New Neil Young Archives release: Roxy 1973

It makes no sense, Neil should release it as a standalone expanded 2CD set.

 

Yeah, Neil mentioned that to Rolling Stone awhile back and oh Lord, I hope they can still find a way to get that out because IT IS A MONSTER.

I'm certainly looking forward to the Roxy release, but I wince a little at the idea of a "pure" Tonight's the Night-only show ("Walk On" was recorded with the same musicians and was a contender for the album).

Purity is overrated! Of course Neil has often (mostly, even) felt the imperative to draw older, often more-established or more-popular songs into setlists based on a (then) current concept. It's a simple urge (or need?) to connect with, as well as challenge, his audiences. And while he sometimes--in interviews and onstage--seems to disdain that process, I think it's actually an outlet for some of his greatest conceptual and curatorial strengths. When he has something strong going on, be it Tonight's the Night, or Rust Never Sleeps, or Freedom, or Greendale, the stage shows pull older tunes into the themes and the vibe of the current work. It winds up enriching the "oldies," and usually strengthens and sharpens (or artfully complicates) what he has going on at the moment. More than a simple desire to hear "oldies," I'm always fascinated and inspired to hear him weave together old and new in his setlists. It's a beautiful patchwork art all its own...

And so it is with Rainbow and the shows from the Flyers' tour "proper." Sure, the older material is a kind of payoff to a baffled audience. But it is FREAKING GLORIOUS. Soiled by Miami Beach sleaze and despair--and offering a beautiful counterpoint. So I hope desperately that Rainbow is still in their thinking...

The staggering nine-minute-plus Young-Lofgren-Keith "Helpless" begins at 1:16:20

 

Fair enough - though I doubt Neil will be pressing copies of everything that goes on the site. Could be wrong of course.

 

When McDonough wrote Shakey, the information he was given by Joel Bernstein was that there were no recordings of the shows after the Roxy series:

"The only live shows Young recorded are at the Roxy, before the band truly caught fire".

It's possible McDonough was mistaken, or even more plausibly, a tape surfaced after the book was written. But in which case, why not release the Rainbow gig instead, or a compilation of the two (rather than having two separate and very-similar live releases from the same period)?

It makes me wonder if the copy of the Rainbow gig in the Young Archives is "just" a cleaned up version of an audience tape, like their copy of Bottom Line 1974.

 

I don’t care. I choose to focus on what I’m getting instead of what I might not be getting. I think this release is very exciting. Neil doesn’t owe you or me one damn thing.

 

You’re living in a dreamland

 

I don’t care how much the vinyl costs for this, I am preordering the moment it’s available.

 

I am delighted this is being released but I wonder what weird and wonderful (not!) packaging they will come up with for the CD this time?

 

we all have dreams.....................

 

Great points all around-- and thanks for the upload.

 

Just been listening to one of the live Cowgirls with the Santa Monica Flyers, and I think it probably worked better for a live audience (desperately waiting for some songs they knew) or on a raw concert bootleg than it would do on a curated live record.

Neil uses his records to evoke a mood, and I think Cowgirl would probably clash with The Tonight's The Night feel that will of course dominate this album.

Kind of like he didn't want to put the New York 1985 version of Down By The River on A Treasure, 'cause it was a distraction from what the album was about.

 

re complete show - Neil has never released a complete show. Not sure why anyone would be expecting one now.

 

Perhaps you should consider more drastic measures : going on a hunger strike might just do the trick ! "Jewel case or death !"

 

Someone from his camp was a member here on the forum under the name Archives Guy.

 

That's almost impressive.

 

Still haven't forgiven him for leaving "Cinnamon Girl" off the Fillmore East cd.
And don't get me started on Neil and The Ducks at the Catalyst.

 

The rest of that one was a compilation, too. Likewise for Massey Hall.

 

The thing I find strange about Neil's ways with his live archives is that they're instant profit for him, yet he holds them back for no good reason. The audience is there and waiting, the material is all worth putting out, there's no downside to releasing it or just starting a monthly subscription service. His audience is still into physical media ('cause we're all so freakin' old) and would lap it up. At some point or another the quality control/control freak thing just starts to be self defeating.

 

Of course it's confusing, but at the same time there's countless examples of this everywhere. More artists are withholding with their archives than not.

 

Usually that's about money when it comes to studio work. But live? Doesn't Neil own all this stuff? Makes no sense at all.

 

You can download time fades away cd off amazon

 

You've already got the original artwork, though, haven't you? Why do you need to have it again?

I can guarantee that when TFA eventually comes out, it will come out in a slightly different sized digipak which people will still complain about. Oh, it doesn't match all my other Neil Young CDs! Seriously, some of you need to worry about more important things!

 

Don't mind rjp, he's only happy when he's unhappy.

 

I can understand why he left it off after hearing it. I believe it was made available as a download.

 

correct

and neil young satisfies that need quite often.

be honest:

do you think that neil himself actually knows what goes on?

or is it eliot roberts?

or someone we have no idea even exists?

that keeps doing all these weird things with his music.