Thought of the Moment: Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976) Boxset
OK, it's been about 2 weeks now since the Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976) boxset was released on Nov. 20.
While we realize that many in the U.K. are still awaiting delivery, we here at TW did receive our boxset last week and have been enjoying immensely the immersion into the book, files and various ephemera.
Our little box at the top of the stairs
Here is a Thought of the Moment on Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976) by tomatron:
The Old Homestead album is phenomenal!
Recorded during the same period [as Homegrown] , covering many of the same themes, both albums are equally breakup records, it’s just that Homegrown was assembled to be a proper album and The Old Homestead is more a sequential presentation.
But I really do think of them as alternate versions of the other. They complement each other so well.
Thanks tomatron! Yes, agree about Homegrown and The Old Homestead making for interesting compare and contrast listening.
So what are others thoughts thus far on NYA#2? (Aside from the understood unhappiness in U.K. Best of luck over there mates. Hope you guys can join in our fun soon.)
Also, see Review of the Moment: Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976).
Book Fold Out: Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976)
via Rusted Moon
More on Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976) Boxsets Begin to Arrive Around the EARTH.
Also, see Neil Young Archives: The Next 10 Years (2010-2020) – A Retrospective by Lone Red Rider.
Also, see Comment of the Moment: Pre-Order - Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976).
Labels: archives, neil young, neil young archives, nya
by thrasher@PermaLink: 12/02/2020 03:45:00 PM
15 comments
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Here are a couple quick thoughts from a full weekend of listening:
1. Lookout For My Love - I think this is the album version and could verify if I had my book in front of me (but alas I'm at work) anyways, this is such a standout song. I've really only ever heard the two versions of it (Unplugged and Comes a Time) but it is so good. I think Neil agrees because he named the disc after it. Are there any alternate/live versions people can recommend? Or is this just one of those songs where they hit it so far out of the park on the take they gave us that it was never worth the effort to try it again? Thoughts?
2. Shout outs and Crowd noise on the Odeon part of Odeon Budokan - I love how Neil left the obnoxious crowd requests between songs on this disc. Unfortunately, this is just part of the live concert experience and it gets amplified in the acoustic setting. Hearing it in-between songs and hearing Neil ask them to appoint a leader to make the song requests on behalf of all of them is funny.
3. Too Far Gone - I've seen a lot of Neil Young concerts in my day so there aren't too many songs left on this list, but currently the song at the top of the "Neil Young songs I've never heard live and really need to" is Too Far Gone. I always loved the album version on Freedom and I'm really loving and appreciating the way he performs it solo acoustic in some of the takes on Archives vol 2 and also songs for Judy. Maybe one day we'll get to go to live concerts again and I'll get to hear him sing it.
As always, love the archives, love Neil, love Thrasher's Wheat. Stay safe everyone!
From romat73 bumped from another thread
I’m loving all the studio outakes on the Old Homestead disc too.
I’ve just been listening to that one disc for days now. The 2 live CSN&Y tracks in the middle are nice too.
Tom, this is why the acoustic Odeon set is such a keeper for me, despite it covering many of the same bases as Songs for Judy. The unimaginably loud male British voice intoning I AM A CHILD PLEASE TONIGHT NEIL is essential audio and I can’t see myself ever tiring of it.
If you are loving Too Far Gone live as much as I am right now, make sure to check out the full show from the Live Freedom tour they posted on the timeline - only available on the desktop version of NYA. That gig is by far my favorite of the newly unveiled concert requests, Many of those Freedom songs don’t show up too often, and the lineup of only Neil, Sampedro, and Keith is unique. And that plastic-y late 80s acoustic tone of his has even grown on me too! Probably because that sound had disappeared by the time Harvest Moon arrived, so it too is rare.
Review coming to everybodysdummy.com Friday.
The guy at Hammersmith Odeon shouted for I Am A Child on all 4 nights but he was right out of luck. I remember it vividly. Great shows and the best I've seen.
Its so late in the UK that mine is getting wrapped and put under the tree, thats assuming of course it arrives by then.
I've now got the HiRes downloads and its just magnificent. I'm shifting between Dume, The Old Homestead, Look Out For My Love and Everybody's Alone for which disc gets the most airtime. Very hard to pick out highlights due the the stellar line up. Though in no particular order at the moment enjoying these;
Frozen Man
LA Girls and Ocean Boys
Separate Ways
Daughters
Born To Run
Though this list will change next week I expect.
@ Tom - some good observations. thanks for sharing.
Right, TFG in concert would be a treat. but you need the whole Miami Beach vibe thing going for max impact.
@ tomatron - good point on Songs for Judy and while overlapping, again offer another unique perspective on the mid-70's gusher.
@ wardo - definitely looking fwd to. pls be sure to drop link here on TW and we'll feature.
@ Unknown - so, you were there for all 4 nights?! wow. that sort of thing of seeing multiple shows back to back wasn't done too often back in the day. very cool. pls share more sometime.
@ ANDREW - again, sorry to her you and others in UK are having such difficulties. definitely a shame when you guys should be enjoying.
good luck. while not being most helpful here, we can say it will be worth the wait to see that little box at the top of the stairs.
Yes I was there for all 4. Only just got the Sunday show as it was announced late and they had a few £2 standing tickets left at the box office. I saw all the UK TTN gigs too except for Glasgow. Bristol was the standout.
I was at the Glasgow concert only but thought it was outstanding. I came across a recording of it online recently, and wasn't sure whether to listen to it as was concerned it might not live up to my (now somewhat hazy) memories. Eventually listened and wasn't disappointed. Lot's of audience shout outs though, but Neil took it well and at one point said something like 'I know you are just a bunch of rowdies out there but that's OK'! What a setlist as well - so many classics and as then unreleased new songs Midnight On The Bay, Too Far Gone, No One Seems to Know, the mind-blowing Like a Hurricane, and Homegrown for the final encore.
Finally! -
Dear Customer,
As you may be aware, our shipment of Archives II box sets had been held up in customs.
We are happy to report that it’s now been released and your order will be shipping next week.
You should have already received emails with download codes and the redemption code for your
free 1 year subscription to NYA.
If you have not received this, please contact us uk-customerserviceteam@wmgcustomerservice.com
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
We’re anxious for you to receive and enjoy this amazing body of work.
Warner Music
I’d much rather than about the music. Going on this journey over four (only 4!) years is such a rewarding experience. Neil puts it all out there. I know there’s been some reservations about the 3 discs that were already released, but I like the way Time Fades Away has melded into Everybody’s Alone and Tuscaloosa making it an even more live recording. Ben Keith is on fire in Tuscaloosa (and in these Archives). The acoustic take on L.A. is so cool, but how come the omission of Last Dance?
The Tonight’s The Night Section is so well known now that it slips by without the excitement of much new material, but it deserves two discs in Neil’s Archives. Fundamental to the body of work and right where it should be.
The segue into Walk On from Roxy works beautifully. I’m of the view that On The Beach is his best work and so, like TTN, is best left pretty much alone with a few interesting additions. Shame See The Sky About To Rain stays in Vol 1 as it would fit in many of these discs. The Bottom Line boot would also have slipped in very nicely but that’s just part of yet another Neil project to look forward to.
The Old Homestead is certainly something to behold. It feels like the core of this collection. Drawing in themes and characters from all over the archives. Stephen and Neil jousting On The Beach is a joy. The duet on Give Me Strength makes the song even more poignant, if that’s even possible. It has always stopped me in my tracks. It always helps.
Homegrown has been my album of the summer. Constantly on rotation. The end of Vacancy is so jaw droppingly good I can’t fathom how it didn’t surface until 2020. Again, the album has to be here. Key part of the story. That break-up sounds rough.
Dume was the one I was looking forward to the most. Fleshing out Zuma, it becomes a gigantic album. No One Seems to Know has taken seat as the current NY tune I can’t get out of my head. Neil sounds like he’s on the edge of breaking down. It’s so beautiful. So real.
I need more time with Look Out For My Love, but here there is hope. Another terrific cameo from CSNY on Midnight on the Bay. Just a lot of good things going on.
The only part I have been just a little less than blown away by is Odeon Budokan. Only because we’ve had a lot of these songs in releases over the years and I’d hoped for some deeper cuts. Crowd noise is fun. Reminds me of Hammersmith in 2008. I can't imagine how good all four shows back then must have been like. Amazing.
I'll say it again, but we NY fans are fortunate to be in this phase of Neil connecting and releasing so much. Early days with NYA II but its already surpassed my stratospheric expectations. Imagine when the bloody box finally turns up!
I’ll leave with the bold submission that, on the basis of NYA II and especially Homegrown, we should be considering a Ditch Pentology. Supported by the live albums and the experimenting with various tunes, five clearly defined bodies of work come out of the period and they are all heartbreakingly sincere. And all in four years. What a journey. Deep in that ditch.
I had to make me a couple CDs for the car.... nerdy CDs likely to annoy (almost) anyone riding with me..... to study the brand new songs that even a trader from the seventies had never heard, and other more recent songs that came out of the unreleased category. Many like me had heard some/many before on the obsessive live show recordings, but there were still those special surprises that makes one wonder how Neil could keep them in the can all these years! One CD is an unreleased/original version collection, and one was a comparison CD that ended only because I ran out of room. Yes.... I still like to burn CDs and play them in my 2004 H2OFACE 4runner with 200K miles and a CD player and cassette deck in it. (I need an 8 track!)
Disc 1
1 Letter From Nam 11 15 72 (hello future Long Walk Home) Everybody's Alone
2 Come Along & Say You Will 12 15 72 (hello Lonely Weekend boot) Everybody's Alone
3 Goodbye Christians On The Shore 12 15 72 (just wow) Everybody's Alone
4 Sweet Joni 3 11 73 (ah... a quality version) Everybody's Alone
5 Human Highway 6 29 73 (hello original CSN harmonies and picking) Everybody's Alone
6 Raised on Robbery 8 26 73 (rumor fulfilled) Tonight's the Night NYAII
7 Traces 12 5 73 acoustic solo Walk On (first heard on TTN alt version boot)
8 Love Art Blues 6 15 74 solo acoustic The Old Homestead
9 Homefires 6 16 74 acoustic The Old Homestead
10 Hawaiian Sunrise 6 16 74 acoustic The Old Homestead
11 LA Girls and Ocean Boys 6 16 74 solo piano - what a day (never heard before)
12 Vacancy 11 4 74 acoustic solo The Old Homestead
13 One More Sign 11 4 74 solo piano The Old Homestead first performed live 2018 in Chicago
14 Frozen Man 11 4 74 (wow) acoustic solo The Old Homestead
15 Daughters 12 11 74 (wow and wow, these two...) acoustic solo The Old Homestead
16 Separate Ways 12 11 74 acoustic Homegrown
17 Try 12 11 74 acoustic Homegrown Emmylou/LevonBen/Tim
18 Mexico 1 21 75 solo piano Homegrown
19 Kansas 1 21 75 solo acoustic Homegrown
20 We Don't Smoke It No More 12 31 74 Homegrown
21 Born To Run 6 3 75 CH Dume
22 Hawaii 6 18 75 CH Dume
23 Mediterranean 4 1 76 solo w ODs Look Out For My Love
24 Greensleeves 5 8 74 solo acoustic Walk On
Disc 2 - Comparisons
1 Human Highway 6 29 73 Everybody's Alone married
2 Human Highway 4 15 76 Look Out For My Love married
3 Human Highway 1978 Comes A Time went lookin for
4 Love Art Blues 6 15 74 The Old Homestead
5 Love Art Blues 12 10 74 The Old Homestead
6 Love Art Blues 12 31 74 - Neil Williams - The Old Homestead
7 Vacancy 11 4 74 acoustic solo The Old Homestead
8 Vacancy 1 4 75 electric Homegrown
9 Separate Ways 12 11 74 acoustic Homegrown
10 Separate Ways 2 3 76 electric Stills/Young Look Out for My Love
11 Traces 12 5 73 acoustic solo Walk On
12 Traces 2 8 76 electric Stills/Young Look Out for My Love
13 Too Far Gone 9 5 75 acoustic w/Poncho mando Dume drove in my favorite car
14 Too Far Gone 3 31 76 live acoustic solo Odeon Budokan drove in my favorite car
15 Too Far Gone 3 19 89 band Freedom took a ride in my old car
16 Kansas 1 21 75 acoustic Homegrown
17 Kansas 6 12 75 electric Dume
18 Through My Sails 6 15 74 acoustic solo The Old Homestead wind blowin waves of showin
19 Through My Sails 6 17 74 CSNY Zuma know me know me show me show me
20 Pardon My Heart 6 16 74 acoustic alt mix The Old Homestead
21 Pardon My Heart 6 16 74 - 8 29 75 ODs acoustic Dume
22 Ride My Llama 5 22 75 electric CH Dume
23 Ride My Llama Rust 5 25 78 lice acoustic solo Rust Never Sleeps
....and out of room before even Powderfinger!
This is addictive!
@ Ron - very cool being @ Glasgow concert. another wow.
certainly these releases are bringing back the memories on '76!
@ Greyrider - good deal and thanks! see http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2020/12/reaction-of-moment-neil-young-archives.html
@ H2OFACE - great comp discs! thanks for sharing.
enjoy those CDs!
And here it is.
https://everybodysdummy.blogspot.com/2020/12/neil-young-64-archives-vol-ii.html
Truth be told, I've had disc 1 on repeat all week.
Thanks, thrasher. For everything.
Thanks Thrasher. Yes great memories being stirred indeed. 'Wow' is what I have found myself saying after listening to virtually every previously unreleased track on Archives II - so glad Neil has shared these songs with us at last. I never imagined that 44 years after first seeing him perform he would still be releasing such amazing, and personal music. It really is a privilege.
I have been rereading the sections of 'Shakey' by Jimmy McDonough that cover the same period as Archives II and whilst I am sure the book is not the complete story it does give a lot of interesting background on the period, the songs, and all the people. I'd recommend it for anyone who hasn't read it before and those like me that haven't read for a long time.
Like Greyrider on first listening Odeon Budokhan was a slight disappointment. I had been hoping for a much fuller coverage of the setlist, more like Live Rust and Weld. It does feel a little like a selection of just a few live cuts rather than a full concert experience. Maybe the recording quality wasn't good enough for some of the other tracks. I really had expected 'Like A Hurricane' to be included for example. It was certainly a highlight of the Glasgow show, and I prefer the versions from this time period to those that came later and which we are so familiar with. This does feel a little like I am nitpicking though, as there are so many treasures in Archives II, and my opinion may change with further listening! Finding it hard to drag myself away from the other studio discs at the moment though.
Thanks for everything you do Thrasher - I am a regular reader of all of the posts and comments and get such a lot out of them. I really do appreciate it. Stay safe and well.
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