Neil Young News: Neil Young Plans Announcement at 2008 JavaOne Conference

Monday, May 05, 2008

Neil Young Plans Announcement at 2008 JavaOne Conference

UPDATED - 5/4/08

Today's the Day!

Live webcast of 2008 JavaOne Conference Keynote with Neil Young.
Begins 8:30 AM - Pacific Standard Time (PST)

Bumped from 5/1/08
UPDATED - 5/4/08

The more we're hearing, the more this looks like it could be some of the biggest Neil news in a long, long time. Ever since we posted the item below last week, speculation seems to center on this being the debut of The Archives on Blu-Ray DVD, which uses Java scripting for the multi-media menu functions.

Another rumor has it that this may be the Blu-Ray technology which is showcased with the un-released Crazy Horse Album Toast.

Whatever happens Tuesday morning, we think it will be a real milestone. And not just for Neil fans but music and technology fans as well.

There's already a buzz in the tech world that has some speculating about whether this is all just hype.

Drop a comment below and check back Tuesday!

From On The Record - The Official Site for Breaking News and the Latest Information from Sun:

Yes, it's true - Neil Young will join Sun on stage during the JavaOne opening keynote session on May 6, at Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Come hear and see what Java technology means to Neil Young as he does a special demo of a new music project.

Day/Time: Tuesday, May 6; 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Who: Rich Green (EVP, Software, Sun Microsystems) will be joined by several special guests, including Neil Young and Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz

Can't make it to JavaOne this year?

The keynote session with Neil Young will also be available via webcast & we'll post some photos in the JavaOne press kit.

So how much do you want to bet this is the debut of the Archives on Blu-Ray?

Is the waiting almost over?

Links to this post:

<$BlogBacklinkTitle$>: <$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

35 Comments:

At 5/01/2008 06:29:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Thrasher..I work for IBM and am familiar with Java and JavaOne...I have even attended JavaOne in the past...as far as I know the Blu-Ray standard does not have any direct connection with Java or use Java in the Blu-Ray standard..so not sure the Neil Young appearance at JavaOne is related to the Archives being available in Blu-Ray...this could be some other Neil Young Java announcment...but who really knows...

Thanks..

Jeffry B....
At 5/01/2008 07:23:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I really hope it is the Archives. Then there might be the chance that we'll see it sometime this year.
At 5/01/2008 08:03:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I beg to differ about Java and Blu-ray.
Java has everything to do with creating/authoring Blu-ray discs and the implementation of the upcoming BD-Live appplication.
You might want to check into this.
At 5/01/2008 09:58:00 PM, Anonymous said...: ...you betcha. It is Archives on Blu-Ray. Java is a key component. Check-out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BD-J. I am not sure what IBM has to do with Blu-Ray. ;)
At 5/01/2008 11:22:00 PM, Anonymous said...: If it is the Archives then how might it differ from the DVD version of the Archives, if it comes out? Would the Blu-ray version likely have lots of bonus stuff? I'm hoping it will come out on DVD, because I don't want to spend a lot on a Blu-ray player right now. I'm not convinced that they're significantly different from a DVD player to warrant such an expensive investment.
At 5/02/2008 03:13:00 AM, Anonymous said...: The good news is we only have to wait a couple of days before we know were Neil's adventures in modern technology are heading too. I am not going to bet and put my money on the Archives. No way. They are talking about a special demo of a new music project. I am not sure if one can call the Archives a new music project since he has been working on it for twenty years. So, it will be Toast. A digital soundscape like Weld with a completely different mood. Fragments of sound you can play with. "Like an abstract painting, lyrical images of a love lost and maybe even destroyed forever just refuse to die, creating a landscape littered with half-broken dreams and promises." For sure it will be good. BECAUSE SOUND MATTERS
At 5/02/2008 03:19:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Oh Yeah, sorry, I almost forgot one thing: "Ain't singing for Pepsi. Ain't singing for Coke. I don't sing for nobody. Makes me look like a joke. This notes for you." BECAUSE SOUND MATTERS
At 5/02/2008 09:25:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Yes. It's the Archives. It's about the future of music through technology.

Somebody be sure to report back!
At 5/02/2008 11:18:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I stand corrected...100% wrong...here is more info:

Neil Young Takes Center Stage at JavaOne Keynote in San Francisco

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080502/20080502005224.html?.v=2

Note to Thrasher...please post link to rebroadcast of Neil Young keynote..

Thanks..Jeffry B...
At 5/03/2008 12:39:00 AM, LRR said...: What Blu Ray can do which DVD can't is to integrate menus into the feature video. Rather than having the photos and lyrics as "special features" only accessible from the main menu, you can have the high resolution audio playing simultaneously while you are browsing the photos, reading the articles or setlists, which you will be able to select from clicking the accompanying high-res video. You could conceivably click on Neil's Beer Bottle during a solo acoustic video performance and knock it over.....
At 5/03/2008 03:08:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Thanks LRR. I understand Blu-ray better now : )
At 5/03/2008 04:40:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Since very few people will be buying this blue-ray thing, I have a question. Will it still be possible to convert it to MP3 so that people will be able to upload it to the torrent sites?
At 5/03/2008 01:31:00 PM, Karate-Chop Yoda said...: Neil has become a self-obsessed jerk. Who cares what kind of electronic goofiness he can achieve with java or whatever. If he gave a damn about his fans he'd just put out the archives already. I've been listening to these "almost" ready announcements about the archives since 1988. Now he's threatening to put them out only in some exotic format that only a few rich tech nerds in the bay area can use. What an ass.
At 5/03/2008 04:17:00 PM, Zak Claxton said...: Some of you have a mis-perception of what Blu-Ray is all about. It's not a format that only "rich tech nerds" can use. The way things are pointing, it's the next step of a global standard in entertainment media. No, I don't have a Blu-Ray player right now, but what better excuse to go buy a PlayStation 3 (which is a great Blu-Ray device per all reports) than to check out the Archives in their finest?

While I too have bemoaned the tardiness of the Archives, it would be pretty childish of me to scream, "I didn't get what I wanted then so now I don't want it at all! Wahhhh!" The Blu-Ray version is going to sound better and be cooler than any digital medium to date. Why not get the best for the best?

:)
At 5/03/2008 04:42:00 PM, Anonymous said...: The last tour on blu-ray has to come first,don't you think.I had a dream last night,Neil playing NHP with Keith Richards.
At 5/04/2008 01:26:00 PM, karate-chop yoda said...: Ordinary People listen to CD's, not Blue Ray or whatever other passing tech fad. Neil is stroking himself and doesn't care what his fans want (or can afford). Now Neil is selling out his name to Sun. Anything he ever stood for is gone.
At 5/04/2008 02:30:00 PM, Anonymous said...: God forbid he should set out to make something that he can be proud of, instead of just plopping it on a cd for the masses to consume. The fact that they asked him to speak at this conference says to me that he really achieved something with this project—not that he's selling out to Sun.

Whine all you want though. Call yourself an "Ordinary Person" if it makes you feel better (although I don't think he was singing about bitchers and moaners). I consider myself an Ordinary Person too, and uh... I'm gonna buy it. Hell, buddy, you could probably buy two blu-ray players with the money you save by boycotting the archives! Maybe your plan ain't so bad afterall.
At 5/04/2008 07:15:00 PM, Anonymous said...: why would NEil be any more "proud" of his music on a weird video player system that most people don't have than he would be if he put it a more widely-used format. if he truly doesn't issue the archives on CD, he will just be helping the corporate masters "turn over" the consumer base to their newest gizmo. They are using him, can't you see that? Give them another 10 or 15 years and guess what? They'll tell you that's obsolete too, now you need some other even more expensive set-up to listen to your music. Sound$ like lot$ of fun.
At 5/05/2008 08:45:00 AM, Fastman said...: The CD is obsolete technology and has been for years. It truly does not measure up to original analog recordings at all. Newer technology like Blu-Ray has got to be exciting for artists like Neil. It can capture a whole different emotion that you cannot get with an MP3 or CD. High definition audio is the future.

Whats wrong with Neil wanting the best quality possible for his music? Hes always pushed the envelope with fans, record companies, his band, himself.

Has Neil led you astray? Has he not delivered consistent material and surprises in his music? What about his live performances?

Give it a break ... If Neil is embracing a new technology to provide a better listener/viewer experience then why not have some trust in his 40+ years as a remarkable artist and go for the ride.
At 5/05/2008 12:58:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Its fair enough that Neil wants to take advantage of the new technology but there is no reason whatsoever why he shouldn't also release the archives on cd and dvd too.
At 5/05/2008 01:15:00 PM, Anonymous said...: you all realize Neil is being paid by the Blue-ray people to deny access to his music for the vast majority who listen to music on CD's, right?

He used to make some very brilliant music, but it's no longer a priority. He has violated the musical integrity of his work for the last several years to save his marriage (letting Pegi "sing" was clearly not a decision motivated by musical criteria). Now he's taking a huge corporate pay-off to promote some new fad technology and keep the archives out of the hands of the peons and peasants who won't / can't buy a whole new music system to hear his precious archives.

What arrogance. Enough.

Neil has gotten tons of money out of me over the years. Not a dime more.
At 5/05/2008 04:22:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Clearly the Chicken Littles on this thread haven't been paying much attention to entertainment news. ALL the major studios will be releasing ALL films to Blue-Ray exclusively. It's only a matter of time.

Neil has also announced the Archives (at this point in time) will be dvd AND Blue-Ray. presumably, you have a dvd player. Or are you still on Betamax?

Take your moaning elsewhere. Clearly you have some agenda.

-Chicagi
At 5/05/2008 04:24:00 PM, Anonymous said...: All I can say is he really should remaster most of his catalouge with this new techology. The current CD of "Harvest" sucks all kinds of balls. I'd love to see all albums from NY to RNS, Freedom, Ragged Glory, & Weld all remastered.
At 5/05/2008 05:21:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Just saw this on the net

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/12745.cfm
At 5/05/2008 06:11:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Can't wait. With Neil you better jump on and enjoy. What are the words from Thrasher " I got bored and left them there they were just dead weight to me"
At 5/05/2008 06:30:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Lucky for those 15,000 in attendance at the conference ... they might get a preview of the Archives I'm sure or maybe a freebee to take home. I'm sleeping in. Whatever happens I know where to check. Nighty Night Thrasher!
At 5/05/2008 09:38:00 PM, Anonymous said...: When faceless and anonymous
Come to beat down your door
And say you're all washed up and done
You can just say they have nothing in store
To touch this soul
Because they just don't know
They just don't know
The way
At 5/06/2008 02:51:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Wow, Sun's new java products really helped me get in touch with my soul! They inspired me to write a poem on a blog...I'm going to buy everything Sun makes from now on! Rock on Neil! You're so my$tical!!
At 5/06/2008 03:39:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Today is the day. Today is the dayayay... First of all I like to thank Thrasher for this wonderful website. I am always surprised by the news and the reactions on this news from all over the world. But... it surprises me too that there's always a huge amount of negative reactions among the fans of NY. I love good music. All good music. From Hank to Hendrix and far beyond I am travelling through the endless inspiring musical highway. For that reason I do own a CD player and did put a lot of money in music business. This I feel was a waste of money because most of the CD's really suck. Not the music itself but the quallity of the sound. If Neil Young wants to find solutions for the fact that his creative output has been destroyed for years by a consumer friendly audio medium like the Compact Disk one cannot blame him. Right now you can go to a record store and buy NY's back catalogue on CD. This should be forbidden, this to me feels like some kind of creative murder. All people at Reprise Records and the sellers should face life in prison for this criminal activity. Or could we blame NY for this too. Sure some of you will do but then again it's Neil who is trying to do something about it by teaming up with the technology industry. His last few albums were not that bad on CD. Massey Hall, Fillmore and Chrome Dreams did sound okay but after a while you still can hear it is some kind of cropped audio file you are listening to. I purchased Chrome Dreams on vinyl. Didn't buy any vinyl for a long time but everytime I play this great album I have to look around my room to check out what Rick Rosas is doing at my place. Never found him but still think he's here.
At the moment, like many of the visitors, I do not own a Blu-Ray player. because of my work I have bought a lot of "new" technical items in the past. Some of them were very temporary and outdated very soon by new developements. That's were my doubts come in corcerning the release of the Archives on Blu-Ray. So I still hope it's going to be an experimantal journey through the "Toast" that Neil will anounce in a couple of hours. Or even better... what about "Homegrown 7". That will give us, as visitor's from ThrashersWheat, food for speculation about 6 more upcoming albums.
Anyway, digital media like CD, DVD and Blu-Ray will all disappear in a couple of years because all digital files will become highest quality and easy to distribute without any kind of disk. Just from one computer or digital system to another. And that's why Neil is getting his point now. He has to team up with thechnological companies to be sure he is doing the right thing. He doesn't want his fans to get any more bad audio quality and besides that the Archives will contain a lot of visual stuff. So it's not only audio. The Archives is not a Neil Young project, it's about all he has done over the years as a performer and creative person with various friends. Included Bernard Shakey. Can you imagine that all the songs he has done with Ben Keith will not be on the Archives? That would be rediculous. And what about Bernard Shakey? Should he be left of the archives because of the compact disk as media for the masses? The archives will be a project by Neil Young and Benard Shakey and therefore they are looking for new adventures in technology. BECAUSE SOUND MATTERS
At 5/06/2008 09:51:00 AM, UWS81 said...: I can't believe you consider yourself a fan base after reading many of these comments. Neil is an artist. His first priority is his art. Even more so since he has more than enough money to not need any one person's or group's approval. I am sure he would love a positive response from his fans but how could it be the thing that motivates him on a daily basis? If it did, especially with fans like you, he would no longer be around to create new art. In other words, your opinions are catty, petty, and inappropriate. If you can't trust an artist like Neil, with 40 years of credibility, you should stop following his work. It will be doing a favor to yourself and all of us who love to see what's coming next.
At 5/06/2008 11:02:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Good words USW81!
At 5/06/2008 12:05:00 PM, Graham Nash singing "Our House" for Jimmy Dean Sausgaes and Fruit o' the Loom underwear said...: Neil, show me the way! I'll buy the new Sun Java 7.2 googleplexer thingy if you say I should! See, I'm a loyal fan, unlike those jerks who just want to be able to listen to your music on the stereos they already own. So selfish! What kind of fans are they if they don't obey your corporate endorsements? Be on Sun Microsystems' side, I'll be on your side. There's no reason for your credit card to hide!
At 5/06/2008 02:05:00 PM, David Skoglund said...: I still remember reading the teases of "Decade II" in a Rolling Stone interview in the spring of 1988. Almost exactly twenty years ago.

So, this is really happening? Just the idea of that leaves me in shock.
At 5/07/2008 05:52:00 PM, UWS81 said...: Blu-ray may be too expensive for many people now, but it is early technology. The prices will come down over time and everyone who wants better quality and functionality will have the option of buying it or not. At some point artists stopped publishing 8 track format and I am sure people were upset about that too. I wonder if people were upset about indoor plumbing?
At 5/08/2008 12:19:00 PM, "ohio" sponsored by cheez whiz said...: indoor plumbing....very thoughtful analogy. i just tried playing my old victrola records on the toilet but it didn't work. meanwhile, get your 2nd mortgage applications in now so you can pay for your new blu-ray gizmo and the archives. because if neil doesn't succeed in "turning over" a certain portion of american consumers to the new format, his corporate masters might take their payola back. as a loyal neil fan, i'm sure you don't want that on your head.