Neil Young
Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972)
Rating: 3.0
Label: Reprise Records
For many Neil Young fans, this is a day we thought would never come. Rumored for more than 20 years, the first volume of Young's Archives series has finally hit shelves. After years of rumors, false starts and even a fan-created Archives Be Damned set (an essential five-disc bootleg), the first of the series has arrived. Available in ten-disc Blu-Ray and standard DVD versions (as well as an eight-disc audio-only CD version), Archives collects sound, vision and video from the first nine years of Young's musical career.
Packaged in a lush set with a book and other goodies (we only received promo discs for review), Young intends to open up the possibilities of the music box set. Each disc is crammed with bonuses like timelines, video clips, archival newspaper clippings and studio outtakes. Navigating through just one disc can take hours. But aside from the monstrous price tag, what is there to gripe about?
The positives first. It is obvious that a lot of love and care went into generating this set. We see footage of Young and archivist/sycophant Joel Bernstein from 1997 as they sift through photos and memorabilia. The sound quality is fantastic. For those of us who have had first generation copies of Young's early albums for decades, the sonic upgrade here is phenomenal. Listening to "Down By the River" in 5.1 is quite the experience. Young's attempt to make the extras interactive are likewise rewarding. Many of the discs house hidden bonuses, such as footage of a youthful Young berating a confused record clerk about the evils of bootlegs.
My biggest problem with this set is its intent. Who is it for? Most hardcore Young fans will already own a good percentage of the material contained within. Sure, the music from the pre-Buffalo Springfield Squires is interesting and the inclusion of Young's "art" film Journey Through the Past may thrill hardcore fans, but the rest of the discs consist of either previously released live performances (save one early one) or a pastiche of studio recordings or outtakes. I'm sure we all have our own perceptions of what would be the perfect Archives (I would put the studio albums on complete, garnished with outtakes, live shows and video), but Young has always operated in strange ways and it is no use questioning the track listing.
So the Archives are caught in a strange no-man's land. Too expensive for the curious beginner and too heavy on previously released material for the superfan, just who is this set for? In a hidden clip Young more or less says, "Fuck the audience." Obviously much love and time went into the Archives and this isn't a mere "fuck you" cash grab. Yet, in a time where our economy is struggling, who but the richest fans can afford to spend $200 or more on a set that is anything but essential?
There is no denying that Young is a consummate artist and re-listening to songs from After the Gold Rush and Harvest confirms the indelible nature of his work. It is still somewhat inexplicable to offer a set that features 90% of Everybody Knows This is Nowhere all out of sequence. Young is more protective of his legacy than most artists as he constantly rails about bootleggers and his fan base on the internet. Most will just be relieved they lived to see the day of this set's release. Despite my gripes, I'm still looking forward to Vol. 2. Hopefully it won't be another 20 years until we see it.
by David Harris