It's been a long time since Neil Young released his last Archives box set. In the intervening 11 years since Neil released Archives, Volume 1: 1963-1972, fans have endlessly speculated what might be on Volume 2 - or if it might happen at all.
Well, it's happening. And although Neil has yet to unveil all the details, he has now announced the complete track listing for Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976. The 10-CD set will be released on November 20 exclusively through his Neil Young Archives webstore. Pre-orders will begin there on October 16. We'll have those details for you as soon as they're known.
Archives, Volume 2 will be sequenced chronologically to spotlight the astonishingly prolific period lovingly referred to as the Ditch Years. The box contains a staggering 131 tracks from Neil's personal archive. Of those, 12 songs have never been released by Neil in any form before. And though recent releases Homegrown, Tuscaloosa, and Roxy: Tonight's The Night Live are all repeated here, there's plenty of completely unheard material to satisfy any fan of this era.
The box begins with Everybody's Alone, a disc of tracks recorded in the wake of Harvest and into 1973. A sort of alternate version of Time Fades Away, the disc includes unreleased versions of that song, "L.A.," "The Loner," "Monday Morning" (otherwise known as "Last Dance"), "The Bridge," and "Human Highway." The long-awaited unreleased tracks "Letter From 'Nam," "Come and Say You Will," "Goodbye Christmas on the Shore," and "Sweet Joni" round out the disc.
CD 2 contains Tuscaloosa, the 2019 release that features 11 songs from Neil Young and The Stray Gators' set at the University of Alabama in February 1973. It's followed by an expanded Tonight's The Night featuring an unheard jam on "Speaking Out," an alternate version of "Everybody's Alone," and - very surprising given her stance on outtakes - the long-rumored jam between Neil Young and Joni Mitchell on "Raised On Robbery." The song from her Court and Spark album is said to be treated completely differently here. "It kicks ass..." Neil says in his book, Waging Heavy Peace. "It was funkier than anything she has ever cut. A total gem!" Next up, CD 4 includes an expanded Roxy: Tonight's The Night Live. Originally released in 2018, these raw live versions are supplemented with a live cut of "The Losing End."
An alternate On The Beach follows on the fifth CD, called Walk On. In addition to the studio cuts that we've known for decades, it includes the unreleased song "Greensleeves," an alternate version of "Traces," and a Beach-era outtake of what must be Neil's favorite, "Bad Fog of Loneliness."
CD 6 is called This Old Homestead and seems to mirror Young's vision for what he called Homefires. A companion to the recently released Homegrown (which itself appears as CD 7), Homestead features tracks that were prepared for that album alongside songs intended for CSNY's brief and tumultuous reunion. It's a disc that's full of sought-after material, including "L.A. Boys and Ocean Girls" (which became part of Zuma's "Danger Bird"), an unreleased version of "Pushed It Over the End," "Changing Highways." The clutch of Homegrown outtakes includes unheard versions of "Love/Art Blues," "Give Me Strength," "Bad News Comes to Town," plus the never-before-heard songs "Homefires," "Frozen Man," and "Daughters." The unreleased music continues on CD 8, Dume, which collects classics from Zuma and eight session outtakes, including the unreleased "Born To Run" (an original song, not the Bruce Springsteen classic). CD 9, Look Out For My Love, brings together songs from the aborted CSNY album that became The Stills-Young Band's Long May You Run, plus tracks that were eventually released on American Stars 'n' Bars and Comes A Time.
The set closes out with a collection that Neil has been teasing for years, Odeon Budokan. The 10-track disc presumably mirrors an original track listing for a proposed live album featuring a resurrected Crazy Horse. It features a blend of acoustic and electric material, recent songs and fan favorites from across his career. Among them are "After The Gold Rush," "Cowgirl in the Sand," "Old Man" as well as "Lotta Love," "Stringman," "Too Far Gone," and more.
Neil has made some curious choices by including material that was just released seven months ago (Homegrown), not to mention the live sets from the Roxy and Tuscaloosa that fans have no doubt already purchased. This happened with Archives, Volume 1, also, so it's not altogether unsurprising. But then there's the lack of complete concerts and the absence of songs that were considered slated in (Neil had "promised" the Zuma outtake "Sedan Delivery" in his book, Waging Heavy Peace). This inevitably points to more projects on the way that might further encompass this era. For example, Neil has announced an Official Bootleg Series that is set to include the legendary shows that fans have traded around for decades. Maybe that's where the Chrome Dreams disc will end up?
But even though Neil may leave us scratching our heads a little (and hasn't that been his thing for decades?), there's no doubt Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976 will feature countless gems for fans to savor. Which ones are you most eager to hear? Sound off in the comments below, and keep an eye out for pre-order links at Neil Young Archives as they become available!
Neil Young, Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976 (Reprise, 2020) (pre-order links TBD)
* = previously unreleased song
# = new unreleased version
Disc 1 (1972-1973) - Everybody's Alone
- Letter From 'Nam *
- Monday Morning #
- The Bridge #
- Time Fades Away #
- Come Along and Say You Will *
- Goodbye Christmas on the Shore *
- Last Trip to Tulsa
- The Loner #
- Sweet Joni *
- Yonder Stands the Sinner
- L.A. (Story)
- L.A. #
- Human Highway #
Track 7 released as B-side to "Time Fades Away," Reprise Records single REP-1184, 1973.
Track 10 released on Time Fades Away, Reprise Records LP MS-2151, 1973.
Disc 2 (1973) - Tuscaloosa
- Here We Go in the Years
- After the Gold Rush
- Out on the Weekend
- Harvest
- Old Man
- Heart of Gold
- Time Fades Away
- Lookout Joe
- New Mama
- Alabama
- Don't Be Denied
All tracks released on Tuscaloosa, Reprise Records LP 587621-1, 2019.
Disc 3 (1973) - Tonight's the Night
- Speakin' Out Jam #
- Everybody's Alone #
- Tired Eyes
- Tonight's the Night
- Mellow My Mind
- World on a String
- Speakin' Out
- Raised on Robbery [with Joni Mitchell] *
- Roll Another Number (For The Road)
- New Mama
- Albuquerque
- Tonight's the Night Part II
Tracks 3-7, 9-12 released on Tonight's The Night, Reprise Records LP MS-2221, 1975.
Disc 4 (1973) - Roxy: Tonight's the Night Live
- Tonight's the Night
- Mellow My Mind
- World on a String
- Speakin' Out
- Albuquerque
- New Mama
- Roll Another Number
- Tired Eyes
- Tonight's the Night Part II
- Walk On
- The Losing End #
Tracks 1-10 released on Reprise Records LP 566051-1, 2018.
Disc 5 (1974) - Walk On
- Winterlong
- Walk On
- Bad Fog of Loneliness #
- Borrowed Tune
- Traces #
- For the Turnstiles
- Ambulance Blues
- Motion Pictures
- On the Beach
- Revolution Blues
- Vampire Blues
- Greensleeves *
Track 1 released on Decade, Reprise Records LP 3RS-2257, 1977.
Track 2, 6-11 released on On The Beach, Reprise Records LP R-2180, 1974.
Track 4 released on Tonight's The Night, Reprise Records LP MS-2221, 1975.
Disc 6 (1974) - The Old Homestead
- Love/Art Blues #
- Through My Sails #
- Homefires *
- Pardon My Heart #
- Hawaiian Sunrise #
- LA Girls and Ocean Boys *
- Pushed It Over the End #
- On the Beach #
- Vacancy #
- One More Sign #
- Frozen Man *
- Give Me Strength #
- Bad News Comes to Town #
- Changing Highways #
- Love/Art Blues #
- The Old Homestead
- Daughters *
- Deep Forbidden Lake
- Love/Art Blues #
Track 16 releases on Hawks & Doves, Reprise Records LP HS-2297, 1980.
Track 18 released on Decade, Reprise Records LP 3RS-2257, 1977.
Disc 7 (1974) - Homegrown
- Separate Ways
- Try
- Mexico
- Love Is a Rose
- Homegrown
- Florida
- Kansas
- We Don't Smoke It No More
- White Line
- Vacancy
- Little Wing
- Star of Bethlehem
All tracks released on Homegrown, Reprise Records CD 2-628761, 2020.
Disc 8 (1975) - Dume
- Ride My Llama #
- Cortez the Killer
- Don't Cry No Tears
- Born to Run *
- Barstool Blues
- Danger Bird
- Stupid Girl
- Kansas #
- Powderfinger #
- Hawaii #
- Drive Back
- Lookin' for a Love
- Pardon My Heart
- Too Far Gone #
- Pocahontas #
- No One Seems to Know #
Track 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 11-13 released on Zuma, Reprise Records LP MS-2242, 1975.
Disc 9 (1976) - Look Out for My Love
- Like a Hurricane
- Lotta Love
- Look Out For My Love
- Separate Ways #
- Let It Shine #
- Long May You Run
- Fontainebleau
- Traces #
- Mellow My Mind #
- Midnight on the Bay #
- Stringman #
- Mediterranean *
- Ocean Girl #
- Midnight on the Bay #
- Human Highway #
Track 1 released on American Stars 'n Bars, Reprise Records LP MSK-2261, 1977.
Tracks 2 and 3 released on Comes A Time, Reprise Records LP MSK-2266, 1978.
Tracks 6 and 7 released on Long May You Run, Reprise Records LP MS-2253, 1976.
Disc 10 (1976) - Odeon Budokan
- The Old Laughing Lady #
- After the Gold Rush #
- Too Far Gone #
- Old Man #
- Stringman #
- Don't Cry No Tears #
- Cowgirl in the Sand #
- Lotta Love #
- Drive Back #
- Cortez the Killer #
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The original Chrome Dreams was slated for 1977, though some of its contents may well be from this era. If it shows up as part of a box, that would likely be in Archives Vol. III. Due in 2031?
This will no doubt be a glorious set but it's likely that shipping costs from the US to the UK will, alone, rule this out for me. I fell for the Pono scam, bought Vol 1 on Blu-Ray – a format which he seems to have abandoned despite his blreating about how good it was – have already bought three of the discs here, and now, with typical "wadda the fans care?" logic, Young seems to have turned the screw again. Ho hum, my, my… I hope an affordable workaround is on the way but looks like I'm out.
Maybe you'll be able to listen on Spotify, Archives Vol. 1 is there.
I am.in the same boat as you John I want It but if only available from NYAS the postage will be prohibitive hopefully they will release it through European outlets otherwise he his going to lose lots of sales maybe it will be available in Amazon for streaming like The Times EP it won't be in Spotify at least to begin with he does make it difficult for fans
"Last Trip to Tulsa" was not on the Time Fades Away album. It was the b-side to the single release of the song "Time Fades Away".
Are any of these songs versions from Hitchhiker?
I don’t know if anyone remembers but archives 1 allowed for purchases of individual discs. Would be nice since so much of this is already owned by fans.
Did Volume 1 become available in the shops in Europe? If so, I ll have to wait for that. Postage is ridiculous nowadays from Usa to Europe
The decision to offer Vol.2 only through Neil Young's website will only reduce sales and increase the amount of people obtaining the music from illegal download sites.
i'm willing to pay for the music, but only from a dealer of my choice.
I'm pretty sure people who would be satisfied with an illegal download aren't planning to buy it physically even if shipping was free.
Every bit of this set will be available for streaming in hi-res audio on Young's website and app. That requires an annual subscription fee, $30 I think, but well worth it for access to all of NY's music, along with CSNY and Buffalo Springfield.
I certainly would buy it if shipping were free, and shipping will be free if Amazon.com or Bull Moose are permitted to sell the set.
I've been buying recorded music for 52 years, and I have the "Archives Vol.1" set in both CD & DVD editions. I buy much more recorded music than the average person, and I obtain free downloads as well. I usually use the free downloads to obtain unreleased material, or to check out the music of vintage artists I've heard of (but never heard), and once in a while to obtain albums where I couldn't obtain the CD due to chronic product shortage (such as Yusuf/Cat Stevens' new album "Tea For The Tillerman 2"). Apparently, there's no U.S.A. CD pressing of the album. Why Universal made that decision after a six month hype build up is unknown. A few European marketplace sellers on Amazon.com offer it, but it would probably take 3 weeks for the disc to arrive from Europe. I did the easiest thing.
If shipping was free from the Us to UK I would buy it but even then an extra 20% would be added to the cost in import duties so he should let a European store sell them in his behalf ..... I bought bight the CD and BluRay version of volume one and bought everything he has released on Vinyl or CD or both and feel he is not being fair to his fans not living in the US in this instance...I am a member of NYAS so will be able to listen to it but I want the physical version
I really hate that once again I’m rebuying three of the same discs I already got individually. It was the one thing that really diminished the first volume.
So why did I fall for it again? Because after 11 years I really doubted this second box was ever actually coming.
(Not that CDs will still be a thing) but at this release rate my great-grandkids will also be bummed out the Dreamin’ Man ‘92 set is being repeated for a double-dip too.
Long time Neil fan - was at the infamous Bristol Tonight's the Night gig in '73! Who else is underwhelmed by this. Just 6 unreleased songs, and 49 new versions for quite a large wedge (plus shipping and customs in Europe?). More repeats than TV in lockdown!!
How interesting that all the comments relate to unhappiness with cost due to shipping problems, inclusion of already released material to bulk up this big set, and what looks like a whopping distribution failure for this release by limiting sales to a personal website. And everyone who commented is a NY fan! Hardly any comments relate to the actual content of the set. There is a huge lesson here for everyone involved in the production of this big set.
I'm surprised at the negativity because the frankly the track listing is stunning. I am more excited about this release than any release since The Beach Boys' Smile back in 2011.
We already knew based on what happened with Volume 1, and based on Neil's recent comments, that Volume 2 would contain previously-released titles (in this case Tuscaloosa, Roxy, and Homegrown). We also knew that the box would contain previously-released album tracks. This should be a surprise to nobody. Like it or not this is driven by Neil's original vision for the Archives, to be a collection of all his works in chronological order, released and unreleased, supplemented by documents, video, and information as a total immersive experience.
Since Volume 1 was released, the industry and technology has changed enormously. Neil now has a website that pretty much delivers on his original vision. But Reprise supposedly pushed for the physical box sets to continue, and thus we have this beauty forthcoming. But because the website exists, Neil no longer feels driven to provide the Blu-Ray option that contains the supplemental content. For that, go to his website. The box contains the audio only.
Honestly, it makes perfect sense to me. Part of me th
As for the track listing, as I said, it is stunning. The ratio of unreleased to released is far more enticing than it was with Volume 1. Discs 1 and 6 are almost entirely unreleased material!! Discs 8 and 9 aren't far behind. Think about that for a moment. Look at those tracks again. Yes, there are a lot of repeated titles but these are different recordings over different periods of time. Many of these have been discussed and salivated over by fans for years. Many are holy grails.
In a few weeks' time we will know more details about the tracks and the release itself. Will it be CD only (99% yes, as Neil has said so)? Will it really, truly be available only on NYA? Is it possible it's only exclusive for a short period of time, or that other less elaborate versions (maybe without the book, maybe in a smaller box like the Volume 1 CD release) will be available at retailers? We have no idea, all we can do is speculate. I think we should all just relax and wait and see how it all unfolds. One other thing to point out is that Neil's store offers free shipping for orders over $100 USD (or so I've been told).
In the meantime, let's salivate over the tracks. Open your eyes and your mind, and let it sink in. I don't understand how anyone can see this as anything other than a treasure trove.
I, for one, agree with you. Why anyone is surprised by the inclusion of three already available discs and most (but not all) of the studio releases from this period is beyond me. Far more surprising is the sheer volume of unreleased recordings -- 62 out of 131 tracks previously unreleased! Add another 33 if you didn't buy the Tuscaloosa, Roxy, and Homegrown discs. Basically a quarter of this box was available prior to two years ago. FAR more unheard riches here than in the first Archives box.
I find Neil's approach to the Archives pretty frustrating at times, but his seeming inability to stick to a plan has also resulted in some pleasant surprises -- one of which is this deep dive into the mid-'70s, rather than the original plan of having this box run through 1982. I really can't wait to see how this turns out!
I would give my right arm for a physical hi-res media option for this—blu-ray or SACD. I gave up on files a decade ago after repeatedly losing music to computer and hard drive crashes.
I am a big Neil Young and have everything he has released (as well as lots of bootlegs) apart from Archives Vol. One.
I am not going to buy this on principle; and I am not even tempted. The track listing and contents - with three previously released archive albums - one Homegrown just released months ago - is really taking fans to the cleaners.
Plus we are in the middle of a global pandemic where hundreds of thousands of people have died, millions become sick and millions more lost their jobs with people seeing their incomes fall and in many cases collapse. And despite that the Neil behemoth goes on screwing that last penny out of his most passionate fans. So much for Neil and the 'hippy dream' (which I never believed in anyway).
I know all the 60s mega stars are at it squeezing the last penny out of their generation - the escalating price of McCartney box sets - but this still sucks and is just major corporate rip-off. Makes me think I will reconsider buying any Neil Young new product or archive releases from now on.
It was originally on his first album
Does anyone know the price of this box?
$249. Seems to be sold out. 🙁
F**********K! I've been watching Neil's website all week for an announcement when the presale was going live, even got up during the night and checked, and nothing... now they're gone already? WOW, this was poorly handled. How frustrating, and you know this just means it's going to hit the secondary market (eBay, Discogs, etc) at ASTRONOMICAL prices. GD it, Neil!
Hey everyone, we got more news about the Neil Young Archives II box and have a new, updated post here -- https://theseconddisc.com/2020/10/16/updated-with-pre-order-links-here-we-go-in-the-years-neil-young-archives-volume-2-1972-1976-due-november-20/
Team Neil has reported that the box set is NOT SOLD OUT. It turns out the link to the US site went live early and was taken down. That certainly explains the lack of promotion so far on Neil’s own website and preferred socials, and the lack of promised merchandise and international storefronts.
We’ll continue to monitor and update once things are a go.
Website for Europe n it set up.kate last night this morning sold out thanks Neil for making it so difficult to order no doubt it will be on Discord or EBay at greatly inflated prices n it that £210 was cheap for 7 new discs and 3 I already have