Neil Young Archives Vol. 1: 1963–1972 is the first in a planned series of box sets of archival material by Canadian-American musician Neil Young. It was released on June 2, 2009, in three different formats - a set of 10 Blu-ray discs in order to present high-resolution audio as well as accompanying visual documentation, a set of 10 DVDs, and a more basic 8-CD set. Covering Young's early years with The Squires and Buffalo Springfield, it also includes various demos, outtakes and alternate versions of songs from his albums Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Gold Rush, and Harvest, as well as tracks he recorded with Crazy Horse and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young during this time. Also included in the set are several live discs, as well as (on the Blu-Ray/DVD versions) a copy of the long out-of-print film Journey Through the Past, directed by Young in the early 1970s. On January 31, 2010, the box set won the Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, a win shared by Neil Young along with his art directors Gary Burden and Jenice Heo. Neil Young Archives Volume II: 1972–1976 did not follow until November 2020, covering his work from 1972 to 1976, and was released only as a 10-CD box set. Neil Young Archives Volume III: 1976–1987 would follow in 2024, with a preorder announced on July 25 and an official release date set for September 6. The set, covering his work from 1976 to 1987, would be spread across 17 CDs and 5 Blu-rays, the latter of which would include 11 films. A pre-order would include a CD titled Takes, set to include a track each from 16 of the 17 CDs.

Background

This is the first of several projected box sets in the Neil Young Archives series, which will eventually chronicle the artist's entire career. The box, which won a Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, features previously released as well as rare and unreleased material from the first decade of Young's career, spanning his Winnipeg years with the Squires, Buffalo Springfield, Crazy Horse, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and his first several solo albums. After conflicting statements over the years, it was eventually revealed that the set would be released in three formats: CD, DVD, and Blu-ray. The DVD and Blu-ray editions contain 10 discs (including Journey Through The Past released for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray) and a 236-page full-color hardbound book in special packaging, while those with the Blu-ray edition would receive free online updates in perpetuity (though the last update was posted in April 2010, with all BD Live updates eventually being pulled altogether in early 2016). The CD set has 8 CDs (Discs 00 & 01 fit on one disc, and Disc 09 is not included) and a CD-sized booklet. Each disc in the Archives was also available individually exclusively through Warner Bros. at launch. CD, DVD and Blu-ray box set pre-orders from Warner Bros. also included a 7" 45 RPM single with "Aurora" and "Mustang" from Disc 00. In addition, people who pre-ordered the DVD and Blu-ray box sets received, in early May, a bonus copy of Disc 00 (Blu-ray only) so that they could "test drive" the contents. All DVD and Blu-ray box sets also included a card with a code for downloading MP3s of all the tracks in the box set. Of the 137 tracks on the track listing, 47 were previously unreleased. These included live versions and alternate mixes of previously released songs. Thirteen of the songs on this set had previously never been released in any form. The 10-disc sets included several 'hidden tracks,' which were not included in the 8-CD set. The audio format on the Blu-ray version is presented in 24-bit/192 kHz stereo PCM on all discs except Journey Through The Past which includes selectable DTS Surround or stereo 24-bit/96 kHz PCM tracks. The DVD version includes a 24-bit/96 kHz stereo PCM track, while the CDs are in the standard 16-bit/44.1 kHz format.

Track listing

Disc 00 – Early Years (1963–1965)

Disc 01 – Early Years (1966–1968)

Disc 02 – Topanga 1 (1968–1969)

Disc 03 – Live at the Riverboat (Toronto 1969)

Disc 04 – Topanga 2 (1969–1970)

Disc 05 – Live at the Fillmore East (New York 1970)

Disc 06 – Topanga 3 (1970)

Disc 07 – Live at Massey Hall (Toronto 1971)

Disc 08 – North Country (1971–1972)

Disc 09 – Journey Through the Past – A Film by Neil Young

Special features include the theatrical trailer, radio spots and archival galleries.

BD-Live Downloads

In the first half of 2016, the BD-Live platform was taken down, and the above content then became inaccessible. Except for the "Shakey Pictures Fanfare," it was added to the Neil Young Archives subscription website on January 21, 2021.

Production

Multimedia Audio Art and text

Charts