Diehard fans of the legendary Neil Young will be more than keenly aware of the vast number of unreleased material that the singer-songwriter still holds in his vaults even after over 50 years of recording and releasing music. Thus, Neil Young Archives II is a much-anticipated release after the well-received first volume came out over a decade ago in 2009.
This time around, Neil Young Archives II covers the years 1972 – 1976. which seems like a short time period but that gives you a good idea of how prolific the singer-songwriter is. As it is, Neil Young Archives II consists of 10 CDs and 139 tracks! Mostly previously unreleased but there are still officially released tracks to give the collection a sense of completeness.
Chronologically, Neil Young Archives II is focused on the epoch whereupon Young recorded albums like Time Fades Away, Tonight’s the Night, On the Beach, Hawks and Doves, Homegrown, Zuma, American Stars n’ Bars, Comes a Time. Also included are tracks from the Still-Young Band’s Long May You Run sessions.
While most tracks are recorded ‘live’ in the recording studio – as is Young’s preference – there are also a couple of discs dedicated to live concert performances. Namely, disc 4 Tonight’s the Night Live recorded at The Roxy, West Hollywood, CA, in 1973 and disc 10 which include live recordings from the Hammersmith Odeon, England in 1976.
As with the first volume, diehard fans will find Neil Young Archives II an absolute treasure. It’s not difficult to imagine fans listening to this massive retrospective collection from start to finish. Every song is worth the time and effort. The blessing is finding the undiscovered Neil Young nuggets that affirm the genius of this legendary singer-songwriter.
… still there’s more …