Page 30 - the NOISE September 2012

When Archives finally became a reality in 2009 amid much hoopla, it was made avail- able in three formats: CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray, each with a corresponding price tag of $100, $200, and $350. Of course, Young preferred you get the Blu-Ray for its superior sound and mysterious goodies lurking within. Many Neil fanatics purchased Blu-Ray players specifically for this event. The Archives packaging was real nice too.
Those of us on the low end of the economic spectrum who had to settle for the “cheap” $100 CD version were in for a little surprise. Two of the eight discs consisted of ... Live At The Fillmore 1970 and Live At Massey Hall 1971, the preview CDs released in 2006 and 2007. Wait a minute, we already dutifully BOUGHT those! And here they are again as part of the big package. Yes, that means the Archives could have been pared down to six discs with $25 knocked off the cost.
The man couldn’t resist outdoing himself: the 4-CD Buffalo Springfield box had one disposable disc, while the 8-CD Archives has two. Both serve identical purposes: fattening each set in order to drive up the sticker price, as well as forcing loyal fans to buy the same thing twice.
F*ck you, Neil.
Those are only two examples. I’ve got more. Why do we let him get away with it? Well,
for one, Neil Young takes our money and spreads it around: The Bridge School, electric cars, model trains for disabled kids, various ecological causes. He helped his son Ben, who has severe cerebral palsy, start a successful egg farm. Hard to argue with any of that.
From 1966 on, Neil Young has averaged an album a year. Since Greendale in 2003 he’s
Natural Child.
been on a hot streak, cranking out classic af- ter classic. “Let’s Impeach The President” from 2006’s Living With War was a home run, the right sentiment at the right time. His latest, Americana, is among his very best. I can’t think of anyone from the same era who has been able to maintain such a high level of quality for so long.
When I hear news of a new Neil Young al- bum impending, I get excited. I go online and look for details: tracklisting, cover art, videos, release date, tour schedule, etc. He’s the only artist, new or old, that provokes this reaction in me with every record.
So why shouldn’t he charge extra, if I’m will- ing to pay it? No one else out there is making Neil Young music. Even his crappy outtakes are better than anything U2 has ever done.
Like Dylan, Neil Young is not afraid to take chances and fail, or to contradict himself and piss people off. He has based a good part of his career on left turns, choosing the un- known path, sometimes perversely and often against the advice of those around him. Says longtime manager Elliot Roberts: “If you just say, ‘Boy, that’s a hit single’ to Neil, not only is it not released as a single, it’s OFF THE ALBUM.”
Perhaps we, Neil’s fans, need a little reality check. Any die-hard who buys each record, collects bootlegs, reads every article or book, wears a t-shirt, etc. is going to feel a measure of self-identification with said artist. Some- thing in Neil Young’s songs resonates inside us, makes us think, “Yeah, I feel that way too”.
And Young’s persona is that of a rebel, an iconoclast. But that’s him, not us. Neil Young is a millionaire and a rock star known all over the world. We’re just regular Joes who go to work and buy stuff. We’d like to believe there’s some
30 • SEPTEMBER 2012 • the NOISE arts & news magazine • thenoise.us