A NYA Blu-Ray Preview

Neil Young Archives Preview Blu-Ray Disc

Well, do you beleive in miracles? There are actual sightings of Neil Young fans with copies of Archives Preview Blu-Ray Discs in their hands. Apparently, shipments started this week and have been hitting mailboxes over the past few days.

Here's a preview report from Scott Waller in Nashville, TN:

Many of us have waited patiently for the Neil Archives for almost 20 years. We have learned to take most updates and tentative release dates with a grain of salt.

Well, I must say that when the Archives were made available for pre-order on his record label's site, I saw this as a big step forward, so I took the plunge and preordered my BluRay copy. Pre Order customers are supposed to receive a "Preview Disk" before the Archives set hits the streets. I received my pre-order Preview Disk in the mail yesterday (04/29/09).

Time to dive into the Archives Preview disk, and give you a little review.

Format: BluRay (PS3 player, connected to the internet)
Time: 48:15 minutes:seconds

After it starts up, there are new materials to download.

The Time Line menu bar is here. You can go all the way back to 1940, and see highlights of his youth, class photos, when he formed his early bands, world historical events. The first "active" material is early 1965 during his Squires years. "I Wonder" by the Squires. Audio over still photos of the band. WOW....this is the origins of his Zuma tune "Don't Cry No Tears".....

The Time Line menu carry's on thru the years...and I'll skip its events, up to the end of 1973. Many events identified thru this time.
Next, the Biography. Full family historical info, just like in his father's book "Neil and Me". Just one page though, just to give you a taste.

Disc Credits - one page.

Song Selection - this takes you to the Filing Cabinet menu system that you probably have seen before. Songs included on this sampler, and the multimedia:

Aurora multimedia includes first known picture of the band together, as well video of Neil explaining how he wrote the music out and mailed it to himself to save his copywright protection. Wise beyond his years, even at an early age! There's a review from his highschool newspaper, a radio station play list and a photo of the 45" single.

Sultan - audio, video of Neil showing him open the actual letter he mailed to himself in July 1963. This envelope has never been
opened. Also, pictures of the original recorded tape box and the 45.

These are the remaining songs on this sampler, all with the similar collections of multimedia goodies that I noted in Aurora and Sultan.

Songs: I Wonder, Mustang, I'll Love You Forever, I Can't Cry, Hello Lonely Woman, Casting Me Away From You, There Goes My Babe, Sugar Mountain, Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing, Runaround Babe, The Ballad of Peggy Grover, The Rent is Always Due, Extra Extra.

Navigation throughout the whole application is very intuitive.

So there is a factual review of the Archives Sampler disk. You do get a sense of why this has been so many years in the making.

Do the Archives seem any closer to a reality? They do to me....I think its time to let go and actually get excited about the Archives.

Scott Waller - Nashville, TN

Thanks Scott!

So, is it possible that hell just might really freeze over on June 2???



If you believe in miracles, then this article on The Blu-Ray Bandwagon may be of interest.

As for us here at Thrasher's Wheat? We're not on the bandwagon. yet. Because, we have all been here before. We have all been here before. We have all been here before.

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