Neil Young
May 9, 2011
Neil Young will release a brand-new album, entitled 'A Treasure', on June 14th, via Reprise Records. It will be available in stores on CD and Blu-ray, as well as on iTunes and through all participating digital retailers. The limited-edition vinyl pressing will precede the CD street date, hitting shelves on May 31st, and will be available on 180-gram double-disc vinyl pressed at Pallas, and mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering by Chris Bellman. The fourth side of the vinyl will feature special artwork etched into the disc. The vinyl edition will be sold through the official Neil Young store and participating Record Store Day Independent Music Retailers only.
The 12-track live album, 'A Treasure' includes songs, 5 of which are previously unreleased, recorded during Young's 1984 and 1985 U.S. tours without the support of an album or Young's then record label due to unique and unusual circumstances. Among those, "Grey Riders" will be the first track serviced to radio. 'A Treasure' features Young's onstage work with some of the greatest artists in the history of country music, including the late, great Ben Keith on steel and slide guitar and Rufus Thibodeaux on fiddle, along with living legends Spooner Oldham and Hargus "Pig" Robbins on piano, Tim Drummond and Joe Allen on bass, and Karl Himmel on drums, among many others. 'A Treasure' is Young's first release since last year's Grammy- and Juno Award-winning album, 'Le Noise'.
The live album captures this iconic artist during a fascinating time in his career, when he was facing criticism and lawsuits from his then current record company for exploring a more traditionally country sound.
"You can call me erratic," Young said when asked at the time about his tendency toward musical shape-shifting, "but I've been consistent about it, consistently erratic." Always celebrated for his musical versatility, 'A Treasure', is akin to a sonic time capsule, instantly transporting the listener to the time and place when it was made. "I love this record," Young says. "I hadn't heard these takes in 25 years, but when we unearthed them co-producer Ben Keith said, This is a treasure."
Part of what makes 'A Treasure' so compelling is the musical contributions of The International Harvesters, with whom Young was playing at the time. Many of them were already paragons within the country music world and their notoriety has only grown in the years since.
"I just love to hear those guys," Young says. "They're all country music legends."
Those behind the scenes also made significant contributions to 'A Treasure's' sonic potency. Tim Mulligan mixed and mastered the tracks. At the time these songs were recorded, Bob Sterne was the tour manager, Tim Foster ran the stage, and Larry Cragg was in charge of the band's instruments.
'A Treasure' Track Listing:
- Amber Jean (9/20/84) Nashville Now TV
- Are You Ready For The Country? (9/21/84) Riverbend Music Center
- It Might Have Been 9/25/84 Austin City Limits TV
- Bound For Glory 9/29/84 Gilleys's Rodeo Arena
- Let Your Fingers Do The Walking (10/22/84) Universal Amphit
- Flying On The Ground Is Wrong (10/26/84) Greek Theater
- Motor City (10/26/84) Greek Theater
- Soul Of A Woman (10/26/84) Greek Theater
- Get Back To The Country (10/26/84) Greek Theater
- Southern Pacific (9/1/85) Minnesota State Fair
- Nothing Is Perfect (9/1/85) Minnesota State Fair
- Grey Riders (9/10/85) Pier 84
