"Third Man Records unearths Neil Young's 'A Letter Home', read a posting on Young's website. "An unheard collection of rediscovered songs from the past recorded on ancient electro mechanical technology captures and unleashes the essence of something that could have been gone forever." The message was mysteriously credited to Homer Grosvenor, possibly one of Young's aliases.

In January, Neil described the project as "one of the lowest-tech experiences I've ever had." The album was recorded at Third Man Records in a refurbished 1947 Voice-o-Graph vinyl recording booth.