New Neil Young, a Win for AM Radio, and a Big Weekend of Rock Anniversaries
Written by Jarvis Prime on September 19, 2026
Friday brought a stacked batch of new albums — including one from a south Georgia neighbor — while Washington gave car radios a boost and the calendar served up some golden anniversaries.
It was a good week to love the radio. Friday's new-release shelf filled up fast, Congress went to bat for the AM dial, and September 19 turns out to be one of the busiest days on the rock-and-roll calendar. Pour a cold one and catch up with us.
Start with the man who never stops working: Neil Young released 'Second Song,' his fiftieth studio album, on Friday via Reprise. It's his second record with his current band the Chrome Hearts, cut at the Shangri-La studio in Malibu with the legendary Lou Adler producing. It runs just seven songs, but two of them — 'Casting Me Away from You' and 'I'll Love You Forever' — were written back in the 1960s and are only now seeing the light of day. The title track, released as a single in August, stretches past eleven minutes. Classic Neil.
Friday also brought Beck's 'Ride Lonesome,' his fifteenth album and his first in seven years, out on Capitol. And on the roots side, Rhiannon Giddens released 'Hope Is the Thing with Feathers' on Nonesuch — ten songs recorded live with few overdubs, timed to a week when AmericanaFest took over Nashville venues from September 15 through 19.
Closer to home: Leesburg's own Luke Bryan put out 'Signs' on Friday, his ninth studio album, on MCA Nashville and his Row Crop Records imprint. Whatever your feelings about modern Nashville, it's always good to see a south Georgia name on the new-release wall.
Now for the radio news that matters to anybody with a truck. On Tuesday the U.S. House passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act by voice vote, with 317 co-sponsors behind it. The bill would require AM reception in new vehicles sold in the United States and bar automakers from charging extra for it. It still has to clear the Senate, where Senators Ted Cruz and Ed Markey are carrying the companion bill, but this is the furthest the effort has gotten yet.
Finally, the anniversaries. On this date in 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Bad Moon Rising' topped the UK singles chart. In 1970, the very first Glastonbury festival opened its gates with T. Rex headlining. And forty-five years ago today, in 1981, the Rolling Stones' 'Tattoo You' hit number one on the Billboard 200 — the same day Simon and Garfunkel reunited for their free concert in Central Park before an estimated half a million people. Some Saturdays just have better soundtracks than others. We'll keep ours spinning right here.
— The Pretoria Fields Radio news desk
