Seriously, Thank You So Very, Very Much for Supporting Thrasher's Wheat Over the Past 24+ Years!!! We Love You All

Our little box at the top of the stairs

thrashers @ TW HQ w/ NYA Vol#2

We here at Thrasher's Wheat are always thrilled to share the love and give away Neil Young concert tickets, books, posters, magazines and all sorts of other free stuff. But the best of all is sharing what we call Neil Stories -- those which "emotionally resonate" with us all and make it such a joy to be part of the community of global rust.

Flying The Colors -

From The MountainTops to the Fields of Wheat:
Thrasher's Wheat Crew @
MOUNTAINTOP Film Premiere in Washington DC

Truly one the greatest highlights in the 24+ years of Thrasher's Wheat existence was -- without a shred of doubt -- was taking Thrasher's Wheat Radio on WBKM.org to Europe in 2012 for the Neil Young & Crazy Horse Alchemy Tour. But there have been many others as well, such as the pilgrimage to the Annual Bridge School concerts -- as we did in 2015 or more recently, The Philadelphia Stories from The Man in The High Tower (Theater): Neil Young Solo @ Upper Darby, PA - Sept. 30 & Oct 1, 2018 or Farm Aid 2019 Highlights in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin or Neil Young's Fireside Sessions.

Celebrating Mark's Mom's 92nd Birthday

We love your photos of TW shirts and -- of course -- your comments like this one from our buddy Dan:

Thrasher and Thrashette,

You guys are such an inspiration and could not be more grateful for the incredible sacrifice, effort, and creativity you put into the site literally day in day out, year in year out … it is a pleasure and comfort to visit daily to get enriched by all the homegrown content whether produced by you and this community … its been an epic journey with Neil (that seems to get better and better) and TW has over many years become part and parcel with the whole Neil trip (and continues to enhance it) … thank you, thank you. Financially supporting your efforts is a privilege.

Gratefully yours,
Dan

Uriel and Michal Flying Thrasher's Wheat 20th Anniversary Shirts
Berlin, Germany Concert: Neil Young + Promise of the Real - July 21, 2016
As you may recall, in 2014, we had Some Good News and Not So Good News. Essentially, Thrasher's Wheat last it's advertising partnership and the source of the majority of funding for running the Thrasher's Wheat blog. And things continue to get tougher and tougher on independent media and bloggers as Facebook suspended our account in 2015.

The Synchronicity of Thrasher Road & Wheat's Landscaping

(And there's crime in the city... "They" have tried to take us down by canceling our advertising partnerships, or blocking our ability to run Google Ads, or hacking our Twitter account, or filing fraudulent transactions on our PayPal account, or disrupting the ISP service of our partner WBKM.org and Thrasher's Wheat Radio, or screwing around with our Amazon partner links, or jerking us around about Willie for a Nobel, capping our LIKES below 30K and unsub'g folks automatically, throttled our once robust reader comments eco-system suspending the Gigs for the Gulf page based on false copyright infringement claims, trying to make exposing environmental crimes a crime, disrupting freedom of speech and assembly, or humiliating and mocking our efforts when we try and stand up, algorithmic censorship to lower our rank off of Top 10 Search results or gaslighting us with "fake Neil news", sending in all sorts of trolls and spammers to disrupt the Neil community, or making exposing a war crime a war crime or blasting us with near Stuxnet-like levels of crippling attacks on our servers, de-platformed from Google News as a legitimate (non-fake) news source, the impending de-platforming of the TW Channel on YouTube (per latest change in ToS effective Dec. 10th) -- and on & on...

This oppressive censorship and "digital assassination" of TW is an attempt to control our language and thus control your mind. More on the entire subject here if you care to handle the TRUTH...)

But we harvest on here at Thrasher's Wheat undeterred because we have a job to do. So we formally invite you to join us in this venture: Support our blog, engage with us, and make your participation and support a reality. Find a level that suits you and slip into the groove.

Growl Sporting a Thrasher's Wheat 20th Anniversary Shirt
London Concert of Neil Young + Promise of the Real, June 11, 2016

So Why Bother To Support Neil Young News on TW?

Our goal is simple: we create the best Neil Young blog we possibly can, refrain from contaminating it with nasty, evil corporate advertising, and then ask you to donate to us what you think it's worth. So far it seems to be working out sort of. We're not likely to break even on bandwidth and storage expenses (much less donated labor) this way, but that's not our goal. The challenges of separating the Wheat from the Chaff (or the REAL from the Fake) has never been more difficult -- or important.


Rusties After The Show
Here at TW we're not just non-commercial. We're anti-commercial. We feel that quality blogs and corporate advertising just cannot co-exist. We also choose to refrain from forcibly extracting money from you by charging subscription fees. We want to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed so generously over the past few years. We quite literally couldn't do it without you.

And, as always, we understand that contributing money is just not an option for some of you. That's fine. All posts, feeds and services at TW are open to everyone, and we will do everything in our power to keep it that way.

Rusties Descend Upon The Shoreline - 2015

We’ve helped influence decisions on release formats and availability, we think, through our writing and your activism in response to it. We’ve exposed the hypocrisy of professional music critics and tried to speak out against the madness, fear and greed. All the while trying to find some hope in the future and have a little fun along the way!


Neil Young Looking Out - Berlin, February, 2008
But the basic underpinnings of our financial model haven’t changed: we’re often only one blog post away from pulling the plugs at any given moment.

So, here's how you can help.

We need ask for your financial support, at least at the most basic level of *just* $3 per year. Only $3 per year.

At less one penny a day, it’s less than your daily newspaper, cable television, subscription package or internet service. Less than a 6-pack of decent beer, even?! And you very well know the high quality of independent blogging, informed opinion, thoughtful commentary, wonderful and bizarre reader comments and warped humor you get here for that minimal contribution. Is there any other blog you read anywhere that provides you this much fun?

Donations are the only model we can see as we look ahead at the media landscape that faces us. Without a corporate sell-out (that would limit our independence) and without a mega patron (ahem... who would likely impose opinions and views while probably also staking out No-Go areas of speech) we simply cannot continue onwards toward the New Media Paradigm we’ve become. In addition to this blog, we also have Twitter and Facebook stream feeds ( Facebook suspended our account in 2015), as well as an email list all requiring daily maintenance.

As the people-powered, irreverent blog that Thrasher's Wheat is, we can only remain this way with your help. Your support will let us continue to do what Thrasher's Wheat tries to do as well as possible. Won’t you please donate now? (securely, safely, privately)

Walk with us.


Sponsored by Nobody:
This Blog's For You!
Support us now, please. It’s really easy, almost painless. Your support matters: it’s the only way we can see our way into the future.

Which we plan to continue, with your help. Today. Now. C'mon just 3 bucks. Only $3 today for a year of Neil fun. Such a deal. Thank you!

Only your credit card is necessary to apply directly & securely. No PayPal account setup necessary. (NOTE: A portion of ALL donations also help The Bridge School, Farm Aid, Musicares, and other worthy causes.)

Trouble donating via Paypal?
1. Go to www.paypal.com
2. Click "SEND" @ top
3. Enter YOUR email or cell# + NEXT Button
4. Enter PAYEE email: thrasher@ThrashersWheat.org
5. Enter $ donation amount
6. Use credit card & proceed

Purchases via Amazon.com of *anything* (books, CD's, shoes, etc.) will provide Thrasher's Wheat with a small commission. All you have to do is click the banner above and shop. (Please shop locally and independently. But if you can't, we appreciate your supporting Thrasher's Wheat by clicking image above. Thanks!!!)



United States - Amazon.com

Canada - Amazon.ca

United Kingdom - Amazon.uk

Germany - Amazon.de

(Please note: International Amazon orders (non-U.S.A., non-Canada, non-U.K., non-Germany) do not credit to Thrasher's Wheat unfortunately. Other international readers are asked to please use PayPal account or credit card to support Thrasher's Wheat.)

You have proven that Thrasher's Wheat matters to you, and that you support our mission: to bring free Neil Young knowledge to the planet, free of charge and as free as possible of advertising. You've helped make and keep Thrasher's Wheat available for the whole world. If you find this site helpful as a reference or news source, please help us continue to help all Neil Young fans. Hopefully, this will continue to work to help defray the costs of running Thrasher's Wheat. Any excess funds generated above and beyond operating expenses will be donated to The Bridge School.


Pulling the plug on TW simply cannot happen. After all, we've been implored to "Keep on bloggin' til the power goes out."

Tommi, Ville and Simo Sporting Thrasher's Wheat 20th Anniversary Shirts
Helsinki, Finland Concert: Neil Young + Promise of the Real - July 3, 2016
And if shopping for stuff isn't your thing, we understand.

Just spreading the word about Thrasher's Wheat is a huge help. If you have friends that you think might enjoy TW - please take a moment to drop them a note. Postings about TW on appropriate web forums are also a great way to spread the word. As a matter of fact, we have folks using our Thrasher's Wheat logo on their blogs!

 

Thrasher's Wheat Radio Supporters Go To Europe

So LIKE us on Facebook Facebook suspended our account in 2015, follow us on Twitter and/or subscribe to our email list. (On occasion we pick random folks on the mailing list for little Neil treats. And no spam. We promise.)

Uwe "Computer Age" - Rockin In The Free World
White House, Washington, DC
Photo by Hounds That Howell
In response to our semi-irregular begging fund-raising effort we also received some nice notes from our beloved readership. And -- as we are fond of saying in these tough times -- it is your words which really keep us going with our little Neil Young blog thing.

As some have suggested, "if there is a more balanced, fact based, deeply analytic, independent and proven insightful Neil blog, or voice than TW, better serving the relevant niche, than this one, we would like to see it. Whether you love or hate Neil, this blog is incredibly valuable for its depth and consistency of analysis."

Thrasher's Wheat Radio Supporters Go To Europe
for Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concert Tour
Koln, Germany, July 2013
(Click photo to enlarge)
We need your support as independent journalistic voices in the mass media milieu. Make no mistake, your support of all of our work here helps establish all of us as protected and respected bloggera, and we are thankful for the same.

If you are reading this, you either know, or should know, precisely what level of outstanding blogging that goes down daily here on TW.

Soldier Steve & Alchemy & TW Radio
So who is TW? We're a teeny, tiny non-profit that runs a popular Neil Young fan blog. We have only 1.5 staff but serve 1,000's & 1,000's, and we have costs like any other web sites: servers, power, programs, and ancillary costs. Folks think TW is special. We like that we're NOT behind a pay firewall but out in the open -- in public view --as it should be. Love all, serve all, as they say. It is like a temple for the mind, a place we can all go to think and learn. To protect our independence, we'll never *rarely* run ads. We take no record label funds. We survive on donations averaging about $5. Now is the time we ask. If everyone reading this gave $5, our fundraiser would be done within an hour. If Thrasher's Wheat is useful to you, take one minute to keep it online and ad-free another year. Please help us forget fundraising and get back to Neil news.

Nate & Karen & Geoff Flying Thrasher's Wheat 20th Anniversary Shirts
Maui, Hawaii
That said, this posting violates all our precepts here at TW -- it’s the time of year we do something we hate, which is asking for your support.

We hate it for two reasons:

One: many of our supporters are in dire straits economically and have no money to contribute. Even for those fortunate to have jobs and homes and food, it’s still been a tough of late. If you don’t have funds to spare, don’t even think about giving.

Two: Far more than we want people giving money, we want people taking action. That’s our first, second, and third priority -- that’s what we ask for 9 times out of 10. Videos, photos, reviews, comments. That truly supports TW.

Berlin - 2013
But we’ve had so many people taking so many actions this year that this whole blog continues to grow -- those less crazy than those early days of the 21st century. It’s completely great. And it means we need the resources to coordinate it all, to make it more than the sum of its parts.

So today, we’re asking you to chip in what you can. So, if you can "make a donation"    <- here, by clicking icon to left.

These periodic blog fund-raisers, play a vital role in supporting the work we do here. Reader support in all its forms really is central to the work we do here, and it’s very appreciated, gratifying, and helpful.

Hamburg, Germany, June 2013

The most vital attribute of our work, by far, is full-scale independence — the ability to write on any topics of importance free of concerns about offending potential advertisers or fear of other forms of implications — and it’s reader support that makes that possible. This model ensures that we have only one constituency that matters — our readers — and that, in turn, means we need only be concerned with producing work that is as informative, as consequential and, most of all, as honest as possible. Neil has always been faithful to his word in honoring our unfettered editorial independence while publishing this blog, which is one reason it’s been a great platform for our work, but it is reader support that permits us to spend a portion of our time voluntarily writing here every day and doing the work we think will do the most good without any fears or constraints.


Author Dave Zimmer
On The Beach with Thrasher's Wheat Radio

There is widespread and always-growing concern about the inability of blogging endeavors to find a sustainable financial model, particularly with the ever expanding Internet. But we think the Internet has highlighted one of the best ways to enable independent blogging: through reader support. This is not a brand new approach, nor is it one confined to smaller outlets. But for us, this is the model that permits us to engage in the optimal form of independent blogging and generally maintain independence.

Those wishing to participate can do so via Paypal by clicking the button above.

As always, we genuinely appreciate all forms of reader involvement here; the communal nature of Internet writing is one of its most valuable characteristics, and an active, vibrant, supportive readership has been crucial to blogging the Neil scene since 1996 (and on a daily basis since 2003) in so many ways.

Sandy & Tami
The Arkansas Girls
Words, such as these, by the oh-so delightfully handled ShittyHorse:

Thrasher, what you provide to us Neil Fanatics is truly invaluable.

I visit other "Neil Sites", and Thrasher's Wheat is by far my favorite, not to diminish others, just my personal preference. You've created a strong community here, where Neil fans can talk everything Neil- from news and events to albums, songs, concerts, personal experiences and feelings, band members and other musicians, but most of all you give us a place to gather, to show our numbers, and be with others who truly understand why Neil's music touches us in such a profound and meaningful way.

I think it's safe to say that we all, even the most critical fans, appreciate the hard work and dedication that you and Thrashette put into this site. Times are tough, which is why your site and others like it become more and more important- it provides a much needed escape at times, entertainment, information and always puts a smile on my face. Even Neil Young himself has recognized the importance of Thrasher's Wheat.

You are part of Neil history and, in turn, Rock n' Roll History.

From here on I'd say any definitive book written on Neil's life and career would be lacking if missing a Thrasher's Wheat reference- you've been a liaison between the fans and the man himself. What you do is important and appreciated. Never loose heart.

I've made a large purchase this morning on Amazon through this site, as I always try to do, which I hope helps out. Of course it is a small thing, but if all your readers did this same, one small thing I'm sure it would help out a lot.

Again, thank you for your hard work, and devotion, not only to Neil but also his fans.

Happy Holidays to you and Thrashette!

Thanks SH! We appreciate your kind words of support. Always and sincerely.

Niecette Kristen On The Beach
Virginia Beach, VA - August 2016

Again, thanks everyone for their contributions. But mostly thanks for all the reviews, photos, links, videos, and comments. And your kind and supportive words, especially. We truly enjoy sharing the Neil love around the world. We've been doing this on & off for 18 years on Rust/HH/RH and 15 years on TW and we'd really like to continue -- readers willing.

Henrik Flying the TW Colors in Berlin
Neil Young + Promise of The Real - Waldbühne, Berlin, Germany - July 3, 2019

We are all for the better for gathering here. So, to one and all, thank you. It means everything to us. Seriously. And the Merriest of Holidays to one and all, no matter what your faith or following. It is a season for sharing and love, and we send that to one and all.

The McQ Family in Dewey Beach, Delaware - 9/16

With that said, let’s give thanks to one and all, not only here, but who have come and left. There are so many friends that have come and, sadly, departed there is no good way to cover one and all. There have been so many.

Philadelphia RustFest - October 2014

We can only say thanks to one and all. It is one thing to have a forum to talk to people. It is yet another where people both listen and interact positively and brightly better than what you ever hoped. That has been the hallmark here from the start.

Neil Young + Promise Of The Real
Telluride, Colorado - 9/30/16

Thank you for that. For all, sincerely, thanks, both for the year that was, and the time to come. Be well.

w/ Road RasCal Lilly

So by helping us out, you'll also help out to spread the Neil love around the world. And -- maybe in some small way -- it all helps the Bridge School, Farm Aid, Musicares, and the LincVolt project. Because we all want to light a candle, make a difference, be the rain, and be the change.

Be the wheat.
peace and love,
thrasher & thrashette

#CrazyHorse4HoF
#Willie4Nobel
#WT1sWBWO

From The MountainTops to the Fields of Wheat:
Thrasher's Wheat Crew @
MOUNTAINTOP Film Premiere in Washington DC

thrashers @ TW HQ Waiting on a Stream
LIVESTREAM TODAY: Neil Young + Promise of the Real - Nowlan Park, Kilkenny, Ireland - 14 July 2019
Photo by TW Tour Manager Hounds That Howell

"Keep on bloggin'
`Til the power goes out
The batteries dead
Twist and shout"
- "Fork In the Road"

thrasher & thrashette by the fireside awaiting sessions 

(See TONIGHT: Neil Young's Fireside Sessions #3 | NYA + UPDATES w/ Setlist, Comments, etc)

 

ps - and when ever you're in DC, stop by and have a shot of our newest diversification -- Thrashers Rum!

Keep Calm, Keep on Rockin' & Drink Thrashers Rum!
Maine Ave., South East, Washington, District of Columbia

 

w/ King of Rust, Hounds That Howell & The Holy Grail "More Barn" Mirror - 2015

ps - it keeps us searchin' for the vista and the muse. We won't Be Denied!

w/ TW Tour Manager Hounds That Howell
Farm Aid 2018 - Hartford, CT

"Love & Only Love"
NY + CH: Paris, June 6, 2013

w/ Bridge Kid Colin
@ 2015 Bridge Concerts

And -- as always -- it's all about the Bridge Kids. Really... the best of the wheat is yet to come...

"An Evening With Neil Young" - February 29, 2016
Down by the Corner (Somewhere between The Land of OZ & Greendale)

Flying The Colors: Thrasher's Wheat 20th Anniversary Shirts
Telluride, Colorado, October 1, 2016
Photo by Expecting To Fly

Happy Thanksgiving To All!
thrashers
☮️♥️
Farm Aid 2019 Highlights - Alpine Valley, Wisconsin

In the fields of wheat

"Children of Destiny" will NOT be harvested
However, the chaff will be burned by unquenchable fire

The Bridge Kids Say "Thanks"!

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Review of the Moment: Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976)

 

Book Fold Out: Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976)

via Rusted Moon 

 

As noted yesterday and this past weekend, some lucky Neil Young fans have already received shipment of their Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976) boxset.

Here is a Review of the Moment on Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976) Boxsets Begin to Arrive Around the EARTH by Tomatron:

All the appreciation in the world I have for the masterful compilation they have crafted here. 

Each disc has its vibe, and most of the songs flow beautifully one to the next. But I can't help missing key cuts left out of the set, like "See the Sky About to Rain" from On The Beach and the Time Fades Away's "Last Dance." In the context of Archives Vol. II, I want to hear the albums in full and original sequence. To achieve this effect, I've drafted a playlist that incorporates the studio albums into the whole scope of Neil Young Archives Vol. II while not disturbing too much the run of the collection's track order. Songs are juxtaposed to allow for cueing CDs up DJ-style (or using two browser tabs). Vinyl may be substituted where available.

Tuscaloosa and Time Fades Away are placed inside Disc 1: Everybody's Alone. Boozy Tonight's The Night session tracks tease the record as it sits on the shelf; our first experience of the album is the entire Roxy live set. "Winterlong" leads into On The Beach, "Bad Fog of Loneliness" forever an outtake closing it out.

We would've gotten Homegrown next if not for Neil pulling it at the last hour, so here it is. Keeping that long-awaited album intact means we must pull back around for another view of unreleased 1974 - "Greensleeves" and the entirety of Disc 6: The Old Homestead. Now that its album art contributors On The Beach and Homegrown have been experienced in full, it's time for the release of Tonight's The Night proper, with "Borrowed Tune" cousin "Traces" bridging the way and as an encore bonus, "Raised on Robbery."

Fast forwarding after a historically-imposed rewind, we breeze CSNY's "Through My Sails" right into the restored magnificence of Dume, which today houses every song of the legendary Zuma. Now that Crazy Horse are really back, we can't forget their crunchy take on "Homegrown" as we leap from 75 to 76 with Disc 9: Look Out for My Love. Halfway through this final disc of studio and live cuts rest the two sets of the new Odeon Budokan Disc 10 presentation, chronologically resolving into the final version of "Stringman," "Mediterreanean," and the restored CSNY collaborations that serve to conclude this humble playlist. 

I hope you try out this running order and enjoy the expanded journey of the Archives Vol. II as I am.

Everybody’s Alone (Disc 1 Tracks 1-6)
“The Loner” (Tuscaloosa Outtake)
Tuscaloosa (LP)
“The Last Trip to Tulsa”/ “The Loner” / “Sweet Joni” (Disc 1 Tracks 7-9)
Time Fades Away (LP)
“L.A. (Story)”/ “L.A.”/ “Human Highway” (Disc 1 Tracks 11-13)
“Speakin’ Out Jam”/ “Everybody’s Alone” (Disc 3 Tracks 1-2)
Roxy: Tonight’s The Night Live (Disc 4)
“Winterlong” (Disc 5 Track 1)
On The Beach (LP)
“Bad Fog of Loneliness” (Disc 5 Track 3)
Homegrown (LP)
“Greensleeves” (Disc 5 Track 12)
The Old Homestead (Disc 6)
“Traces” (Disc 5 Track 5)
Tonight’s The Night (LP)
“Raised on Robbery” (Disc 3 Track 8)
“Through My Sails” (Zuma, Track 12)
Dume (Disc 8)
“Homegrown” (American Stars ‘N Bars, Track 9)
Look Out For My Love (Disc 9 Tracks 1-10)
Odeon Budokan (Disc 10)
Look Out For My Love (Disc 9 Tracks 11-15)

Thanks for the review Tomatron! Glad your box arrived and you're enjoying. And thanks for sharing your ideal playlist for NYA#2.  Sounds like a fun exercise.

Maybe we can devise a playlist as we await our boxset...

 Neil Young Archives VOLUME II | NYA

 

More on Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976) Boxsets Begin to Arrive Around the EARTH.

BIG DAY FOR NEIL YOUNG ARCHIVES LISTENERS: NYA#2 ARRIVES!!!

 

Also, see Neil Young Archives: The Next 10 Years (2010-2020) – A Retrospective by Lone Red Rider.

 

More on Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976): Pre-Order Updates via The "Greedy Hand" Store + Unboxing & Preview Videos .

 

Also, see Comment of the Moment: Pre-Order - Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976).

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Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976) Boxsets Begin to Arrive Around the EARTH

NYA#2 Arrives @ Rust Radio

(Thanks Roel!) 

As noted this weekend, already some lucky Neil Young fans have received shipment of Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976).

A photo gallery of  the contents of Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976)  can be viewed on Rusted Moon.

Unboxed: Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976)

via Rusted Moon

 

Sadly, there's much frustration over the distribution and ordering for NYA#2 -- particularly with the U.K. Greedy hand store --  as noted in comments on this post.

 

 

Book Fold Out: Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976)

via Rusted Moon 

 

Otherwise, most are thrilled that NYA#2 is available for streaming and download, while awaiting shipment.

For us, many stunning revelations in the unreleased songs and tracks.  And hearing songs in their original sequence is revealing on how history would have been different if this music had been released long ago.

And we await for our little box at the top of the stairs ....

BIG DAY FOR NEIL YOUNG ARCHIVES LISTENERS: NYA#2 ARRIVES!!!

 

Also, see Neil Young Archives: The Next 10 Years (2010-2020) – A Retrospective by Lone Red Rider.

 

More on Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976): Pre-Order Updates via The "Greedy Hand" Store + Unboxing & Preview Videos .

 

Also, see Comment of the Moment: Pre-Order - Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976).

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Comment of the Moment: Neil Young Archives VOLUME II Arrives

 Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976) (Click photo to enlarge) 

Neil Young's long awaited Archives VOLUME II was officially released on Friday, November 20.

 

 Neil Young Archives VOLUME II | NYA

While Neil Young Archives VOLUME II is now up on NYA with Discs 1-10 it can be listened to at your streaming leisure.  Also, file download codes have been delivered by email. However -- for most who pre-ordered -- the box set itself remains to be delivered.

 Here is the Comment of the Moment on BIG DAY FOR NEIL YOUNG ARCHIVES LISTENERS: NYA#2 ARRIVES!!! by Cyclebrarian:

My box arrived Friday around 2 p.m. 

Was all I could do to resist chucking work for the rest of the day and if I hadn't had a report due and a late meeting, I probably would have.

Popped the first disc in the player and was simply blown away. Just amazing. I have to say that the mix is stellar, and John Hanlon has clearly shown once again why he is the best in the business.

Have been listening to the rest over the course of today, though I've skipped Roxy, Tuscaloosa, and Homegrown, for obvious reasons. And I just completed the download -- for those clearing out some hard drive space, you'll need just over 20 GB!

The book is nice, but not $90 nice, which is essentially the extra cost for the box with book vs with the booklet in the retail version available in March. I'd happily forgo several pages of pix of handwritten lyric sheets for some thoughtful reflections by Neil or a meaty essay by a good music journalist.

But, the music, oh the music, is divine.

That's great the your box arrived Cyclebrarian!  You're one of the few to report as such.  Curious on your location?  In U.S.?  Did you get your pre-order in early?  Enjoy and bring us more thoughts when you can.

 

Neil ... A Captain On The Beach ... but the seagulls are so far out of reach...

 

And here's a review "Neil Young: Archives Vol II: 1972-1976 review – guitar duels, live jams and onstage banter" | Guardian by Kitty Empire (Thanks Meta Rocker!):

Discs 1 (1972-73) and 6 (1974) are the most replete with unreleased material, but rarities crop up regularly. Often, in this vast slew of songs, it’s the strangest that stand out.Fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell makes two surprise appearances, first as the subject of a ditty called Sweet Joni on Disc 1, and, more memorably, cutting loose with a shambolic Crazy Horse on Disc 3 on her own song, Raised on Robbery.

The existence of a Young song called Goodbye Christians on the Shore was rumoured, but it remained unheard until now: a weirdly magnificent tune in 7/8 time whose far-eyed mysticism belies its donkey gait. A few more CDs in, a lovely version of the traditional Greensleeves arrives. Its role in Young’s vast canon? The ballad’s use of the phrase “heart of gold” is certainly a starting point.

Full review @ "Neil Young: Archives Vol II: 1972-1976 review – guitar duels, live jams and onstage banter" | Guardian by Kitty Empire.

 

NYA + Tape Database 

 

More commentary on BIG DAY FOR NEIL YOUNG ARCHIVES LISTENERS: NYA#2 ARRIVES!!!

 

 

SOLD OUT! UPDATE
Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976)

 

Also, see Neil Young Archives: The Next 10 Years (2010-2020) – A Retrospective by Lone Red Rider.

 

More on Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976): Pre-Order Updates via The "Greedy Hand" Store + Unboxing & Preview Videos .

 

Also, see Comment of the Moment: Pre-Order - Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976).

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BIG DAY FOR NEIL YOUNG ARCHIVES LISTENERS: NYA#2 ARRIVES!!!

BIG DAY FOR NYA LISTENERS! | NYA 

Neil Young Archives VOLUME II is now up on NYA.

Discs 1-10 of Volume II can be listened to at your streaming leisure.  Discs include:

Everybody's Alone (1972-1973)

Tuscaloosa (1973)

Tonight's The Night (1973)

ROXY: Tonight's The Night Live (1973)

Walk On (1973-1974)

The Old Homestead (1974)

Homegrown (1974-1975)

Dume (1975)

Look Out For My Love (1975-1976)

Odeon Budokan (1976)

If you ordered NYA Volume II from the Greedy Hand Store, details to download  hi-res files will  be sent by email.

 

 

 

It's been quite a saga for Neil Young fans who have waited literally for decades.

 

Neil Young Archives Volume #1 came out in 2009 and after 11 years, Neil Young Archives Volume II finally is seeing the light of day.

 

via Rusted Moon

 

 

Back in October, all 3,000 units of the long awaited Neil Young Archives Volume II Limited Edition Boxset (@ $249 USD each) sold out in less than 48 hours -- somehow inexplicably and unpredictably -- demonstrating a huge pentup demand for physical Neil Young product by a global hardcore fan base. (See SOLD OUT: Neil Young Archives Volume II Blows Out in 48 Hours.)  

 

SOLD OUT! UPDATE
Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976)

 

Also, see Neil Young Archives: The Next 10 Years (2010-2020) – A Retrospective by Lone Red Rider.

 

More on Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976): Pre-Order Updates via The "Greedy Hand" Store + Unboxing & Preview Videos .

 

Also, see Comment of the Moment: Pre-Order - Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976).

DEVELOPING

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Unboxing Neil Young's "Return To Greendale" by Conan O'Brien

Conan O'Brien Unboxing Neil Young's "Return To Greendale

 

Here is a video of Conan O'Brien unboxing Neil Young's "Return To Greendale" release.

 

Conan does his first-ever unboxing video with the help of the very real, definitely not cardboard Neil Young (@NeilYoungNYA). Shop this box and more @ https://t.co/BwCHnD9XqD. pic.twitter.com/b0RjgAA5By

— Team Coco (@TeamCoco) November 17, 2020

 

 

"Return to Greendale" - Limited Edition Box Set

Neil Young and Crazy Horse

 

The box sets are numbered and was released on 6 November 2020.  (More on "Return to Greendale" - Limited Edition Box Set by Neil Young and Crazy Horse.)

 

Neil Young & Conan O’Brien - November 2019 

(See PODCAST: Conan O’Brien Interviews Neil Young)

Neil Young is interviewed by Conan O’Brien on the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend.  (See PODCAST: Conan O’Brien Interviews Neil Young)

The interview also covers the Neil appearing on Conan O'Brien Late Night show in 2005.

Neil Young on Conan O'Brien Late Night show, 2005.
Neil Young was the musical artist in residence for the week November 1-4, 2005 on Conan O'Brien Late Night show.

Here's a recap of the week of Neil Young on Conan O'Brien:
- November 1 - "Far From Home",
- November 2 - "The Painter",
- November 3 - "This Old Guitar" and "The Needle and the Damage Done" and
- November 4 - "No Wonder" & "When God Made Me".

 

Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real w/ Conan O'Brien
(See Conan O'Brien Presents on 10/04/17)

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BETA TEST: Neil Young Concert Performance Timeline | NYA

Concert Performance Timeline | NYA

 

Back in October, the latest "groundbreaking" development on Neil Young's Archives was announced for the Concert Performance Timeline | NYA.

Now, a beta-test of the performance timeline is up on NYA  with tours in 1989, 2001, 2008/2009, 2013 and 2016.  5 full concert performances just launched. Go to Timeline on https://neilyoungarchives.com, find the white markers above the tour "bar codes", click on the "bar code" > View Itinerary > View Log. 

Full  Neil Young concert performances:

• Paris, 11 dec 1989
• Stockholm, 3 jul 2001
• Kelowna, 22 apr 2009
• Hunter Valley, 9 mar 2013
• Belfast, 7 juin 2016(3h !)

 

NYA Timeline

 

The new concerts on the NYA Timeline have 4 new recordings of unreleased songs:

03 Jul 2001 Stockholm 

• Standing In The Light Of Love at 66'54 
• Gateway Of Love at 73'00 

09 Mar 2013 Hunter Valley 

• Hole In The Sky at 51'28 
• Singer Without A Song at 62'50

 (Thanks LRR, Mark "Powderfinger", Phil, NYUA & everyone!) 

Also, new NYA tiers will be introduced "quite soon", including the “Rust”  tier. “Rust” members will be able to submit their concert requests  and memories.

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NEIL (Vol. 1) by Scott The Hoople: A tribute to Neil Young by Scott McCaughey with Mike McCready

NEIL (Vol. 1) by Scott The Hoople

NEIL (Vol. 1) by Scott The Hoople is now available.

 

A tribute to Neil Young by Scott McCaughey with Mike McCready

Neil (Vol.1) is available for streaming and purchase on bandcamp.com, the tribute to the Canadian Loner has been recorded by Scott McCaughey with the pseudonym of Scott The Hoople. The album has been mixed by Kurt Bloch from Fastbacks and Mike McCready plays the guitar in seven songs, he recorded his parts at the Hockeytalker Studios in Seattle.

Scott McCaughey was in many bands as Young Fresh Fellows, The Minus 5, Baseball Project, The Filthy Friends and has been part of R.E.M. from 1994 to 2011, the year the Athens band broke up. In 2017, Scott had a stroke and lost the ability to talk, sing and play instruments.

As part of his rehabilitation he decided to try to remember the music he loved most during the last fifty years. This tribute to Neil Young comes from that desire. He started to work on this tribute at the beginning of 2020 and it contains many Neil Young’s less known songs. Scott revealed that he had to dig deep down in his messed up brain to try and remember those songs.

You can listen and purchase Neil (Vol.1) on bandcamp.com. Here is redemption code for TW readers: de v822-62e6

Redeem code @: https://scottthehoople.bandcamp.com/yum

 

 

Scott The Hoople - Neil (Vol. 1)

1. Music Arcade 05:27

2. For The Turnstiles 02:41

3. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing 04:45

4. Buffalo Springfield Again 02:56

5. Sad Movies 03:56

6. Trans Am 05:34

7. Mideast Vacation 04:40

8. Thrasher 05:34

9. Shots 04:56

10. Almost Always 04:54

11. Ramada Inn 07:03

12. Barstool Blues 03:35

13. Light A Candle 04:11

Scott says:

"Neil Young turns 75 glorious years old next week. [ed: last week]

For 50+ years, his music has been a huge part of my life - a source of immense pleasure, comfort, and pleasurable discomfort. 

When I had a major stroke three years ago, I lost my ability to talk, sing, make music. As I found my way back, I turned to the songs I had a best chance at recalling, music somewhere deep in the recesses of what was left of me. The Beatles and Neil were my subterranean lode ... words and chords COULD be unearthed if I tried hard and often enough. 

When this homegrown effort started taking shape, in the bowels of 2020, I consciously swerved away from much of the best known Neil songs to me, and the casual listener. Digging deeper, like I had tried to cough up favorite songs in the ditch of my fucked-up brain. 

Neil is so many things. I wanted to represent some of them. But, I also decided, hey, call it Volume One. There are a thousand more songs... "

 

 

Scott McCaughey & The Sadies Revolution Blues (Neil Young cover), Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto Canada
Dec 31, 2019

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Stevie Nicks On How Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne And CSN Shaped Her Sound | FORBES

Neil Young, Stevie Nicks & Mick Jagger
Ahmet Ertegun Tribute - Backstage Rose Theatre, Time Warner Center New York City, New York United States April 17, 2007 Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com 

Stevie Nicks, like many artists, was influenced by -- amongst others -- Neil Young's music.

From an interview "Stevie Nicks On How Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne And CSN Shaped Her Sound" | FORBES by Steve Baltin:

FORBES: What have you been listening to during this time?

Stevie Nicks: I love Neil Young. 

I've been listening to a lot of Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young and Joni Mitchell and just that whole era of people. Buffalo Springfield in the last seven, eight months. I've been listening to a lot of their music on my Sonos and it makes me happy. 

And I've decided that Neil Young was actually a lot more...he wrote a lot of very loving love ballads. He was not only the huge rock and roll crazy guy that I always thought. There are so many ballads I've gone, "Wow, you know what? You're just a big pussycat. I can't believe it."

No wonder they chose him to come into Crosby, Stills And Nash. They wanted somebody like the Eagles wanted Joe Walsh, they wanted somebody that would have that heavy hand. 

But then when you listen to something like "Slowpoke" or some of these amazing songs, I've been blown away over the last couple of months listening to his ballads going like, "This guy, really seriously, in a way, wanted to be in love."

Full interview "Stevie Nicks On How Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne And CSN Shaped Her Sound" | FORBES by Steve Baltin.

Note, the photo above is from  the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute by CSNY.

Also, see 50 Reasons Why Neil Young's Music Matters.

Bob, Neil & Eric 

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“You made it to autumn”: A Neil Young Fan's Heartbreaking Memories & Birthday Wishes

Greg McGarvey with his late girlfriend Marcella Di Sandro

 

Here is a story that touches us quite deeply.

Longtime fellow Neil Young fan Greg McGarvey shares with us his oh-so very sad -- but inspiring and uplifting - story of his relationship with his late girlfriend Marcella Di Sandro. 

The Levittown, Pennsylvania musician recently released his debut album ‘Count the Colors’ – a 10-track tribute to his late girlfriend Marcella Di Sandro, a Churchville, Pennsylvania painter who lost her battle with Fanconi anemia in 2014.

Greg saw Marcella's strength battling Fanconi anemia and beating cancer twice, to the selfless act of chopping off most of her hair and donating it to Locks of Love.

Here is the story of Marcella and Greg written on Neil Young's 75th birthday earlier this week.

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Westport, Connecticut

“You made it to autumn”

The first line on my album is one of the last things I said to her. 

Marcella loved the fall. 

I was thirty-one; she was only twenty-eight.

That day, I performed for her twice, with two different performer friends. There was no way to know it was her last full day, but somehow they knew. We performed about two hours of music for her in hospice.

 

Shelby Street Bridge, Nashville, Tennessee

I tuned my old Japanese guitar down real low and we sang sweet, gentle harmonies. I remember being surprised how reverberant the room was despite being full of people and medical equipment. Songs like “(All I Have To Do Is) Dream.” R.E.M.’s “You Are The Everything.” “Harvest Moon.”

I chose “Across The Universe” for the funeral. I found myself playing “Distant Camera” at the burial.

“When I’m riding down the road in my car, traveling without you, I can still see you sitting there right by my side.”

When Marcella was sick, I would work a few jobs a week, taking photos at festivals. It was on these long drives that I would find myself processing the changes in my life and in my life with Marcella.

As usual, it was the power of music that broke through my defenses, stripping away the many strategically placed distractions and allowing me to just feel my heart and all the pain radiating through it. The big howling cries. I remember one night in particular when the rain on I-95 North was so heavy that I had to pull the car over for a while.

Robyn Hitchcock’s album The Man Upstairs would bring me to that place. 

 

Later in the year, Neil Young’s new album Storytone would do the same. Two of my favorite songwriters, both chronicling massive transitions in their personal lives.

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

“Tough love can leave you almost alone...”

“Glimmer” made a huge impact. A few years later, I played it at an intimate concert at which I debuted the ten songs of my album Count The Colors followed by ten songs that inspired them.

“...that day I couldn’t find you...”

For me, that day was the day that she was set to find out if she had cancer and if it was treatable. She wasn’t ready to tell me. She did it the following day, in person.

“...new love brings back everything to you.”

Yeah. That one, too. 

 

Marcella had left a letter behind for me. In this letter, she told me how much she loved me, and also expressed her selfless wish that I find new love one day.

My new album has a song about this, written from her perspective. 

 

Every single time I perform “No Grays And Blues,” it feels like I’m channeling it. It doesn’t feel like it’s coming from me. It’s an eerie, transcendent experience. That only shows up at special gigs.

From a distance, I liked the idea of Neil and Pegi. I was unnerved by the idea of them not being a couple any longer.

But when I saw Neil perform at Philadelphia’s Academy Of Music and heard some of the songs from Storytone, it was very obvious that this guy is madly in love.

Here’s my favorite artist starting fresh. Just like I was about to do.

 

 

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

New love.

Somehow, I found it on the very first date, the following year. Almost like the universe had queued her up for me. We’ve been together for almost six years. She’s sitting on the couch right now, about three feet from me.

I went to a cafe right after our first date and they were playing “I’m Glad I Found You.” I didn’t want to analyze the date; just experience it. All I really noticed was the big smile on my face. A smile that told me that life really WILL go on, just like that song on the cafe sound system suggested.

Writing and recording my album of songs for Marcella was hard, not just because of the subject matter and not just because I kept running out of studio money, but because my parents both became ill and ultimately passed away before the album’s release.

Still, Mom heard me sing these songs at an old church in Ewing, New Jersey, and Dad was always proud to see that I was constantly writing and performing with his - and his father’s - old guitars.

The morning of Mom’s passage, I was filming the music video for “Something So Beautiful,” which meant I had my guitar with me when I visited her for the last time that afternoon.

 

 

Lambertville, New Jersey

My sister Pam was holding her hand and I was playing Neil’s song “Silver And Gold.” No singing, just fingerpicking. Somewhere between “Silver And Gold” and “Distant Camera,” she finally let go.

Only because she had to. She would’ve kept kicking for a hundred more years easily. The day her health took a turn, she’d been working as a private-duty nurse for a disabled child and his family. Her body wasn’t equipped for the job any longer and, somehow, for a little while, she did it anyway.

I learned about the tenacity of special needs families through my mom, and also through the Bridge School benefit concerts.

I’ve heard Neil say he’s inspired by the strength of his son Ben’s spirit, even as he lives with cerebral palsy. “You can never give up.”

Dad and I got to meet Ben in Nashville once. We figured Neil’s gig at the Ryman was as good an excuse as any to take a trip down south. I’m glad we did, too, as it turned out to be our last chance.

 

 

Levittown, Pennsylvania

Dad’s old guitar took me all the way from childhood to Marcella’s burial. After that, I treated myself to the guitar that I used to ogle at the mall with Marcella - a mahogany Martin 000-15m. That guitar has taken me from Count The Colors, to my mom’s bedside, and everywhere else I’ve been for six years.

I found Neil’s work in my dad’s CD collection when I was about twelve, astonished by the firepower of Weld, the gentle beauty of Harvest Moon, the eclectic grab bag of Sleeps With Angels. In finding and studying Neil’s work, I ultimately found my own path as a singer, guitarist, and songwriter.

Each concert has been a spiritual event, a pilgrimage. I’ve seen the Madison Square Garden crowd spontaneously cheer the choruses of “Bandit,” a song they’d never heard before. 

 

I’ve seen Crazy Horse play a slow, raunchy “Danger Bird.” 

 

I’ve seen Ben Keith play “Winterlong.” 

 

I saw “No Hidden Path” in an old movie theater. 

 

I heard Neil make the display cabinets in the back of the Ryman rattle.

 

I heard a version of “Like A Hurricane” with a brutal noise coda that went on for eight minutes.

 

I saw Promise Of The Real grab hold of “Down By The River” and not let go for twenty minutes.
 

 

Carrboro, North Carolina

 

For all of this and more - so much gratitude.

The movie of my life is so much better for having a score that so heavily features the music of Neil Young and his friends. I feel fortunate to be living at the same time as the guy.

Neil, Happy birthday!

Greg McGarvey
Lawrenceville, New Jersey
November 12, 2020

  Mount Laurel, New Jersey

 Marcella Di Sandro passed away peacefully on Sept. 23, 2014, at the age of 28

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 "How something brief and beautiful that grabs our inner longing becomes an incomprehensible truth that makes you cry and laugh in wonder when it's gone." - Mattie Crawford, 2020

Thanks so very much Greg for sharing your story here on TW for all of the other Neil Young fans out there.  Your courage and compassion is an inspiration to us all.

On Aug. 21, 2020, McGarvey’s six-year labor of love Count the Colors was released, with each of the 10 tracks serving as a small tribute to Di Sandro and the unforgettable moments of their two-and-a-half-year relationship.

McGarvey began writing Count the Colors in 2015, drawing influence from his favorite childhood band The Everly Brothers and their album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.

“They showed me it’s OK to be direct emotionally at times,” he said. “The Everly Brothers showed me that it’s OK to wear your heart on your sleeve a little bit.”

Visit gregmcgarvey.bandcamp.com/album/count-the-colors to listen to Count the Colors. A portion of proceeds from the album will benefit the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund.

 

Greg McGarvey - "Specks Of Paint On Your Fingernails" 

(live at Hopetown Sound)

 

Greg overcame tremendous hurdles to write and record his tribute songs to  Marcella including the devastating loss of both parents, lack of funds and a pandemic. From the support of many friends, he raised $2,500 through a GoFundMe page to complete the album.

A Facebook Live concert streamed on the day of the release at Marcella’s home, where her sister still lives, with Greg singing his songs. Several pieces of Di Sandro’s artwork sat behind him, while Marcella’s jacket hung off the arm of a chair nearby.

Greg remembers:

"I'm not much of a piano player. 

I remember one day in her music room, she sat next to me on the piano bench as I began to play a few bars of some long-forgotten tune of mine. She was in tears within seconds. 

This lady was a musical spirit. Probably still is. 

I wrote this and many other piano tunes in her music room. 

I get chills every time her spoken part comes up and she reads the meaning of her name. Of course she was a young warrior. When she crossed over, she had specks of paint on her fingernails."

- live sound by Brian Dale Allen Strouse 

- video by Pier Giacalone

 

Greg McGarvey - "Something So Beautiful" (music video) 

On our second date, I took her into my partially burned-down house.

Set for demolition sometime later that year. I showed her my old bedroom. All the things I had to leave behind. Like some bizarre, semi-charred, water-damaged museum of my old life. 

All the music made, love made, art made. The many existential crises. All the searching for something beautiful. The unmistakable stench of a place that has recently been on fire. 

"You were the sunlight that made the glass shards glisten like diamonds if you looked at them right."

 I take words she spoke to me and turn them back on her. “How could you make something beautiful in a place like this?”

 I’d been singing at the bar where we used to hang out. I followed her and, on the way home, she suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. She thought she hit a deer, but we couldn’t see any sign of one. Must’ve just missed ‘em. We just stood there, sometime after midnight, on this stretch of the road where there’s nothing but big fields and big skies, until she stopped shaking. I liked being there to make her feel better. 

A moment so simple that it could easily be forgotten. I’m taking that moment with me. It might have been the day of the funeral. I was milling around her back patio alone; my first time at her house after she passed on. 

All her stuff was still there, but I could never talk to her again.

I had one of those intense cries where you become your own extreme weather event for a few minutes and afterwards you’re left feeling cleansed but with a lot of debris to clean up. 

It was only a few weeks earlier, on the last day that was able to speak clearly, that she told her aunt, if she could be anywhere, she’d be wandering around Chapel Hill with her family and me. I remember suddenly showing up on the back porch one day when she didn't expect me. 

I'll never forget how she beamed when I turned the corner. “We didn’t wait ‘til the sun came out. We’d just turn the key and drive.”

From an interview in Lower Bucks Times, Greg said:

“The support of her friends and family almost six years later, that’s the reason I feel comfortable putting her name in a song, telling the story of her. They told me it’s what she would’ve wanted me to do with her memory.”

“There’s just so much new life around me. And that, combined with my natural tendency to want to find the next adventure, it was never going to be an option sitting around thinking my life was over at 31. My tendency is to keep looking forward and find the silver lining in things.”

A great outlook Greg and all the best from here on your travels until we meet again.

 

Visit Greg @ Greg McGarvey  Music.

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