NEIL YOUNG

A Treasure

[Reprise]

By the mid-1980s, Neil Young had effectively gone rogue. The upstart Geffen label may have thought it signed a reliable rock legend, but Young handed the company in short order an electronic-music experiment (Trans), a rockabilly album (Everybody’s Rockin’) and a straightforward country effort (Old Ways). Geffen responded by suing Young for not sounding sufficiently like himself, and the artist took his case directly to audiences. When Geffen balked at releasing Old Ways, Young and his country outfit the International Harvesters took their show on the road. (He eventually returned to his ’70s label home, Reprise.) Young was as passionate about his new country songs as he was about anything he’d done during his legendary run of ’70s classics, and his commitment is audible on these 12 previously unreleased tracks from his 1984 and 1985 tours.

A Treasure continues Young’s ongoing series of archival releases, which has seen him assembling the enormous 2009 box set Archives Vol. 1 1963-1972 as well as stand-alone albums like the same year’s Dreamin’ Man Live ’92 (which drew on acoustic performances from that year) and this new collection. He’s in fine voice here, backed by country ringers like steel guitarist Ben Keith, pianist Hargus “Pig” Robbins and drummer Karl Himmel. The track listing includes several fine previously unheard songs, including the starkly moving “Nothing Is Perfect” and the blistering first single, “Grey Riders.” Ever the picky audiophile, Young is releasing A Treasure on high-resolution Blu-Ray disc as well as CD, vinyl and digital download. –Chris Neal

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