Rustie Pro Tip on Neil Young Archives + Comment of the Moment: Official Bootleg Series

Track List | NYACitizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young

One of the most highly anticipated aspects of the recently released Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series  are the full recordings including the between song raps.

In particular, the well known legendary "Honeyslide recipe" rap -- which has been posted on TW since the late '90's, fwiw -- and the "Southern Man" rap (see The Story of Neil Young's "Southern Man".)

But where are the raps?  They are not on the vinyl or CD releases themselves but only available on NYA. And again, where and how to play and listen?

Thanks to a comment by ever vigilant Lone Red Rider, comes a  Rustie Pro Tip on navigating Neil Young Archives.

Citizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young

 

From comment on First Impressions: Citizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young | Old Grey Cat by Lone Red Rider:

In order to access the raps, one needs to stream the ent ire concert from NYA -- as opposed to PLAY ALBUM.  Go to bottom of track list card where the concert is linked as a full stream and viole! Raps in all of their ragged glory in full from complete concert.

I am surprised that Old Grey Cat didn't mention the missing raps on the CD and vinyl. In order for the enterprise to fit onto a single vinyl disk, the Honeyslide recipe and story about Southern Man were cut from the bootleg. This, to me, is a crime. Bootlegging a bootleg with the original tape has a lot of promise, and surely the whole show could have fit onto a CD. But it seems that Neil's official output is being artificially throttled by global vinyl capacity and maybe economics. In fact, all three of the boots which were released this past week should have been double vinyl. Why do we listen to boots? To hear whole shows.

Having said all of this, NYA DOES have the full show up on NYA. To listen to it, all you have to do is pull up the album on either the website or app version and across down the track listing to the bottom where outtakes sometimes reside. There, you will find a lengthy track of the whole show, great sounding, with all of the raps in there. That is the best way to listen to Citizen Kane Jr. Blues, now.

Peace.

Thanks for the  Rustie Pro Tip on navigating Neil Young Archives LRR!

Also, here is the Comment of the Moment on Neil Young Bootleg Series Review: Royce Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (1971), & Citizen Kane Jr. Blues | Davy's Cinema Flicks & Music Picks  by Tomatron:

The physical product is nice and all, but these full show tracks on NYA’s new Official Bootleg releases are where it’s at. 

Better than CD quality, artwork in hi-res too. The different raps between songs help distinguish the very similar shows at Royce Hall and DCP. Each have a few minutes excised on the other formats. The full digital file is the only way I’ll listen to Citizen Kane Jr. Blues from now on! The cut story of the Black cop “crunching” the wasted Southern Man fan is priceless and strange in a perfectly “ditch” way. Unofficial Canon, indeed.

Now which of these will I pick up on vinyl, knowing I’ll be purchasing a somewhat edited version? “I’m glad that y’all came down” is the clear winner. Royce Hall is a fine record, but compared to that final show of the tour, it sounds like a warm-up. The performance is a little rushed, and the sound recording/ mastering is a bit thinner. Royce comes off as more of a document than an album for me, some of the songs already having been mined for Harvest and Time Fades Away and then later for Archives Vol 1 (Neil’s first recorded and released use of the harmonica). Royce Hall does have the best Ohio of the tour, though. The tune hit home for a politically activated college crowd and for Neil in that moment on stage.

But a couple nights later he was back in L.A., this time to a more diverse and mature downtown audience. The recording still has its distinguishing quirks, like the mysterious silly loud clapper off to the side of the stage, but it’s overall a smoother and more confident performance, a good vibes victory lap. Here the songs practically sing themselves. He even gets the audience to sing along (not clap) to Sugar Mountain, finally!

Royce may have the first harmonica Heart Of Gold, but Dorothy has the better one. It’s hard to believe he only played the harmonica on one song back then! Its inclusion, along with a flawlessly engineered recording, help set it above the more tune-packed Carnegie Hall OBS release, which listed harmonica but does not actually feature the instrument.

Royce Hall apparently was a limited release bootleg, so is more known for hosting those definitive album versions.. But it sounds like EVERYONE had “I’m glad…” and wore the old bootleg out on their turntables. So I’m excited about the album art replicating this piece of illicit history, and by owning the new LP, I can feel like I was there to sneak a listen too.

Thanks so much for thoughts here Tomatron.  Really great that CKJB is finally really out there for everyone.

More on RELEASED - Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series: 1st 3 of 6 | NYA.

 RELEASED - Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series: 1st 3 of 6 | NYA

Neil Young Bootleg Series Review:

 Royce Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (1971), & Citizen Kane Jr. Blues

by Davy's Cinema Flicks & Music Picks

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