Comment of the Moment: The Archives Release Delayed Until 2008

The Comment of the Moment on The Archives Release Delayed Until 2008 by RDR who wrote:

My guess at this point, something else will be taking the Archives' release of Q407, while I wouldn't guarantee anything, Neil might be conjuring something up to release in the realm of an actual creative album, since LWW was less artistically inclined, really the last purely muse inspired work he did was Prairie Wind. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a brand new album sometime before the year is up, but then again we may see nothing at all, and it could be a genuinely deserved push back (DOUBT IT OH SO MUCH). I think Neil really doesn't want to release it, because when he does, it's like he's saying "alright, I'm finished with new material, now we have to completely focus on the old", and that's something he's said he hates, is putting a nail into the coffin of his artistic career. And this first release has got to be the one he is most obsessed with perfecting, because he has said before his very early work (excepting buffalo springfield and crazy horse) is something he is not at all fond of.

As far as a tour goes, if Stephen Stills can still tour, Neil's perfectly capable, the rumor was that this year he had osteoporosis and was working on rebuilding bone mass, so he should be back next year, not to mention last year's CSNY tour was extremely extensive, and that's the reason his Reprise publicist gave.

I imagine Neil's got 10 more years of tour left in him, but his releases will definitely slow down, and I believe Reprise already said before there would be no accompanying tour FOR the archives specifically. And we all know Neil hates to be a nostalgia act, so he'll tour when he's got new songs to sing; even with EuroTour '01 he had 4 songs from Are You Passionate? to give some new material.

My final reasoning is that the push back means one of three things:
1. Neil is working on something new now and the archives are secondary to new material always.
2. A major change in the structure of Archives Vol. 1 has been initiated by Neil and requires a significant reworking of what was probably a near-finished project.
3. The most unlikely, that Neil needs a break and is vacationing for a period with his family outside California (he has homes in Florida and Hawaii[?]). Neil has such a perverse work ethic though, and since he's not touring, I doubt he's shooting off in prime working season to relaxe, that's what he probably does in winter.

My 2 cents.

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