Hitchhiker is the thirty-eighth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young, released on September 8, 2017 on Reprise Records. Co-produced by Young and David Briggs with post-production from John Hanlon, the album was originally recorded on August 11, 1976 at Indigo Ranch Recording Studio in Malibu, California. Between 1975 and 1977, Young and producer David Briggs periodically conducted recording sessions at Indigo Ranch on nights of the full moon. These sessions took place during a particularly productive period for Young and yielded such songs as «Will to Love» and «Stringman». Briggs said of the time, «He'd turn to me and go, «Guess I’ll turn on the tap» - and then out came Powderfinger, Pocahontas, Out of the Blue, Ride My Llama. Two days, a day. I'm not talkin' about sittin' down with a pen and paper, I'm talkin' about pickin' up a guitar, sittin' there and lookin' me in the face and in twenty minutes - Pocahontas.»The songs on the album were recorded in a single night. In his memoir Special Deluxe, Young described the session, «It was a complete piece, although I was pretty stony on it, and you can hear it in my performances... I laid down all the songs in a row, pausing only for weed, beer, or coke. Briggs was in the control room, mixing live on his favorite console». Many of the songs would appear on future Young albums: «Pocahontas» is the same take used on Rust Never Sleeps sans overdubs; «Captain Kennedy» remains virtually unchanged from Hawks & Doves; «Campaigner» is presented in its unedited length with an additional verse as it appeared on the German release and test pressings of Decade but is otherwise unchanged; whereas the others appeared on American Stars 'n Bars, Comes a Time, Rust Never Sleeps, and Le Noise, albeit from different sessions and performances. Hitchhiker also contains a pair of never-before-released songs: «Hawaii» and «Give Me Strength», which Young has occasionally performed live. «Often, it feels as if Young is singing with no intention of his music being heard by a wider audience, but the presence of Briggs at the board means this doesn't sound like a ragged demo. Instead, Hitchhiker holds together as a mood piece, an album where Young slowly reckons with a new dawn after surviving a hectic mid-'70s. It is the epilogue to his «Ditch Trilogy», the descent into darkness that began with 1973's Time Fades Away and ended with 1975's Tonight's the Night, an album where the melancholy undercurrent never overwhelms the suggestion of cautious optimism. This delicate tone is what separates Hitchhiker from the shelved Chrome Dreams or Rust Never Sleeps, the two records that rely so heavily on shared material with this album. Those records are assured and confident, the work of somebody who has shaken off the ghosts who were stalking him. On Hitchhiker, Young still isn't certain if he's exorcized those demons, and that unease gives just enough complexity to the album's soothing ebb and flow». (From AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)Tracklist: [Title Original release Length]1. Pocahontas Rust Never Sleeps (1979), with overdubs - 3:27/2. Powderfinger Rust Never Sleeps (1979), recorded live with Crazy Horse - 3:22/3. Captain Kennedy Hawks & Doves (1980) - 2:51/4. Hawaii previously unreleased - 2:38/5. Give Me Strength previously unreleased - 3:40/6. Ride My Llama Rust Never Sleeps (1979), in a solo live performance - 1:50/7. Hitchhiker Le Noise (2010), recorded with electric guitar - 4:37/8. Campaigner Decade (1977), edited to remove a verse - 4:19/9. Human Highway Comes a Time (1978), recorded with band - 3:16/10. The Old Country Waltz American Stars 'n Bars (1977), recorded with Crazy Horse - 3:37Released: September 8, 2017/Recorded: August 11, 1976/Studio: Indigo Ranch Recording Studio in Malibu, California/Length: 33:44/Label: RepriseProducer: Neil Young & David Briggs; John Hanlon