Tuesday, May 6, 2008

NEIL YOUNG'S ANNOUNCEMENT

As I mentioned last night, Neil Young addressed the JavaOne conference today. As many suspected, he discussed the release of his long in the works Archives project. Java is a software company, and Neil and Java are creating a new way of presenting the Archives. It is going to come out on DVD Audio and Blu-Ray,
and will provide a much different experience than anything that is out there. Of course, Thrasher's Wheat has covered the event.
Two criticisms that I've already heard: a Blu-Ray player probably costs about $400, and the 10 disc Blu-Ray set will also be a few hundred bucks. It's asking fans who don't have Blu-Ray to put out nearly a grand for this. I'm sure Neil doesn't give a crap about that - people complained about the prices for tickets on his 2007 theater tour, and Neil's response was pretty much that attendence isn't mandatory. He wanted to put on the best show he could in the small venues that he thought suited the tour, and that's what he did for what he (or his people) felt was the right price. I think this is the same deal. Although I gotta think that, despite the fact that Neil hates MP3s, this will come out on iTunes, especially if it isn't available on CD. It would be cool if he released a music only version at least on vinyl.
The second criticism: how can the guy who sang "Ain't singin' for Pepsi/Ain't singin' for Coke" in "This Note's For You" team up with a software company like Java? F- that: Java is allowing him to present his music the way he's wanted to do it for more than a decade. It's not a matter of here's $1 million for your song that once meant something.
It's weird that this news comes as I'm just finishing reading Shakey. I knew that he had lots of unreleased stuff, and now I'm really looking forward to hearing some of it.

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