A new box set will bring together three of Neil Young’s ’80s albums, along with a rare EP making its widest release yet. Official Release Series Volume 4, available April 29, runs the gamut of Young’s eclectic output in the ’80s – likely because it only covers his releases on his longtime home base of Reprise Records. (From 1982 to 1987, Young signed instead to Geffen Records.) The ’80s were a time of transition and experimentation for Young – much of it done on Geffen, though sparks of that restless spirit are…
The Weekend Stream: January 29, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to discover! A few interesting titles coming your way this week, but first, some thoughts on streaming and catalogue inspired by this week’s headlines… Usually, doing The Weekend Stream is pretty simple: check which catalogue titles have been added to digital music services, write some blurbs and drop in some links. This week, it took on some slight gravity thanks to one of the…
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Release Round-Up: Week of December 10
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! The Band, Cahoots: 50th Anniversary Edition (Capitol/UMe) 2CD/LP/BD/7-inch single: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD (Contents of CDs 1 & @ below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP (2021 Mix of Original Album): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Band and Capitol/UMe are in Cahoots for a deluxe 50th anniversary reissue of the group’s fourth studio album. The remixed and remastered Cahoots arrives in various formats including a Super Deluxe 2CD/BD/LP/7-inch vinyl box set, 2CD, 180-gram half-speed-mastered black vinyl, limited edition vinyl, and digital download/streaming. All of these formats have been overseen by Robbie Robertson and…
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Release Round-Up: Week of October 1
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Neil Young, Official Bootleg Series Vol. 1: Carnegie Hall 1970 (Reprise/Shakey Pictures Records) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Neil Young Official Bootleg Series launches with Carnegie Hall 1970, featuring Young’s debut at the venerable venue on December 4, 1970 (the early show). Carnegie Hall 1970 will arrive on double vinyl, double CD, and digital formats (including high resolution), with the promise of five more Bootleg titles coming in 2022. The solo performance was captured on analog multitrack tape and mixed for this release by…
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Expecting to Fly: Neil Young Launches Bootleg Series with “Carnegie Hall 1970” In October
The long-running Neil Young Archives Series has featured a number of lines: an Official Release Series, a Performance Series, and a Special Release Series among them. Shakey Pictures Records and Reprise Records recently announced a new addition to the Archives: the Neil Young Official Bootleg Series. It will launch on Friday, October 1 with Carnegie Hall 1970, featuring Young’s debut performance at the venerable venue on December 4, 1970 (the early show). Carnegie Hall 1970 will arrive on double vinyl, double CD, and digital formats (including high resolution), with the promise of…
Hold Me Closer, Tiny Dancer: Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” Soundtrack Gets Mega-Expansion
Cameron Crowe, in association with Universal Music, has done the (near-) impossible. On July 9, the writer-director will revisit the soundtrack to his 2000 instant classic Almost Famous in greatly expanded, near-complete form, including five – yes, five! – Led Zeppelin songs plus tracks by other typically difficult-to-license artists including Simon and Garfunkel, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, and Stevie Wonder. That’s not to mention new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Todd Rundgren, The Beach Boys, Cat Stevens, Deep Purple, The Raspberries, and…
Review: Neil Young, “Young Shakespeare”
When Neil Young announced the release of Young Shakespeare as Disc 3.5 of the Neil Young Archives Performance Series, many wondered, “Why another solo acoustic show?” Since the archival series began in 2006, Young has released six solo acoustic concert albums, three of which chronicled performances from 1970-1971; Young Shakespeare was recorded in that time frame, on January 22, 1971, at Stratford, Connecticut’s Shakespeare Theatre. While the venue sadly burned to the ground in January 2019, the concert recorded there 48 years earlier has survived to see release. Young took the stage in…
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Release Round-Up: Week of March 26
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Neil Young, Young Shakespeare (Reprise) [Various Formats] CD/DVD/LP box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Greedy Hand CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Greedy Hand LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Greedy Hand DVD: Greedy Hand Digital: Neil Young Archives (Streaming) / XStream (Digital Download) / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Young Shakespeare documents the earliest known filmed live concert footage of Neil Young, in an array of formats. The previously unreleased, solo acoustic show was filmed in Stratford, Connecticut in 1971, as Young was preparing his commercial breakthrough, Harvest, and just two months after the release of After the Gold Rush. He treated the…
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Release Round-Up: Week of March 19
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Neil Young, After the Gold Rush: 50th Anniversary [Vinyl + 7″ Box] (Reprise) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This 50th Anniversary remastered edition of Neil Young’s classic album was released on CD in December; now the vinyl version arrives. The set includes two different recordings of the outtake “Wonderin’” on the bonus 45. The A-side was recorded in March 1970 in Topanga (previously heard on Archives Vol. 1) while the B-side is a previously unreleased performance. The box is rounded out with and…
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Back to the Garden: Rhino Expands Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Déjà Vu” In New Box Set
Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s eponymous debut was one of the most auspicious and omnipresent records of 1969, a remarkable and harmony-rich affair featuring such era-defining material as “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Marrakesh Express,” “Guinnevere,” “Wooden Ships,” “Long Time Gone,” and “Helplessly Hoping.” CSN blended folk, country, jazz, rock, and a dash of pop into an often-imitated but never-duplicated sound. In the U.S. alone, the album reached No. 6 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and the top 20 of the year’s best-selling records. Both “Marrakesh Express” and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” reached…
Release Round-Up: Week of March 5
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Neil Young, Archives Vol. 2: 1973-1976 (Reprise) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Neil Young’s second Archives box set arrives in a wide commercial release, dropping the oversized packaging and expansive book in favor of a slimmer package. The 10-CD box is sequenced chronologically to spotlight the astonishingly prolific period lovingly referred to as the Ditch Years. The box contains 131 tracks from Neil’s personal archive. Of those, 12 songs have never been released by Neil in any form before, a further 49 songs are presented in previously unheard versions. And…
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Release Round-Up: Week of February 26
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Bob Dylan, 1970 (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) In recent years, Bob Dylan’s annual copyright-extension collections have become highly sought-after collectors’ items and fodder for bootleggers everywhere. Happily, Legacy Recordings has opted to give a wide release to Dylan’s 1970 set, largely drawn from the Self Portrait sessions and featuring his loose jams with George Harrison. This 3-CD set features 74 previously unreleased tracks on 3 CDs. Read more here. Neil Young, Way Down in the Rust Bucket [Various Formats] (Reprise) 4-LP/2-CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local…
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I’ll Be On Your Side: Neil Young Sets Release For Early Live Show “Young Shakespeare” on CD, DVD and Vinyl
Today, Neil Young and Reprise Records announced another exciting treasure from the vault, continuing Neil’s ongoing excursions through his past. On March 26, he’ll release Young Shakespeare, a long-awaited live album and movie that documents the earliest known filmed live concert footage of Neil Young, in an array of formats. The previously unreleased, solo acoustic show was filmed in Stratford, Connecticut in 1971, as Young was preparing his commercial breakthrough, Harvest, and just two months after the release of After the Gold Rush. He treated the audience to a number of favorites,…
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Love and Only Love: Neil Young Announces Long-Awaited “Way Down in the Rust Bucket” Concert Album and Film
Neil Young has been exciting fans lately with his comprehensive journey through the past. Following an extensive box set anthologizing an era and a 50th anniversary edition of a landmark album, he now turns his focus to a beloved Crazy Horse-backed concert from November 1990. On February 26, Young will release the long-awaited archival release, Way Down in the Rust Bucket. It’s volume 11.5 in his ongoing Archives Performance series and features Crazy Horse – newly reignited after the release of Ragged Glory – performing three hours of tunes at The Catalyst…
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Release Round-Up: Week of December 11
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Neil Young, After the Gold Rush: 50th Anniversary Edition (Reprise) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The 50th Anniversary Edition of Neil Young’s classic album features new art based on Gary Burden’s original album cover design. The CD is out today while the vinyl edition will be released in March, 2021 and presented in a box set with the LP and a bonus 7″ single in a newly designed picture sleeve. This set includes two different versions of the After the Gold Rush outtake “Wonderin’.” …
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UPDATE: General Retail Edition, Repressed Deluxe Edition of “Neil Young Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976” Confirmed for March 5
UPDATE 11/12/2020: 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. As our readers probably know by now, Neil Young Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976 is a go, with a limited-edition box set arriving next Friday, November 20. A digital edition will also be available on Neil Young Archives and all major digital services. Following the swift sell-out…
Release Round-Up: Week of November 6
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Armed Forces: Super Deluxe Edition (UMe) uDiscoverMusic Store: black / color Elvis Costello is revisiting his 1979 album in super-sized format. Armed Forces arrives today as a deluxe, slipcased 9-disc vinyl set with three 12-inch LPs, three 10-inch LPs, and three 7-inch singles including 23 previously unreleased live tracks and the complete contents of the previous Rhino/Edsel deluxe edition (with many tracks making their debut on vinyl). It contains a new remaster by Bob Ludwig and EC of Armed Forces from the original tapes; Sketches for Emotional…
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Short Takes: Neil Young and Elton John Prepare 50th Anniversary Editions of Classic Albums
Today, two of music’s most important figures announced 50th anniversary editions of landmark albums. Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush will be reissued on CD and LP with two bonus tracks, while Elton John has announced a green vinyl edition of Tumbleweed Connection and a special single featuring two unreleased recordings. We’ve got all the details below. First up, Neil Young. Neil Young’s After The Gold Rush was a game-changing album for the Canadian singer and songwriter. The multiplatinum album remains a high-water mark in his career with such timeless songs as “Only Love…
UPDATED 10/23: Here We Go In The Years: “Neil Young Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976” Due November 20, Standard Releases to Follow
UPDATE 10/23/2020: 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. The 10-CD Neil Young Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976 box set will be released on November 20. The links to pre-order are live for the limited, deluxe edition set of 3,000 units which is available exclusively through Neil Young’s Greedy Hand Online Store. A digital…
UPDATED WITH PRE-ORDER LINKS! Here We Go In The Years: “Neil Young Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976” Due November 20, Standard Releases to Follow
UPDATE 10/23/2020: 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. The 10-CD Neil Young Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976 box set will be released on November 20. The links to pre-order are live for the limited, deluxe edition set of 3,000 units which is available exclusively through Neil Young’s Greedy Hand Online Store. A digital…
Be The Rain: Neil Young Invites Fans To “Return To Greendale” With Multi-Format Box Set
Neil Young fans have a lot to look forward to. Over at his official website, Neil has written about an upcoming bootleg series, Archives Vol. 2, and at least 20 other projects in various states of gestation. Today, Neil officially announced a new title in his Performance Series, Return To Greendale. This audiovisual document of a Toronto stop on his 2003 tour will arrive in 2-CD, 2-LP, and deluxe box set configurations on November 6. Greendale remains one of Neil Young’s most ambitious concepts. The project encompassed all forms: an “audio novel”…
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Here We Go In The Years: Neil Young Unveils Track Listing for “Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976”
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…
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Release Round-Up: Week of September 18
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! John Coltrane, Giant Steps: 60th Anniversary Edition (Rhino) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada John Coltrane’s 1960 Atlantic debut was entitled Giant Steps, and indeed, that’s what the saxophonist took on this groundbreaking album. Intense, dark, probing: the color of his saxophone was all his own. Rhino is celebrating 60 years of Giant Steps with a multi-format anniversary edition encompassing 2-LP and 2-CD sets as well as a digital Super Deluxe Edition for streaming or download. Both the CD & 2-LP editions include a newly remastered…
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Change Gonna Come At Last: Neil Young Releases “The Times,” Featuring New Live Recordings of Protest Songs
Neil Young has taken a break from his deep-dives into the archives to announce the release of a new EP, The Times. The 7-track set will arrive on September 18 as an Amazon Original release that can be streamed exclusively on Amazon Music HD in high resolution. The album can also be enjoyed on NeilYoungArchives.com or on CD. The Times features performances originally shared on the “Porch Sessions” episode of Neil Young’s livestreamed Fireside Sessions series. The webcast found Neil Young revisiting political material from across his career, including “Ohio,” “Alabama,” “Southern Man,”…
Release Round-Up: Week of June 19
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, Orange Crate Art: 25th Anniversary Edition (Omnivore) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Omnivore 2LP Black Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Omnivore 2LP Colored Vinyl: Omnivore Omnivore celebrates 25 years of Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks’ beautiful Orange Crate Art with a variety of reissues. The 2-CD version boasts three previously unreleased bonus tracks on the first disc: a stunning, subtle take on “What a Wonderful World” (listen here) that…
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