It only came out yesterday and there are ten discs’ worth, so I haven’t given it the requisite six listens – in fact I haven’t even got to the end yet – but boy does it contain some gems so far.
I’m not one of the people who shelled out for the sold out ‘deluxe’ CD box set and nor will I be forking out for the ‘retail’ edition at £120 – for which you get three discs most NY fans, or at least those who prefer to obtain the physical product, will have already bought (Homegrown, Tuscaloosa and Live at the Roxy).
But then, I’m happy to stream. NYA2 is yet to appear on Spotify so its over to Neil’s dedicated streaming service on his Neil Young Archives website, which I’ve resisted till now. I initially baulked at signing up for a paid service (charging for music, in this day and age!) but it’s just $1.99 a month, so over the course of a year not much more than you’d have paid for a couple of CDs in the old days.
The player is a bit glitchy and clunky and there’s no option of creating playlists, which I thought I’d need given how patchy the first Archives set was. But NYA2 is beautifully sequenced and the ‘rarities’ seldom disappoint. Many of them I’d heard in some form or other via various bootlegs over the years, so it’s lovely to finally hear songs like Pushed It Over the End, the CSNY version of Human Highway and Love/Art Blues in pristine quality – but there are real surprises too.
Is anyone else listening to Archives 2?
I am confused, isn’t most of it previously released stuff, including those discs you mention?
63 “previously unreleased” songs. Admittedly in most cases this means an alternate version of a song that has been released – but often they are sufficiently different to be worth bothering with. In this case ‘unreleased’ doesn’t simply mean a live version – indeed often the reverse is true, so what you get here are original studio cuts of songs that have otherwise only appeared across his live albums.
There are 12 songs that have been unreleased in any version and while some of these might have been better left that way, some are very very good indeed. At least to these ears, on the strength of my not-quite-6-listens.
If you have any interest at all in Neil Young, at $1.99 Archives 2 is well worth dipping into and way, way better than NYA1.
Thanks, does sound better than Archives 1, and this is really an amazing period in his career.
thats just glorious.
I know some folks are a bit sniffy about unreleased material (there is a reason it wasn’t released etc) but they’re mostly civilians so who cares.
I think things like this are like an old grainy photo, so evocative and raw. It shows how it came out of his head and before it was coated in the production techniques du jour.
In some cases, eg More Blood, More Tracks, I find they become my go-to version.
Neil’s outtakes from his golden period are incredible. I think same thing applies for Dylan. Probably both somewhat haphazard in their recording processes. When it is more polished like the Fabs the final products were the best by some distance.
Then there is Springsteen who routinely recorded 60-80 tracks for an album and then released 12 or so. Quality not always being the deciding factor in what went on the album, the “narrative” being more important.
I bought the Big Box (second release: box due in march) and to my surprise and relief my hi-res download code arrived by email at 3am Saturday morning. The download site is a bit clunky but I got it sorted in the end and put it all on my Pono.
I listened to it for about 6 hours last night. It is wonderful, and much, much better than Archives I. It is also very intelligently curated into 10 discs/sections. It shines a light on Neil’s 1970s body of work. I am in awe of just how great this collection is. I haven’t heard it all yet: I started to listen to it all in order but moved on to cherry picking. I ended my evening by listening to the Dume and Odeon Budokan sets in their entirety. It is impossible to pick highlights as everything is incredible. It even made me rethink my opinion of the Stills Young Band LP as the alternate versions on here are so very good. It’s been a long wait but worth it.
Great. Put it on your Pono? Neil would be so proud of you!
Wow. Such dedication to one artist. I am often baffled and yet maybe a little bit envious when I come across a passion.
Good review in this morning’s Guardian. As always, the CIF comments are better than the article
Wonder why this didn’t get a big Afterword review, instead of another Iron Maiden live album.
Have er … managed to find a version of this, will start listening today.
Because the record company wouldn’t let us have it – do feel free to write one for us though.
Ah, we only review what The Record Company sends us? We’re like free spirits, we are.
Anyone is free to contribute whatever they want…….
A mean spirited comment from me for which I apologise.
Just weakened and bought the second run which comes out in early March
Just weakened and bought the second run which comes out in early March
‘Charging for music in this day and age?’ – what, they should let us have it for free? God knows why they would still keep making it were that the case.
From the upcoming Down in the Rust Bucket live set
Archives II – just arrived on Friday and started delving into the seven (of ten) discs I don’t have yesterday.
Sounds and (looks) absolutely stunning. Only cavil I would have is why no full set of NY’s shows at Hammersmith Odeon in March 76? Having been at the Tues or Weds night (smack in the centre of the third row from the front, it’s up there with Bruce at Manchester Apollo (May 81) and Van at the Dominion (March 83 or 84) it’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
If you’re wavering (as I was due to having truckloads of Neil live and outtake bootlegs from around this time), it’s Neil at his absolute peak. Best of all, the tax dodgers have just come back to me and given me a £19 refund on the pre-issue price! All of which I just spent on Down in The Rust Bucket (also getting rave reviews)
Despite my initial reluctance at forking out for about four albums I’d already bought, I was greatly impressed with A V2 when I finally took the plunge.
So much so that I instantly began regretting not getting A V1. On Saturday, I picked up a nearly new copy for £140. Given that sellers are asking as much as £500, I think that’s a pretty good deal.
Anyone here got A V1 and agree/disagree?
I got the used DVD version earlier this year for about 120 pounds ($200 CAD), it is amazing, almost too much to do. Wish I had it on Blu-ray, rumours it may be re-released later this year, whether that would be in 3 different formats remains to be seen if indeed it happens. But I wish he had done a similar thing for Archives 2
The NY BluRays are very, very good. My copy of Prairie Wind came with a BluRay recording of the album and the sonic quality is just out of this world