Nearly two decades in the making, the first volume of Young’s
massive Archives series (this one clocking in at 10 discs!)
finally sees the light of day. And it was definitely worth the wait.
Compiling songs from Young’s first 10 years, the box — which is
available as bank-account-busting Blu-rays, wallet-lightening DVDs and
plain ol’ CDs — includes a mix of outtakes, demos, live cuts and
plenty of songs you’ve heard before. Unlike Bob Dylan’s similar Bootleg
Series, Archives aims to tell Young’s entire story, not
just the leftover pieces. And it’s a monumental task, stretching all
the way back to Young’s first band, the Squires, through Buffalo
Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crazy Horse and his solo
recordings. It takes a while for things to get rolling — the
first disc is filled with previously unreleased bar-band snoozers
— but once it does, you’re in for a time-sucking project unlike
any you’ve ever experienced (you’ll find everything from lyrics and old
press clips to photos and hidden tracks buried on each disc). You’ll
also hear things like you’ve never heard them before, like “Down by the
River”‘s last blistering guitar solo, which begins as a bunch of
twisted, sputtering notes before erupting into a full-on amp assault.
These aural achievements are Archives’ greatest moments and the
reason we can’t wait for the next volume. — Michael
Gallucci
This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2009.
