Two new "Bootleg Singles" now up on Neil Young Archives from Ducks 1977 and Rainbow 1973.
The songs "Little Wing" on Ducks 1977 and "Human Highway" on Rainbow 1973 are part of the Official Bootlegs Series.
"Bootleg Singles" | Neil Young Archives
Ducks 1977 and Rainbow 1973 will be released on April 14. Tracklisting, album credits, preview tracks and preorders will be coming soon on NYA.
Also, check the Official Music Video of "Human Highway" directed by Toshi Onuki.
Neil Young - August 1977
Catalyst Club, Santa Cruz, CA
PHOTO: RICHARD MCCAFFREY/BAM
(Click photo to enlarge)
More on The Story of Neil Young’s Short-lived Santa Cruz Band The Ducks | Good Times.
More on Neil Young's Official Bootleg Series.
I'm really looking forward to these, the bootleg series releases have been great so far. BUT, NEIL, IF YOU OR ANY OF YOUR PEOPLE ARE READING THIS, how about sorting out the BBC dvd issue from the Harvest 50 box set before asking us to part with yet more of our hard earned money?
ReplyDeleteWho am I kidding? I'll buy them on release day, I know I will.....but come on Neil, sort this out....
@Old Black: I hear ya’. In a recent letter someone asked about it and he said “send us your disc, we’re having trouble with consistency”. So I wrote to NYA and asked them for an address to send mine in….. and never heard back. But like you, these new bootlegs will be a day one purchase for me as well.
ReplyDeletePeace 🙏
Thanks for the update Dan, much appreciated. Best wishes from the UK to everyone out there, and Thrasher, thanks again for all you do.
ReplyDeleteThe sound on Little Wing is exquisite. Love it and very much looking forward to this. HH sounds a bit more distant and like the boot, but that's okay.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the song card for HH. There’s an amazing video attached.
ReplyDeleteLittle Wing has always been a favourite of mine, and this version takes it to a whole new level. So amazing! The album cover is soooooo cool too! So tempted to buy it without having even heard it like in the old days. I can't believe how great that song sounds. That's how an official bootleg release should be. Thanks Neil!
ReplyDeleteWhile this might be a tad too academic for the casual fan, the only way to have "heard it like in the old days" would mean you were at the Ducks' concerts. The venerable editors of the German fansite "Rusted Moon" are pointing out, that "High Flyin'" is a compilation of tracks taken from five different Ducks' concerts. While "Bottom Line" and all other OBS releases do have some original bootleg ancestry "Rusted Moon" claim that a bootleg called "High Flyin'" never was published before and therefore they it should be considered to be an original release. I am sure there are knowledgeable archivists who can sort this out. Is Neil Young re-writing release history by publishing a pastiche or was there a genuine "Ducks" bootleg titled "High Flyin'"? And where did the artwork come from?
ReplyDeleteAddendum: Some sources claim that "High Flyin'"contains studio material also, recorded at Magical Devices Studio.
ReplyDeleteThere is an Infocard for the High Flyin' album on the Timeline on NYA and you can see the credits on it.
ReplyDeleteIt says it was recorded July 29th to august 23rd 1977 and lists several venues that the songs/performances were recorded at including Magical Devices.
There are also credits for the artwork/photos.
The track list includes Gone Dead Train which I presume is the old Crazy Horse song - looking forward to hearing that one again!
Yeah I noticed that too. Maybe my favourite Crazy Horse song off that album. Looking forward to this!
DeleteI'm a little hesitant to shell out the $75 for these and will likely just go for the Ducks..
Am I right in thinking that Ducks album is a lot more unique with songs none of us have really heard before?
Somewhere Under the Rainbow, on the other hand, seems to be pretty similar to Roxy Tonight's the Night or some of the Archives Vol 2 stuff.
Ron, thank you for this obvious information. Sometimes one gets lost in the digital world instead of going straight to the original source. Apparently Jim Phillips is a well known poster artist who did work for Moby Grape and also created the poster that was used as artwork for "High Flyin'". However, the original question was, whether there ever was a Ducks bootleg titled "High Flyin'".
ReplyDeleteI really like this version of Little Wing, it has a totally different vibe than the album version. It has a real hook to it that just makes it. Looks like it will be an expensive year for us Neil heads. Bring it on Neil, I think we’re ready.
ReplyDeletePeace 🙏
I thought it was worth posting about the album infocard because when the bootleg singles were first available it wasn't accessible, but yesterday I noticed it was. I had been looking as I was keen to see the full track listings for both albums.
ReplyDeleteAnd sorry but I don't know if High Flyin was a ever a released bootleg at the time. I am no expert on bootlegs but the few I am familiar with were all recordings of a single performance so perhaps not. But then as you say where did the artwork come from especially as based on who did it it seems to be of that era?
I guess someone will know and and all will become clear in time. In the meantime I am enjoying listening to both the singles. Little Wing is perhaps the more interesting to me given its uniqueness and sound quality, but I am also enjoying the more straight forward performance of Human Highway. Looking forward to listening to both albums in full.
Personally, I haven't found any trace of an identical bootleg to High Flyin'!
ReplyDeleteWith excerpts from various concerts and studio tracks recorded, it would make more sense for this album to be either in the "Performances" series or in the 'Special releases'¨ series... Maybe Neil Young not being able to choose between the two decided to put it in the bootlegs series ! Again, it's neilyoungian logic.
Besides, it's bootleg number 2 of the 6 series... But why??? However, I am delighted with this release.
On the other hand, for the "Rainbow", I don't really understand the interest to release a concert with a bootleg sound when we already have a similar concert with the Roxy.
I understand the approach for unique concerts like the Bottom Line in 1974 but here, I only see the interest for superfans (of which I am one). Commercially, it's not very understandable to have both professional and amateur recordings in the OBS series...