A Question on Neil Young's Product "Quality"

Neil Young's COASTAL film soundtrack 
 (Click photo to enlarge)

Discussions of the COASTAL soundtrack have raised questions on Neil Young's product "quality".

As background,  Neil Young's COASTAL film soundtrack vinyl & CD product have been withdrawn from sale on Greedy Hand due to errors in the album’s production and mastering process. In addition, after a series of glitches, the soundtrack is now streaming on NYA.

A comment by Old Black on a message received when ordering  COASTAL soundtrack:

"I regret to inform you that Neil Young has discovered an audio glitch on the cd and has therefore requested that we put an immediate halt to all shipments, and also issue an immediate recall on any stock that remains at retail."

The latest episode comes after various past struggles with quality, such as the Rust Bucket DVD issue or  BBC 1971 DVD reissue,  But as The Flying Scotzman points out, is this really production and mastering issues or simply poor quality control allowing bad product to go to production?

Other fans have in turn pointed out that’s unfair, as not all these issues are equal. Why? Because while most were errors in quality control, others were deliberate creative decisions.

The Rust Bucket dvd re-think, for example, was a separate issue to some of the recent QC issues. The mix was not a mistake, as such, but an intended effect by Neil — and one with good thinking behind it. 

(To clarify, the first Rust Bucket dvd featured an remastered version of John Hanlon’s flagship master mix for the CD version. The fairly aggressive remaster for the dvd involved John’s mix being made narrower, louder, and given a treble and bass boost. This was an attempt, perhaps only partially successful, to more thrillingly simulate the excitement of the authentic live sound. The second edition dvd restored John’s unedited mix.)

But despite being an intentional production choice, the first Rust Bucket does in hindsight feel like a pivotal project — a turning point of sorts:

It was around this time Niko Bolas took over from John Hanlon. (This is perhaps relevant, or perhaps merely coincidence. Niko has certainly done great work with Neil before, even if his preference for drums over guitars is perhaps less suited to Neil’s electric work than Briggs’ and Hanlon’s guitar-centric approach.)

 As Scotsman concludes: "And is it asking too much to expect Neil’s record company to play a role in actually checking the product works as intended (and meets even a minimal-viable standard of quality) before putting it on sale?". No, not at all.

Neil Young: Coastal

Directed by Daryl Hannah

Quality issues aside, the concert film COASTAL was a joy to experience in theaters with friends and new acquaintances. So one can only hope this all resolves swiftly so that the wonderful soundtrack can be properly experienced and enjoyed.

Lastly, we can only add that Neil Young's product quantity has been staggering over the recent years.  Definitely not an excuse, but it's not surprising when one declares "open the vaults" that there are faults.

To quote Neil himself: "Quality: Whether You Want It or Not".

Occupy Audio: Neil Young is "Angered By Today's Sound Quality"Jonathan Demme and Neil Young
Slamdance Festival 2012, Park City, Utah

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