The music of Neil Young is not ruled by calendars or convention. Since Young’s first solo album in 1968, his sonic trajectory has always been what he feels is necessary to carry him forward. All the original releases and now official reissues are a journey of discovery. It sometimes feels like there is not a difference between the past, the present and the future. The music all lives together.
In July of 2023, Young released the OFFICIAL RELEASE SERIES VOLUME 5, a stunning collection comprised of four classic albums, on vinyl and CD, that begins with the exciting renaissance that came with the release of FREEDOM in 1989, and continues on the unequaled exploration of collections RAGGED GLORY (1990), WELD (1991) and ARC (1991). In many ways, it is a musical travelogue of how Young saw the future and opened up creative worlds for the use of sound and originality which had not been used before.
Today, each of these titles from ORS 5 will become available once again as stand-alone albums on both vinyl and CD. When these four albums were released in the box set last July, it was the first time they had been remastered for vinyl.
All formats will be available at the Greedy Hand Store at Neil Young Archives (NYA) and music retailers everywhere. Hi-res digital audio will be available at Neil Young Archives and most DSPs. All Greedy Hand Store purchases come with free hi-res digital audio downloads from the Xstream Store © at NYA.
In Neil Young’s extensive career, this period of music came at a definite turning point. The 1990s were almost ready to start, and Young had recently returned to his long-time home at Reprise Records. It definitely appeared to be a joyous and jubilant moment for the man who had recently celebrated the 21-year anniversary of a solo career that had never stopped progressing. The first album from that series is aptly named FREEDOM, and includes the song “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
RAGGED GLORY (1990) was a non-stop celebration for the music Neil Young & Crazy Horse are still creating at full force, and was recorded at Young’s Broken Arrow Ranch in Northern California. The 10 song original album is expanded for this re-issue with 4 rare tracks. “Interstate” and “Don’t Spook The Horse” were both b-sides to singles. “Box Car” and the 12 minute “Born To Run” were both previously unreleased versions prior to release in the ORS 5 box. The 4 additional songs have resulted with the album expanded to 3 LPs and 2 CDs. The album was remastered from the original analogue tapes.
WELD (1991) is one of the most groundbreaking albums of Neil Young’s history. It’s a live album recorded with Crazy Horse after the release of RAGGED GLORY. It was from a wildly creative period of the band’s history, and as Neil Young has often done, gave notice that he was a rock & roll originator who could never be second-guessed.
ARC (1991) is the live companion collection to WELD, and at the time generated the kind of musical notoriety that has often marked Young’s creations. ARC is a 3-minute outburst of feedback, improvisation, guitar solos and vocal fragments. When released in the ORS 5 box, it marked the album’s first release on vinyl.
Track listings:
FREEDOM
“Rockin’ In The Free World” (Live Acoustic)
“Crime In The City (Sixty to Zero Part 1)”
“Don’t Cry”
“Hangin’ On A Limb”
“Eldorado”
“The Ways of Love”
“Someday”
“On Broadway”
“Wrecking Ball”
“No More”
“Too Far Gone”
“Rockin’ In The Free World” (Electric)
RAGGED GLORY – Smell The Horse
“Country Home”
“White Line”
“Fuckin’ Up”
“Over and Over”
“Love to Burn”
“Farmer John”
“Mansion on the Hill”
“Days That Used To Be”
“Love and Only Love”
“Mother Earth (National Anthem)”
“Interstate”
“Don’t Spook The Horse”
“Box Car”
“Born To Run”
WELD
“Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)”
“Crime in the City”
“Blowin’ in the Wind”
“Welfare Mothers”
“Love to Burn”
“Cinnamon Girl”
“Mansion on the Hill”
“Fuckin’ Up”
“Cortez the Killer”
“Powderfinger”
“Love and Only Love”
“Rockin’ in the Free World”
“Like A Hurricane”
“Farmer John”
“Tonight’s the Night”
“Roll Another Number”
ARC
“Arc (A Compilation Composition)”
Freedom, Ragged Glory/Smell The Horse, Weld and Arc all take their proper place now in the career-exploration march of a true adventurer, both in the music he makes and the care and consideration in how it is presented to the public. Even with all the achievements and advancement in sound, it still feels like things are just getting started.
