Alchemy COULD come out in 2019, if all goes as planned. And probably last CH live album too. Can't wait that long :-(. But then again... I've been waiting since 2012 . Neil Young Archives
Don't know if they are ready or not. But you know that some things NY says need to be taken with a grain of salt. Couple of months he said that "four or five Crazy Horse albums that have never been heard, are sitting there ready to come out". I will see what comes. Alchemy is the one thing I am really, eagerly looking forward to. I am used to the mixed messages and all but if Alchemy would never come out, it will be a really big disappointment for me.
Early Daze, Odeon-Budokan, Toast and Alchemy are probably lined up as far as what goes on it, they just need to be tweaked for release.
Just my personal opinion, but I'm glad it's looking like we won't be seeing or hearing Alchemy for a while. There's so much historically better material to hear, some of which we may have not actually heard yet. Alchemy is fine for those who like the more recent extended and distorted Crazy Horse vibe, but really, it feels like that tour just ended, doesn't it? It's not exactly revelatory in any way or from the vaults. The tour was fine for what it was, but it isn't worth a look back yet as if it was some stellar experience. Yes, there were good moments from each show and the tour overall, but Walk Like a Giant is surely a candidate for the worst live song Neil and CH ever performed. It's brutal (not in a good way)... I'm glad that it sounds like Neil is hedging his bet on its release. It "COULD" come out in 2019--in other words, don't expect it. Early Daze and Odeon/Budokan, etc surely have more merit at this time, both historically and content wise. Alchemy can wait....and wait. An archival release from 2013 is largely an oxymoron. Someday it will be archival, but for now, it's just recent history... But, thank you Neil for the archives site. I generally like what I've seen so far and look forward to the pay model and especially the mobile app. "Good times are coming, I hear it everywhere I go"... NYF
The Paradox soundtrack was also released under an 'Archives' series title, yet it is from this year... I believe the Archives Performance Series is just a name for his live albums that were not released at the time of the tours, recent or not. The last live CH album is already from 2006 and that is the only CH album so far in the PS. No CH live albums have been released from recent tours, last one is Year Of The Horse and that is already 21 years old. I like the extended and distorted CH vibe. It is the period I got into NY and became a fan. Psychedelic Pill was basically my introduction to NY (& CH). That is 6 years ago. So for me personally it seems ages and I think it is high time for a new CH live release .
I know a lot of people really like the "newer" extended and distorted CH vibe, and I don't feel great when I criticize it, but occasionally I just have to get in a few words. And yes, the whole Archives Performance Series, etc. approach has its rhyme and reason, but in typical Neil fashion, it's a little inscrutable. My venting is over for now. I like the archives and just want it to succeed, regardless of what I'd prefer to see and hear and when and in what format. It's all Neil, all the time, and that's a good thing in my book! NYF
Wow! Thanks for reminding me of this. I checked the archives out when it first opened, haven't been back since. It's now bookmarked.
Yea, I stopped checking it out too for a good while, but I'm getting back in the habit of checking out the main page every day or two. You never know when ole' Neil chooses to post something... NYF
It sounds like Songs For Judy will be released before Alchemy, from what I read on Thrasher's Wheat. I was streaming some tunes on the Times-Contrarion and man, I've never heard heart of Gold sound that good. Hi rez deniers should listen to that.
It sounds better 'cause it's mastered "better" than the original. The 320kbps mp3 included with the blu-ray set sounds equally as good through my Sennheiser HD600s. Alchemy will be good fun I reckon - not necessarily "the best Crazy Horse tour of all time", all things considered, but it's easy to overstate the "sludge-fest" angle with regards to this tour. It's only really the ending to Walk Like A Giant that gets a bit dull, and the rest of that song is fantastically intense. There were plenty of more conventional songs/performances too, and many were very powerful. Unfortunately, it's the "thump thump thump" that gets remembered. The tour is represented fairly poorly on the internet (a couple of underwhelming webcasts, while the best shows and songs exist only as mediocre audience films), so I think an official release has an important role to play, even for such a recent tour.
i am finding it easier to not worry about the NYA labelling discrepancies. thinking about how an album counts as an ORS or PSA or SRS makes my head spin. like, why is massey hall a PSA if some of the tracks were intended to come out as a live album back in the day? why is paradox an SRS when it's a soundtrack, but dead man is ORS? it makes no sense, but i love it. i think songs for judy will be a PSA if odeon is a PSA, or it'll be a straight up archives disc ala north country or topanga 2.
Dead Man = ORS because it's an 'original' album released back in the day. Why Paradox is an SRS is a mystery to me too. And Massye Hall is a PS disk because it only came out couple of years ago and not at the time of the tour... (at least that's what I think) Odeon/Budokan is going to be an SRS too according to various messages in the past (Thrashers wheat for example: Neil Young News: Archives Volume #2 Update & NYA Special Release Series ). It's NY logic!
As a Crazy Horse and Neil Young fanatic I cannot wait for Alchemy. I loved Walk Like A Giant, Hurricane and other extended distortion breaks. The complete power of that band when they are in that zone is my happy place. What Neil has described sounds amazing and worth the wait. The big question for me is will there be a Neil Young archival release before Christmas? Who knows.
if the subscriptions come out in november like they’ve been mentioned to, then i think we’ll get songs for judy on NYA with a CD release next year.
The upside is that A Treasure, Bluenote Cafe, Freedom, Ragged Glory, Weld, Harvest Moon, Dreamin' Man '92 and Sleeps With Angels actually sound great. Deny that, deniers!
Per today's Contrarian, the video for Alchemy is being worked on now. It also sounds like this will be the last live album from them. NY-"If all goes as planned, Alchemy could come out in 2019".
For anyone looking for this -- including me -- here is the website for the NY Contrarian (I think): Neil Young Archives
1. too far gone/songs for judy rap 2. too far gone 3. no one seems to know. 4. heart of gold 5. white line 6. love is a rose 7. after the goldrush 8. human highway 9. tell me why 10. mr soul 11. mellow my mind 12. give me strength 13. a man needs a maid 14. roll another number (for the road) 15. journey thru the past 16. harvest 17. campaigner 18. old laughing lady 19. needle and the damage done 20. the losing end 21. here we are in the years 22. pocahontus 23. sugar mountain
Of all the releases Neil has teased us about and all we’ve been focused on in terms of 70s archival material, who would have thunk the first two out of the gate would be acoustic recordings from late-summer/fall of 76? When he first mentioned the Judy album on TC, he said one song would not be solo acoustic. But this track list seems to be exactly the same as the Bernstein tapes. Could he be holding one back for exclusive archive content?
I only see one that’s never been on an official release, no one seems to know. How are you defining unreleased?
