Neil Young’s catalogue isn’t easy to cover, it’s jagged, intimate, occasionally cantankerous, but producer Niko Bolas and musician Dave Resnik pull it off without sterilising the spirit. Heart of Gold Volume 1, a benefit album for The Bridge School, features Fiona Apple, The Doobie Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Eddie Vedder and others recording Neil’s songs live, capturing that fragile magic his followers live for.
As co-founders of Cinema Music Group, they channel decades of music-making into a raw and reverent collection. Dave Resnik talks here about what it means to reinterpret a legend, why emotion beats perfection, and how to keep the flame lit without burning the map.
Neil Young’s catalogue is very varied. What’s the thread you saw that made it ripe for this kind of reimagining, and were you surprised by how the artists interpreted that mission?
Neil’s music was the thread. Every artist on this record is a fan of Neil’s music. I think some of the song choices the artists made and decided to cover are evidence of that. Some of the songs used are hidden deep in Neil’s catalogue but we let the artists pick each song on their own and we realised that there were songs you wouldn’t expect or don’t instantly think of that were being chosen. It just re-solidifies that music has the ability to reach others in different ways but it connects all of us.
What made Heart of Gold Volume 1 the “most ambitious yet”? Was it the scale, the roster, or the emotional weight of working with Neil’s blessing for The Bridge School?
The Bridge School concerts ran for almost 30 years. They were an example of the power of music for a good cause. Not only that but they also felt like a celebration of the Bridge School and all the amazing things The Bridge School does. It was ambitious because not only is this a pretty major undertaking with artists like Brandi Carlile, Fiona Apple, The Doobie Brothers etc (artists we all love) but we wanted it to also feel like a celebration as well, not a chore. We found all the artists through word of mouth, some we reached out to directly, some we knew the producer who produced the last record etc and I think a few we even approached through the guitar tech! It meant the whole project had this organic feel to it, friends helping friends. When you look at the Bridge School concerts they kind of ran the same way (for 30 years!). We were lucky because despite the sheer volume of songs, artists and schedules the whole thing has felt like a celebration of Neil’s music and The Bridge School.
In a world of infinite takes and digital polish, why does recording live in the room still feel like the real thing, and how did that ethos shape the soul of this record?
It’s the energy in the room. If you record multiple takes and edit everything in post it loses that magic. I think we’re headed the same way with AI in the creative space. A computer can’t actually understand what it’s like to feel heartbreak. That’s an extreme example here, but when you record with a vocalist you often find that emotion is captured in the first full take, it can get lost in the digital polish and then you lose that feeling and that magic. Just listen to Nina Simone or Etta James. Neil’s a 1 take guy too, mistakes and all. I think when you’re making a record of Neil’s songs you kind of have to respect his own process and record everything the same way, it’s what has made his records and songs stand the test of time.
Each artist chose their own Neil Young song. Did any of the choices surprise you, either because of the track itself or the way they made it their own?
We were surprised by some of the song choices. Brandi Carlile performed “Philadelphia” which was a song Neil wrote for the film. It’s only featured on the movie’s soundtrack so I don’t think any of us were expecting that. Her vocals on that track are devastating, it’s so hauntingly beautiful.
Fiona Apple, The Doobie Brothers, Eddie Vedder, Brandi Carlile, this isn’t your average covers compilation. How did you assemble such a cross-generational cast and get them to buy into the same stripped-down philosophy?
In terms of assembling the artists on this record, a lot of them either knew Neil in some way or had mentioned in various interviews about being a fan of his music, quite a few of the artists had also performed at the Bridge School benefit concerts. The stripped down philosophy kind of happened naturally. There’s a lot of space in the arrangements on Neil’s recordings. The melodies and the lyrics lend themselves to that and we found that in a lot of these reimagined versions the artists leaned into the same stripped-down philosophy.
You have already raised over $100,000 for The Bridge School. Beyond the numbers, what does it mean to you personally to make music that gives back?
Everything. If music has the ability to bring people together in such amazing ways, why not use music to do something good?
CMG are becoming known as “the cover guys.” Do you wear that as a badge of honour, or is it just the prelude to something original and even riskier?
I think we’ve just enjoyed the process of making this record so much. We’ve been working on these songs that we really love and it’s been such a joyful experience to do that with such a talented lineup of artists. I think we’d like to keep going and just have fun with it.
What’s the balance between capturing nostalgia and challenging it? Did you want these versions to comfort longtime fans or make them hear something new?
The songs are comforting to most of us in their own right. We’ve grown up listening to them. There’s not many people who don’t instantly recognize “Heart of Gold” or “Harvest Moon” when they hear it. Stephen Marley’s version of “Old Man” is great example of a song on this record that anyone would recognize but it’s been reimagined with this Reggae feel. It’s hard not to like Stephen’s version. It’s definitely something new but its comforting all the same because that Reggae feel is so laid back, it’s such a feel good track.
Do you think Neil Young fans are more protective of his work than most, and if so, how did you tread the line between reverence and boldness?
We’re big fans of Neil’s work too so it was important for us to get this right. Luckily Niko’s worked with Neil for the last 35 years and that meant we were able to produce and mix the tracks within the same mindset.
With Volumes 2 and 3 on the horizon, how do you keep the fire alive without repeating yourself?
Neil’s catalogue is extensive and eclectic. There’s so many more songs and so many more artists across the next 2 volumes. The talent really is just immense. We’re all doing this for The Bridge School because there’s more work to be done!
Further information
Vol. 1 of Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young is available for streaming
Proceeds from the album benefit The Bridge School in Hillsborough, California.
