perry – bass'' #* ''Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, 2/4/1976. Produced by Stephen Stills, Neil Young & Don Gehman'' #"12/8 Blues (All the Same)" (Stills) (3:41) #* ''Stephen Stills – guitar, vocal; Neil Young – guitar, vocal; Joe Lala – percussion, vocal; Joe Vitale – drums, vocal; George "Chocolate" Perry – bass, vocal; Jerry Aiello – electric piano'' #* ''Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, 4/16/1976. Produced by Stephen Stills, Neil Young & Don Gehman.'' #"Fontainebleau" (Young) (3:58) #* ''Neil Young – electric guitar, vocal; Stephen Stills – organ, vocal; Joe Lala – percussion, vocal; Joe Vitale – drums, vocal; George "Chocolate" Perry – bass, vocal; Jerry Aiello – piano'' #* ''Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, 2/8/1976. Produced by Stephen Stills, Neil Young & Don Gehman with special thanks to

.'' #"Guardian Angel" (Stills) (5:40) #* ''Stephen Stills – electric guitar, piano, vocal; Neil Young – electric guitar, vocal; Joe Lala – percussion, vocal; Joe Vitale – drums, vocal; George "Chocolate" Perry – bass, vocal; Jerry Aiello – organ'' #* ''Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, 4/29/1976. Produced by Stephen Stills, Neil Young & Don Gehman.''

Personnel

– vocals, acoustic piano, guitars *

– vocals, acoustic piano,

string synthesizer A string synthesizer or string machine is a synthesizer designed to make sounds similar to those of a string section. Dedicated string synthesizers occupied a specific musical instrument niche between electronic organs and general-purpose synthes ...

, guitars,

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

Additional musicians * Jerry Aiello –

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, acoustic piano *

– bass, backing vocals * Joe Vitale – drums,

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, backing vocals *

– percussion, backing vocals Additional roles * Stephen Stills – producer, mixing * Neil Young – producer, mixing *

– producer, recording, mixing *

– associate producer * Steve Hart – recording assistant * Michael Lasko – recording assistant *

Alex Sadkin Alex Sadkin (April 9, 1949July 23, 1987) was an American record producer, engineer, mixer and mastering engineer. Early life Sadkin grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and played saxophone in Sunrise Junior High School and Fort Lauderdale Hig ...

– mixing *

Tom Wilkes Thomas Edward Wilkes (July 30, 1939 – June 28, 2009) was an American art director, designer, photographer, illustrator, writer and producer-director. Life Wilkes was born in Long Beach, California and raised in southern California. Wilkes atte ...

– album design

Charts

Certifications

Tour

Personnel * Jerry Aiello – organ *

Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...

– guitar, vocals (for two dates after Young departed) *

– percussion *

– bass guitar *

– vocals, guitar, piano * Joe Vitale – drums *

– vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica Setlist This is the setlist from the Boston Garden date on the 26 June 1976 # "

Love the One You're With "Love the One You're With" is a song by American folk rock musician Stephen Stills. It was released in November 1970 as the lead single from his debut self-titled studio album (1970). The song, inspired by a remark Stills heard from musician Bi ...

" (Stills) # " The Loner" (Young) # "Long May You Run" (Young) # "

For What It's Worth "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)", often referred to as simply "For What It's Worth", is a song written by Stephen Stills. Performed by Buffalo Springfield, it was recorded on December 5, 1966, released as a single on Atco Reco ...

" (Stills) # " Helpless" (Young) # "Black Queen" (Stills) # "

Southern Man Southern Man may refer to: * Nanman or Southern Man, ancient ethnic groups in South China * Southern man, New Zealand stereotype * "Southern Man" (song), by Neil Young * A man from the Southern United States The Southern United States (so ...

" (Young) # "On the Way Home" (Young) # "

Change Partners "Change Partners" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1938 film '' Carefree'', in which it was introduced by Fred Astaire. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1938, but lost out to "Thanks for the ...

" (Stills) # "Too Far Gone" (Young) # "4+20" (Stills) # "Word Game" (Stills) # "Buyin' Time" (Stills) # "Evening Coconut" (Young) # "Make Love to You" (Stills) # "

Cowgirl in the Sand "Cowgirl in the Sand" is a song written by Neil Young and first released on his 1969 album ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere''. Young has included live versions of the song on several albums and on the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album '' 4 Wa ...

" (Young) # "The Treasure" (Stills) # " Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (Stills)

References

External links

''Long May You Run''
at

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(streamed copy where licensed)
about Neil Young's 1948 Buick Roadmaster Hearse, with Photos''
{{Authority control Stephen Stills albums Neil Young albums 1976 debut albums Albums produced by Tom Dowd Albums produced by Don Gehman Reprise Records albums Albums produced by Neil Young Albums produced by Stephen Stills 1976 collaborative albums Art rock albums by American artists Art rock albums by Canadian artists