NEIL YOUNG

Neil Young Archives, Vol. 1: 1963-1972
$99.98
The CDs were packaged well, but once opened it was discovered that some of the CDs had glue on them from the packaging. Most were playable, but some had skips from the glue marks on the playing area.

Greatest Hits
$18.98
Thanks for the quick delivery. This CD really brings back so many great memories! Thanks again>

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
$11.98
One can't say enough good about the remaster of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. Music magazines may natter on about some second-rate album the editors think should be on the list of the top 200 albums of all time, but this early Neil Young masterpiece is one that actually deserves to be there.
OK, you have to put up with the commercial Cinnamon Girl, but you also get these: two muscular ten minute epics in Down By The River and Cowgirl In The Sand that were once staples of "underground" radio; two masters of the kind of melancholy at which Young excels in Round and Round (It Won't Be Long) and Running Dry; the jaunty first-rate The Losing End; and the countryish title cut. The sound is spectacular, there is so much to hear that was essentially inaudible on past releases. Guitar lovers should especially be thrilled by the improved sound of the longest cuts. Additionally, you get an attractive booklet containing pictures and album info but regrettably no complete lyrics.
This is the album which introduced Young's stellar band Crazy Horse to the public, a band that Young has recorded with many times over his long career. I own this on vinyl and admit to not having listened to this album for years. Now that it really comes alive with this remaster, I will be listening more frequently. Whether you are a long-time Neil Young fan who has had this album in mothballs or a newcomer to his sound, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere is one remaster you won't want to miss.

After the Gold Rush
$11.98
After The Gold Rush is the second remastered CD I have bought from the Neil Young Archives series. The first, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere I bought because I didn't yet own it on CD. This one I bought to compare with the old Reprise label release that I already own. After listening to both of them many times, it seems that the benefits of the remastering accrue much more to the former album than to this one. As one reviewer noted, the remastering done thus far for the Archival Series is more apparent on the electric pieces.
As far as the music goes, After The Gold Rush is one of the most important albums of the last half of the 20th century. And while a remaster is long overdue, I have to strain my ears to notice any appreciable improvements on most songs. The benefits of the remaster are most apparent on the smug, preachy yet still powerful Southern Man. Elsewhere the benefits are quite underwhelming.
Like the Reprise issue, this CD is accompanied by an attractive booklet containing lyrics, pictures, and important album information. If you already own this on CD, whether an upgrade is worth the added expense depends on the quality of your sound system. But then, this remaster is so inexpensive it will be hard to resist. I look forward to further releases in the series.