Neil Young – Archives Vol. III Takes (Reprise) (13th Floor Album Review)

For those of us not able to shell out the $600 for Neil Young’s 17 CD Box set, here’s the lowdown on the 2-disc vinyl version of Archives Vol.III called Takes.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a Neil Young fan from way back and up until now I’ve been able to come up with the cash to but his previous Archives box sets. But times are tough and, hey, Christmas is coming, so the next best thing is this 2-disc 16-track “sampler” titled Takes, which I see is retailing down the street for a cool $104.95.

So, finances aside, is Takes worth your time?

The short answer is …yes!

Every track, bar one, is unreleased and there are three songs that have never been officially released in any form.

Side one opens with a very intimate version of Hey Babe. Mastered from a cassette tape and recorded at home on March 1, 1977, we hear Neil mumble, “This one I wrote yesterday”. Who is he talking to? Well, Linda Ronstadt and Nicolette Larson, who join in with some spontaneous bvs. The song sounds fully-formed (it eventually shows up on American Stars & Bars), Neil’s vocal is wonderful and the gals like it…”that’s nice for harmonies”, Linda notes when it’s over.  I could listen to this all day.

But instead, track two jolts me back into reality and Neil and The Horse crank out a live version of Drive Back, recorded at London’s Hammersmith in March of ’76. It’s classic electric Neil but I think I would have placed this at the end of the side for better flow.

Next is the only track on the record to have been previously released. Hitchhiker is the title track from a 2017 NYA release, a solo album that was recorded in one day back in August of ’76.

Rounding out side one is Let It Shine, originally released on the Stills Young album, this solo version, recorded at Budokan, predates that album by about half a year.

Ok, so far, so good.

Just glancing at side two has got me excited…three of my favourite Neil songs and one previously unreleased.

The first two are Sail Away and Comes A Time and the last track is a live version of Thrasher recorded at The Boarding House in San Francisco on May 27^th, 1978 and it is stunning!

The “new” song is Lady Wingshot, recorded with Nicolette Larson in Nashville on November 10, 1977. It’s not Neil’s best…it kind of plods along until the “Gone With The Wind Orchestra” finds its groove. Neil has only performed the tune live twice so this is a rare one.

The album is arranged mostly chronologically and as Neil fans will know, things got interesting at the 70s came to an end.

Side three kicks off with a wicked version of of Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black), performed by Devo, with Neil on guitar) for the Human Highway film. This 9 ½ minute version, sung by Mark Mothersbaugh, sounds as weird and wonderful now as it did back then.

Then on to two more previously unreleased songs, Bright Sunny Day and Winter Winds, both admirable additions to the canon before the side closed with Neil and The
Royal Pineapples (featuring Nils Lofgren and Bruce Palmer) performing If You Got Love, a tune originally recorded for Trans but eventually part of The Human Highway. Not great, but not bad either.

On to side four and we venture deeper into the 80s with Neil’s synclavier-driven version of Razor Love. I’m not a fan of those Linn drums but you can’t blame Neil for experimenting. A more acoustic version eventually found its way on to 2000’s Silver & Gold.

Old Ways is one of my favourites and The International Harvesters roll up with a live version of This Old House, a tune many know from Farm Aid.  I’m loving Hargus “Pig” Robbins’ classic country piano.

Crazy Horse is back for Barstool Blues…this live version was recorded in 1984 and finally we get one last solo Neil performance, Last Of His Kind, recorded in 1987 and, until now, only available to Neil Young Archive members on 2021’s Summer Songs.

So there you have it! Neil Young’s leftovers are better than most artists’ proper releases and this is no exception. Of course now I want to own the full Vol III Box Set even more, but for now, this will do!

Marty Duda