Neil Young News: 'The Riverboat' Bonus CD's with Chrome Dreams II

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

'The Riverboat' Bonus CD's with Chrome Dreams II

Over on N Y Times comes word of bonus CDs that will accompany Chrome Dreams II. The bonus CD's will include a track from the Toronto 'Riverboat' performances in February 1968. The news confirms that 'The Riverboat' will be disc 1 of the Archives Performance Series and will be included in the Archives Volume 1.

It appears that selected retail outlets will each have a different track. So if you go to enough stores and purchase enough versions, you can conceivably put together your own 'The Riverboat' and not have to wait until 2008. Or whenever The Archives are eventually released.

Thanks e2f and Wade!

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43 Comments:

At 8/28/2007 06:51:00 PM, Anonymous said...: This is great news! I was worried that the Archives release might also include Fillmore and Massey. Didn't want to end up with 2 copies.
At 8/28/2007 08:10:00 PM, Jim! said...: Different songs per outlet, I'm sorry but this HAS to be crap. I think there's more likelehood of Neil writing a happy song :-)

Is it just me or or has it been perfectly clear that the "Performance Series" is simply part of the archives, why would there be duplication.

Jim!
At 8/28/2007 08:21:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I hope this is crap. Recently a reformed smashing pumpkins did the same thing. Releasing 4, or 5 different versions of their album to different stores. Ridiculously only one of the stores featured the title track. Just give us the one teaser song and make us wait.
At 8/28/2007 08:54:00 PM, Anonymous said...: As usual, Neil is feeding that "Restless Consumer". It's all about the fans, right Neil?
At 8/28/2007 09:12:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Sadly, this is what it has come to. CD sales are falling off a cliff and artists will try anything to squeeze out a few more units. I'd like to think that Neil would treat his die-hard fans with the respect that they desrve. We've been patient with the Archives for 10+ years. We're happy to pay a hefty price for the Archives but spare us the latest marketing tactic.
At 8/29/2007 05:05:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I don't think it's the artist that sell-out, it's their greedy employers (the record companies).
At 8/29/2007 05:18:00 AM, Ben said...: I'm sure there will be a torrent of all the songs put together within a day of the release.
At 8/29/2007 07:56:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I am a bit dissapointed oflate with Neil. His CD's in the UK are £10 more expensive then the other new releases. He knows his fans like to buy the releases on vinyl and his vinyl prices are extortionate. I worked out Greendale cost me around £120 (including concert ticket, book, LP. I think the avid collector who may have bought the DVD, both CD releases and T Shirt would have forked out £200. Neil knows his fans are going to buy everything he trucks out of Broken Arrow Ranch this is why he duplicates versions of releases. Its unjust and unethical. Come on Neil.
At 8/29/2007 11:04:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Why don't we all relax. If Neil wants to toss out a one song teaser in CDII - so what! If Archives prevents Neil from releasing any new tunes, then I can gladly wait until Neil is 110 to get the Archives. To suggest that Neil is somehow screwing us intentionally is a little fetched. If you want to distribute records in this day and age you gotta pay the piper. Hey Neil, you do what ever you want and so will I - its all good man.
At 8/29/2007 12:44:00 PM, RDR said...: Neil does not set prices for his albums, Reprise does, I'm fairly sure Neil has nothing to do with that aspect of it. Neil's vinyl prices are high because he requests very high grade vinyl for all of his vinyl releases, not to mention vinyl is simply more expensive to produce because there are so few companies that still do it. Neil's CD prices are high in the UK because a lot of them are likely imports from Reprise US, and not Reprise UK/Europe. In the US, Neil's CD's (NOT CD/DVD combos) are the same price as most other new releases. The prices for CD/DVD combos are self explanitory and if that's what you're complaining about then your argument is invalid.

Neil's use of DVD's in releases such as Greendale/Prairie Wind/Living With War/Live At The Filmore East/Live at Massey Hall have all been pretty good. I will admit the Filmore one is for audiophiles more than anything. But Greendale's bonus DVD's were both great (Live At Vicar St., Inside Greendale [recording sessions]), as was the Prairie Wind DVD, and while the LWW:In The Beginning DVD really had no "new" videos on it, it was nice to have them in a palpable format rather than on a website.

I really don't see what you're complaining about.

Neil has always liked to treat his fans to a taste of what's to come in his creative repertoire. Whether it be in the form of concerts, his website, or whatever. I'm sure we'll see a track or two of Chrome Dreams II before it comes out, on Neil's Website. The Riverboat bonus CD's are a nice little handout, we'll have a first glimpse into an upcoming release in the Archives Vol. 1. Neil also knows that collectors like this sort of thing, and that's who he often aims to please, as he is quite a collector himself. Neil could care less about the money, I'm sure he's got plenty.

If anyone is trying to "squeeze" sales, it's the record company, not Neil. He's prettimuch proved this in that both Greendale and Living With War were available as free streams on his website where they could be listened to by everyone.

I believe Neil has been quoted as saying something along the lines of "I don't give a fuck if it sells a million records or 10" regarding the Archives. It's not about money, it's about the fact that he wants people to see that it exists and that first and foremost in his goals is completeness, regardless of cost or time invested.
At 8/29/2007 02:18:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Lighten up guys:

1) N.Y. does as much for charity as anyone in music

2) a "bonus" is an extra -- a plus not a minus

3) He gave away "Living with War" for free

We can give him the benefit of the doubt
At 8/29/2007 04:41:00 PM, Anonymous said...: "Back in the old folky days
The air was magic when we played
The RIVERBOAT was rockin' in the rain
Midnight was the time for the raid"
- Ambulance Blues
At 8/29/2007 04:57:00 PM, Inverarity said...: It's just a teaser track, for crying out loud!

Living With War Raw, now that was a laugh. But I can't believe it's possible to get upset about non-exclusive bonus samplers.
At 8/29/2007 05:53:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Living With War was free?? Then why did I pay $13.99 for the CD, $35 for the vinyl, and $20 for the Raw version?? That ain't free.
At 8/29/2007 06:19:00 PM, Sid said...: Like Neil said in PRISONERS OF ROCK 'N' ROLL:
“Takin' orders from record company clowns. ”
At 8/29/2007 06:33:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Just like everything else, nobody's forcing you to buy anything. Vote with your feet if you don't like it!
At 8/29/2007 06:57:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Right, like Neil has no say in what comes out. Why can't it be THE SAME BONUS DISC at all retail outlets?? Hypocritical.
At 8/29/2007 08:27:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Folks, get a grip. This type of packaging is nothing new. Record companies have been slicing tracks and cutting all sorts of various products forever. Just be glad you're not an Elvis fan who has to buy 10 releases to cover all the bases. Besides, just wait until Riverboat comes out in 2008 if you have a problem.
At 8/29/2007 08:37:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Neil needs to anounce some tourdates and stop jerking us aroundxo
At 8/29/2007 08:37:00 PM, Anonymous said...: e
At 8/30/2007 12:24:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I'd be careful about how high you raise that pedestal you've got Neil on. Reality can be a real let-down. No, Neil-Control-Freak-Young doesn't have anything to do with how his product is packaged. And repackaged. He won't have anything to do with the price of these concert tickets either, because the money doesn't matter to him. Funny though, I have this weird feeling that the tickets aren't going to cost $30. Just a guess.
Even though this tour is all about Pegi. And people aren't going to want to pay much to see Pegi. But we've got a solution for that. We'll guarantee Pegi a packed house and a captive audience each night in a venue of a size which won't overwhelm her by having hubby play, too. Yeah, we'll even rush out an album to have an excuse to tour with her before all that press she got gets too stale. She WILL be a success.
At 8/30/2007 02:14:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I think it is the other way around. She put out her album first so it wouldnt look like she was releasing her album after neil to get more publicity.
At 8/30/2007 07:36:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Come on, Neil does not have any say in the prices or quality of his packages. Get Real, Of course he does.
This debate is about the Neil Young/Reprise Pricing Strategy not the bonus songs, and it is a very relevant debate.
Yes the Audio quality is high: Archives (so far) - impressed-love the DVD/Audios, Living With War - Brilliant, but as a fan I do feel sometimes I'm being shafted. For example the duplicate releases of LWW and Greendale, the Greendale movie was £25 in the UK, the book was £20 and di not have anything the CD cover did not already contain, the expensive LPs (even the 140 gram versions are very expensive). The quality arguement doesn't sit well Lost Highways Records/Cooking Vinyl also do 200 gram audiophiles as standard and are priced maybe £2.00 more that other releases. Tours - £60 for a seat at Greendale (worth every penny but significantly more than Dylan, Stones, Springsteen etc) - I know Neil and Elliot have a big say in concert tickets -they are both very shrewd. Concert T Shirts £30. I actually did the Fillmore CD and T Shirt offer from Neils website and the quality of the T Shirt was embarrasing. I could not believe Neil was selling something which clearly had been made and printed from poor raw products in a third world sweatshop.
I am a big Dylan fan and I love them both equally as artists but being a Dylan fan you get far greater value for money. I can not wait for Archives, Riverboat and Chrome Dreams but I know many a Neil fan is getting a bit peeved with the Reprise pricing strategy. I do not blame Neil as he is very distanced from the working man but I would like him to stand up and be counted against the capitalist strategies he protests against in some of his songs.
At 8/30/2007 07:49:00 AM, Harvey King said...: It sucks if you're a hardcore collector, I guess, but don't blame Neil for the expensive hobby you chose. Personally, I'm happy to have the choice. Would you really rather have one track universally on all discs, hand picked by some suit at Reprise, or would you rather choose the one that interests you most? That's the way I see it.

No one's forcing you to buy anything. It's a preview of a forthcoming album, for chrissakes. It's not like these tracks are exclusive to the bonus discs. And it's a bonus, for crying out loud! It sounds like you'd all be happier if this were another barebones release like LWW.
At 8/30/2007 08:12:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I agree the pricing is a bit over the top.You get great value for money from Neil if you buy one product. I think the satisfaction decreases the more items you buy from the release. Greendale being the perfect example, the cd/dvd brilliant, but books, movies, Special Edition CDS, DVD Audios. It got a bit silly. I guess we should learn to pick and choose the best item depending on our format tastes and buy that.
Some record companies are staggering the releases, so first comes the standard CD, then a month after that the DVD Audio/CD, then a month after that the vinyl. I do not agree with this marketing strategy. I think that it is shrewd and taking advantage of music fans as if you want the vinyl you end up buying the cd so you can listen to it in the mean time. This way they maximise the profits of the same release by encouraging duplicate purchases.

Sometimes they do take advantage of the loyalty of fans, how many of us here bought greatest hits even though it contained nothing new?
At 8/30/2007 08:24:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I think this is a good debate on pricing strategy and duplication of releases which often have an additional song or special feature which entice the restless consumer to buy.

I do not think this is a debate about the bonus song, because no one is going to buy the product 6 times to get all 6 bonus tracks.

The true debate is: As Neil Young fans do we feel we are overcharged? Discuss?????????
At 8/30/2007 08:46:00 AM, Anonymous said...: ''The true debate is: As Neil Young fans do we feel we are overcharged? Discuss?????????''

I would like Neil to make a stand and relase Chrome Dreams as one release double pack containing a CD for the car and DVD Audio for home for $10 THE DVD Audio should contain everything on so there is no need for further special editions with bonus material. If the materials good enough it sould be relased from the outset. Also a double LP 200 gram for $25 with an extra track for us audiophiles.
At 8/30/2007 08:48:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I find so much cynicism depressing and sad

Maybe Reprise has overdone it in spots

But you could listen to Living With War on his site for nothing

I always figured he put out LWW raw just to try to keep the message going

You don't need to engage in hero wosrhip to believe that some people have proved the sincerity of their motives. And if Neil Young hasn't I guess you have to view everything as fraud and rip-off.

He's a man, just a man. But as an artist he's getting deeper and wiser and his heart is large. You really think this guy makes records to fleece his fans?
At 8/30/2007 09:32:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I think people should stop collecting music and start listening to it again,
Buy or download the album and listen to it! Listen to it constantly like you did when you were a teenager, learn every note and every beat, do not just buy it, listen a couple of times and then archive it away in your own cd collection.

This might sound weird but I think too many people collect music as opposed to listen to music and this feeds the 'greedy hand' as we turn into 'restless consumers'. This goes for our generation but also the ipod generation who download everything.

Seriously dowload it or buy it but please play it loud until the grooves wear out. Maximise the satisfaction you get from the records/cds. That is the only way you can get your monies worth.
At 8/30/2007 12:43:00 PM, set list thief said...: Question about the Riverboat: There is some footage of Neil singing Cinnamon Girl that segues into The Loner that's been floating around on the toobz for some time. The video appears to have been shot in a coffehouse in the late 60s. Is anyone familiar with this footage and is it from the Riverboat?

Because if it is, that performance is absolutely mesmerizing, and I'd drive all over town to get all the different copies I could.
At 8/30/2007 02:27:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Neil does not owe any of us one damned thing, nor should he feel compelled to be some kind of crusader at this point in his career. How many people are gonna pass around CDII and burn it into I tunes? How many folks are gonna see all the stuff Neil puts on the Web? What ends up on YouTube? How many of us have the technology to copy and/or store the whole shootin match? ALL FOR FREE!

I own every studio album Neil has ever put out plus numerous boots and DVDs. I have only seen 32 shows - I bought 2 T Shirts ever! I did not buy Greatest Hits - no reason to. I am into Neil for a few thousan bucks. I will own CDII the day it comes out - same with Archives.

If I have to pay market prices to get the music and go to a show - so be it. Reprise and Ticketmaster are gonna make their money - that's life - get over it!

As Neil fans we are the most blessed group of people in the entire history of Rock n' Roll. We have an artist that is producing relevent, critically aclaimed material consistently for more then 4 decades. Neil once said "If it sounds good - ship it! Well, if it sounds good to you, buy it! Complaining about anything at this point is ludicrous! We are well inot the bonus round. God Bless Neil - he is just a dude doing his thing and I am along for the awesome ride.
At 8/30/2007 03:48:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Well, I would imagine all the songs from Riverboat will be made available as a download. Buy one version of Chrome Dreams II and download the others... what's the Big Deal?

I just paid $70 for a bootleg of the Blue Notes from 1988 just so I could finally hear (uninterrupted) Ordinary People - bootleggers have been making a MINT off of Neil for ages (Neil must love to feed these people) since he has adminantly refused to release Archives.
At 8/30/2007 04:22:00 PM, RDR said...: What makes you think Neil sets the price for his albums? Considering all of his CD releases in the last 20 years have been priced no more than the average major label album, I fail to see the argument you're making?

CD/DVD combos really don't count. Neil is one of the few artists who even goes out of his way to make these sorts of things. And if you pre-order from Amazon or Warner/Reprise, you'll get a large chunk off the price anyways.

Neil and Elliot, mostly Elliot, definitely do set concert ticket prices, but he's by no means the most expensive to see. I remember last year's CSNY FoS Tour tickets in the front rows were $400+.

Neil is definitely a man who understands economics, and that most (not ALL) of his fans are now in their 50's and 60's, and are decently well-to-do upper-middle class Americans, or wherever you hail from, and are more than willing and capable to shell out a little extra for concerts. Elliot Roberts has managed Neil's income revenue extremely successfully when it comes to merchandising/concerts.

But that's where Neil and Elliot stop and Reprise begins. Reprise does all the advertising, all the distribution of the albums themselves, and sets the price for the album. I'm sure it's something along the lines of "We're going to market it at 14.99 retail, is that acceptable?" and Neil and Elliot just agree. Price haggling slows down releases, and Reprise has taken good care of Neil over the years (for the most part).

Then Elliot and Neil step back in, and this is where the bonus items and CD/DVD combos and what not come from. I don't think it's so much Neil looking for an extra buck, maybe Elliot, for Neil lately it's been about showing his fans what goes on in his creative process. (Inside Greendale, LWW Docs, Prairie Wind Sessions).

DVD-Audio discs are only $1 more than CD's on Neil's website and likely can be bought cheaper elsewhere. The only reason Neil even releases these is for audiophiles like himself who truly appreciate the potentially superior sound of DVD-A. This has nothing to do with making more money, and if you think it does, well to be blunt, you're just a cynical moron.

I will admit Neil's merchandise (clothing etc) is all overpriced. LIKE EVERY OTHER MUSICAL ARTIST'S OF RELEVANCE EVER (maybe excluding Dylan). You could go to some no-name club show and pay just as much for lame band shirts as the stuff you find on Neil's website.

The prices in the UK are set by Reprise UK or whatever label distributes them there, and as I said many of them are imports, meaning the secondary distributor can gouge the price at their own pleasing. You can't blame anyone but record companies in your own country for that. Neil's vinyl for the past 8 years has ALL been manufactured in the USA to my knowledge, meaning any vinyl is import. Neil's vinyl in the US runs about $30-35, expensive but an extreme niche market. I doubt he pulls any notable profit off them.

And as far as concerts, the only shows Neil plays sold out anymore are Bridge Benefit/Farm Aid and a few select venues in California and Canada, maybe one or two in England. Do you realize how expensive it is to tour across a continent? Neil's roadies have to be some of the best-paid in the business, as well as any members of any band he brings along. And considering he drags along a master guitar tech in Larry Crag on every tour, that isn't cheap either.

I'm sure he still makes a good profit off of touring, but nowhere near what any hit bands who finance their own tours today gouge out of their fans; Neil doesn't have a "B-team" he can drag along to save money, and he doesn't sell out stadiums and arenas or even try to.

What you all seem to forget is that he's never sold out to the fame he could have if he wanted. He could organize some Heart of Gold bullshit nostalgia tour and sell out every concert he played; hell, just have him play his Greatest Hits song for song, bring along Crazy Horse and The Stray Gators, have Bruce Springsteen guest appear on a couple songs, play Heart of Gold, Old Man and Cinnamon Girl twice each.

You all fail to appreciate the fact that he's still making relevant music and still refuses to tour without new material. If you want to whine about money, don't buy every little thing with his name on it.
At 8/30/2007 05:57:00 PM, jw said...: With all of Neil's hard-core fans whining about packaging and bonus tracks maybe this is why he has taken so long to release the Archives. He wants to make sure he gets it right and doesn't have to feel the fan wrath. Actually, I don't think Neil gives damn what we think.
At 8/30/2007 06:42:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I really think this thread is way overblown.

Think about the day the Archives are finally released. It's just Vol #1 (8Cd's) of who knows how many. We're going to be having so much Neil stuff that I'm going to have trouble listening to it all. And the last thing I'll be doing is saying "oh Neil didn't include this track, or version, or mix".
At 8/30/2007 11:09:00 PM, RDR said...: [i]I just paid $70 for a bootleg of the Blue Notes from 1988 just so I could finally hear (uninterrupted) Ordinary People - bootleggers have been making a MINT off of Neil for ages (Neil must love to feed these people) since he has adminantly refused to release Archives.[/i]

You know, there are plenty of avenues to obtain bootlegs of any Neil song for free... You should do your research before you get ripped off. I'd have been happy to direct you to a pristine recording of Live in Toronto 1988 with the Bluenotes at their finest.. Including a very hot jazzed up version of On The Way Home and Tonight's The Night.
At 8/30/2007 11:11:00 PM, RDR said...: And by that I mean including an intense version of Ordinary People as well as Sixty To Zero, and a rare early Days That Used To Be.
At 8/31/2007 08:29:00 AM, Reprise Exec said...: If you don't stop arguing i'm gonna hike the price up a few dollars!!
At 9/01/2007 07:00:00 PM, Anonymous said...: HEY! Don't buy the releases with the extra Riverboat track! How about that? You'll get the same damn thing in the Archives, so who gives a shit how many bonus tracks he puts out in advance? It's not part of the Chrome Dreams II. Who cares.

I'll be buying the new record from my local shop. Maybe they'll have a bonus track, maybe they won't. When the whole Riverboat show comes out with Archives Vol. I, I'll buy it from my local shop as well and all this will be irrelevant.

Keith
Spin the Black Circle
At 9/03/2007 05:09:00 AM, HE Pennypacker said...: Question about the Riverboat: There is some footage of Neil singing Cinnamon Girl that segues into The Loner that's been floating around on the toobz for some time. The video appears to have been shot in a coffehouse in the late 60s. Is anyone familiar with this footage and is it from the Riverboat?

No, it's not from the Riverboat. The footage is from the Feenjon Folk Cafe in NYC IN 1970...
At 10/24/2007 02:04:00 PM, Dennis said...: Question about the bonus tracks.

Has anyone gotten one?

Can you tell before you purchase if one is included?

I just bought the CD/DVD version but didn't get a bonus track.

I think the idea is kind of fun and exciting.
At 10/25/2007 09:44:00 PM, Economy Films said...: "I'd have been happy to direct you to a pristine recording of Live in Toronto 1988 with the Bluenotes at their finest.. Including a very hot jazzed up version of On The Way Home and Tonight's The Night."

Really? can you tell *me*?

Pleaeeeease?
At 1/05/2008 12:51:00 PM, Doug Steiner said...: Has anybody heard any of the latest news regarding "The Riverboat" bonus CDs?