Neil Young doesn't sit still. He can't. If he did, the rust would get him. That’s the whole philosophy, right? Rust Never Sleeps. But in the late 1980s, after a decade of fighting his own record label and drifting through synth-pop and rockabilly experiments, he found a specific kind of fire. He found it with a band called Neil Young and the Restless.
Most people missed it. Honestly, it was easy to miss. It wasn't a massive stadium tour or a blockbuster movie soundtrack. It was a five-song EP called Eldorado, released only in Japan and Australia back in 1989. For years, if you wanted to hear it, you had to be a "guy who knows a guy" or spend a fortune on eBay.
Why the "Restless" era changed everything
Before we had the polished, Grammy-nominated Freedom and the world-shaking "Rockin' in the Free World," we had this trio. The Restless. It was Neil, Rick Rosas on bass, and Chad Cromwell on drums. Just three guys.
The sound was feral.
It was the bridge between the weirdness of the 80s and the "Godfather of Grunge" status he’d claim in the 90s. If you listen to the tracks on Eldorado, you aren't hearing a folk singer. You’re hearing a man trying to burn his house down with a Fender Deluxe.
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Rick Rosas—lovingly called "Rick the Bass Player"—became Neil’s anchor for decades after this. Sadly, Rick passed away in 2014, but his work with Neil Young and the Restless remains some of the heaviest, most "pocket" playing in the entire discography. He and Cromwell provided a lean, mean foundation that didn't have the loose, swaying chaos of Crazy Horse. It was tighter. More dangerous.
The songs that stayed in the shadows
You’ve likely heard the song "Eldorado" on the Freedom album. But the version recorded by the Restless? It’s different. The mix is darker. The guitar work in the middle section feels like it's actually physically hurting the amplifier.
Then there are the "lost" tracks:
- Cocaine Eyes: This is Neil at his most jagged. It’s a mid-tempo cruncher that sounds like a panic attack in a garage.
- Heavy Love: It lives up to the name. It’s a blues-metal hybrid that shouldn't work, but because it’s Neil, it somehow does.
These tracks didn't make it onto Freedom. They stayed on that rare EP for decades until the Official Release Series finally brought them to the masses. Why did he hide them? Maybe they were too raw. Maybe he wanted to keep that specific energy in a bottle.
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Neil has always been a fan of the "limited release" move. It builds a myth.
The 2026 Connection: Is the spirit back?
Fast forward to today. It's 2026, and Neil is still out there. He’s currently touring with The Chrome Hearts. You’ve got Micah Nelson on guitar and the rhythm section from Promise of the Real. It feels like a spiritual successor to the Restless.
People always ask: "Is he going to play the rare stuff?"
At a recent show in Manchester, the energy was identical to those 1989 Hit Factory sessions. He isn't playing "Heart of Gold" for the millionth time just to please the crowd. He’s chasing a feeling. That restless spirit is why we still care about an 80-year-old man playing a black Les Paul.
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What you should actually do with this information
If you’re a casual fan, you probably think Neil Young is just the "Old Man" guy. You're wrong. To really get what makes him a legend, you have to go toward the noise.
- Find the Eldorado EP: Don't just stream Freedom. Go find the 2022 reissue of the Eldorado EP. Listen to "Cocaine Eyes" at a volume that makes your neighbors uncomfortable.
- Watch the 1989 live footage: There are bootlegs of Neil Young and the Restless playing in Japan. Look for the version of "On Broadway." It’s a cover, but they turn it into a sludge-rock masterpiece.
- Pay attention to Rick Rosas: If you play bass, or just like music that feels solid, listen to what Rick does. He never overplays. He just stays in that Restless groove.
Neil Young once said that "it's better to burn out than to fade away." By constantly changing his band names—from the Bluenotes to the Restless to the Chrome Hearts—he ensures he never does either. He just keeps moving.
The "Restless" era wasn't just a footnote. It was the moment Neil Young decided to become a guitar hero again. Without those five songs in 1989, we might never have gotten the 90s revival that defined his later career.
Go listen to the distortion. It’s good for you.
Actionable Insight: Start your deep dive with the Official Release Series Discs 13, 14, 20 & 21 box set. It contains the remastered Eldorado EP in the highest quality available. Pay close attention to the track "Don't Cry"—the Restless version is longer and features a guitar solo that was edited out of the Freedom version for being "too free-form."