Volume III The Neil Young Archives’ ongoing collection spans the period from 1976 to 1987. In that time frame, most artists might release three or four records, one of which might be a greatest hits collection. But not Young. After all, this is the man who wrote “Cinnamon Girl,” “Cowgirl in the Sand,” and “Down by the River” all in one evening (in a fever, no less). Between 1976 and 1987, Young produced 10 solo albums—and left plenty on the cutting room floor. “I made a lot of records during that period that nobody listened to,” he told us in 2021. Now, we finally can.
This 11-year period saw some victories (think: There comes a timeprimitive, strong Rust never sleeps) and some genre-bending releases that puzzled fans and angered his label, especially the rockabilly foray in 1983. everyone is dancing It is famous for its strangeness and the abundance of its audio coding. via He described them as “robots trying to teach a child in a hospital to communicate.” You know, just plain '80s stuff.
So keep that in mind as you explore all 22 discs, 28 hours, and 198 tracks. Archive Volume 3This train moves fast, and it’s going in an unexpected direction. One minute you’re at Linda Ronstadt’s Malibu house listening to her laughing at that beloved line from the Beach Boys’ “Long May You Run,” and then suddenly you’re listening to three consecutive takes of the moment Young put on a pink suit and started belting out some ’50s rockabilly. This is not a listening trip for the lighthearted (for that kind of vibe, we’d recommend crop?).
The collection includes 15 tracks that have never been released in any form. Fans can finally hear There comes a time– “Lady Wingshot,” a tribute to Annie Oakley, and enjoy some weird stuff like 1982's “Island in the Sun,” a laid-back, tropical song not to be confused with the Weezer song of the same name.
Neil Preston
As always, there's some excellent Crazy Horse here, such as the club demo from 1984 on disc fourteen, where they showcase work-in-progress versions of Landing on water Songs like “Violent Side” and “I Got a Problem,” years before he completed them. The highlight of this collection is the raucous, groaning “Touch the Night”—arguably his best song of the decade—which runs to 11 minutes. For any ’80s haters, let this track be proof that he’s still got his groove on. At a time when many ’70s artists struggled to understand this new era of synthesizers and drum machines, Young pushed forward, never letting his rock power falter.
And yes, this even applies to viaan album that still confuses listeners 40 years after its release. After undergoing a rigorous therapy program to try to connect with his son, Ben, who has cerebral palsy, Young was inspired to turn to Kraftwerk and create an electronic album. This is where we recommend checking out the fantastic Blu-ray included in the box set, which features concert films that were largely unavailable until now. Check out in a rusty garageCrazy Horse concert at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California in November 1986. Young is wearing a flannel shirt with the sleeves cut off, and when he attaches the audio encoder to rip via Materials, songs like “Sample and Hold” and “Computer Age” shine. Come for Sam Kinison's appearance, and stay for Mr. Young's quirky dance moves.
The late Nicolette Larson, who sang on There comes a time Young's “Lotta Love” was a huge hit, and it's on disc seven, Union Hall, an intimate rehearsal in Nashville with the Give to the Wind Orchestra. Young called it “the highlight of what I've done with Nicolette,” and you can see why. The disc showcases her underrated harmonies—her voice blends perfectly with Young's on gems like Hank Locklin's “Please Help Me, I'm Falling”—and her powerful vocals, as on “Motorcycle Mama.”
“She was very brave,” Young said. Rolling StoneIn our article about Larson's career, she told me, “I'm the best. I can follow you anywhere you want to go. Nobody can follow you better than me.” And she did.
Jim Johnson
Instead of putting the music on CDs and releasing a box set, the packaging on Third Archive The album is complex, and is complemented by a stunning 176-page book of rare photographs. Young is there with you in his “songs,” providing context on many of the discs to give you a sense of where he is in his creative process.
Spanning over 11 years, Third Archive It can sometimes feel wide and stretched out; fans have claimed it would have made more sense to be Third Archive It began in 1980, right after the 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps (Second ArchiveBut Jung was not too concerned about pleasing others, anyway, and the influx of material only added to his legacy. To him, it was just another line in the field of time.
