A New Neil Young Archival Release Revisits His 1970s and 1980s Work

There are few musicians working today who have a committment to delving into their archives as Neil Young. Recent years have seen the formal release of everything from lost albums to live recordings previously available only as bootlegs. And then there are sets that offer a massive cross-section of everything Young was doing during a particular stretch of time — like, say, the decade-plus of work that began in 1976 and ended in 1987.

That’s what Young enthusiasts will find in the archival release Archives Vol. III, which encompasses 17 CDs and five Blu-Rays in its deluxe edition. That version of the collection is available only from Young’s website; a box set of the 17 CDs will be available more widely, as will a double LP titled Takes which will feature 16 songs taken from the full collection.

It is, to state the obvious, a lot of music. Alternately, as the announcement from Warner Bros. declares, “[Y]ou could drive from New York to Denver, listening the entire time, and still have hours left to enjoy when you arrive!”

Included in the archives are recordings Young made with Crazy Horse, the International Harvesters and the Ducks, a Young-led band from 1977 that also featured Moby Grape’s Bob Mosley. Collaborations with Devo, Nicolette Larson and Linda Ronstadt are also included in the collection.

That list of collaborators is one big indication of how wide-ranging this period of Young’s discography was. To state the obvious, there are few musicians who can claim to have worked with both Linda Ronstadt and Devo over the course of their careers. Whether you’re seeking alternate versions of “The Needle and the Damage Done” and “Are You Ready For the Country?” or simply seeking to track Young’s evolution over more than a decade, you’ll have plenty of options with this box set.