The career period Neil Young called a “musical vacation”

In 1977, Neil Young was only in his early 30s, but he’d already built up an immensely respected oeuvre of material that had made him a folk-rock superstar. Over the preceding decade, he seemingly never stopped to catch his breath, and any moment he did have spare was poured into recording more material before Young finally put his foot on the brakes.

After moving to Los Angeles and forming Buffalo Springfield, Young devoted himself to his career but never had any grand plans. Instead, he chose to roll with the punches. Before he knew it, he’d enjoyed success with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and also balanced a solo career and work with his backing band, Crazy Horse.

The singer-songwriter had worked hard to be in a position that allowed music to be his full-time gig and always viewed it as a privilege rather than a chore. Even now, as an older gentleman, Young continues to work at a frantic pace in the studio, which puts artists many decades younger to shame with his output.

Young has stayed true to his gut instincts at every juncture of his career and allowed it to dictate his next move. While this has occasionally confused his fanbase, such as his 1983 rockabilly album Everybody’s Rockin’, which led to him being sued by Geffen Records for its uncommercial nature, this tactic has largely served Young beneficially.

Nevertheless, even a relentless workaholic like Young needs a moment to step back and reassess. Therefore, in 1977, following the release of his album Everybody’s Rockin’, Young moved to Santa Cruz, California. Rather than soaking up the summer rays on the beach with a cocktail in hand, he didn’t take long to form a new group with friends.

After an impromptu jam session with Jeff Blackburn, Moby Grape’s Bob Mosley and drummer Johnny Craviotto, the quartet, known collectively as The Ducks, began performing across the local bar scene. Young may have been one of the biggest names in the American music industry, but he wasn’t above playing half-filled rooms and earning his keep in free beer.

While The Ducks only lasted for a few months, they’d regularly play three or four shows a week during this period. Thankfully for Young, Blackburn took care of vocal duties. Therefore, he could stand back, allow somebody else to be the centre of attention, and focus on playing the guitar.

Young later reflected on the brief musical adventure to Mojo in 1995, “Oh, The Ducks was basically me having fun and taking a musical vacation. It was a great band, and a friend of mine managed them, so I got into them because it presented me with a perfect vehicle for playing in a band without being the leader or having to sing too many songs. I wrote a few songs with them, but I was really just the lead guitarist.”

Although they never officially recorded any material, after locals became aware of Young’s involvement with the group, it became the talk of the town and the local press, leading to their shows becoming overwhelmed by demand. However, one positive of the interest in The Ducks is that it led to a vast array of bootlegs that captured their performances.

They never performed outside of Santa Cruz; despite writing songs together, it never materialised. The Ducks abruptly ended after Young’s property was burgled, which led to him relocating and waving goodbye to Santa Cruz. Still, the band could have been much more than a “musical vacation” for the Canadian in another universe.

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