NEIL YOUNG'S BOX SET... FINALLY... SORT OF...

As I wrote in a post last year, I first read about a series of Neil Young box sets when I was in college. And, well, that was a while ago. I know that the box set has been coming out "very soon" for a very long time. Basically, the story is, Neil is ready, or almost ready, and then he gets distracted by the new music that he's working on.

Of course, Neil has always complained about the sound quality of CDs, always maintaining that vinyl is far superior. I'd have to agree, although like everyone else, I have most of my music collection on CD (not to mention mp3, which is a inferior even to the CD). (although, oddly, Neil has been releasing hundreds of tracks from his annual Bridge School Benefit concerts - from himself as well as the many other performers who have played - as an mp3 only album).

Still, it was surprising today when Neil (who was at Sundance plugging the Crosby Stills Nash & Young documentary Deja Vu) to drop this little bomb to the Hollywood Reporter: that the box set will "definitely" come out this year... but not on CD. Only on DVD and Blu-Ray. I understand why he wants to do it - he feels like DVD and Blu-Ray are more accurate representations of music he recorded on analog, and CD just doesn't have the depth. But still, wow. I guess people who are tech-savvy and who have enough gear will be able to burn them to CD or convert them to mp3s.

At the great Neil Young fan site Thrashers Wheat, people were enraged, and it's easy to understand why. But still, far be it from me to second guess Young Neil. he doesn't have to answer to me. Yes I will buy the box set in whatever form makes sense (I guess DVD, as I don't have a blu-ray thing). And yes, I will try to get it on my iPod.