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Neil Young / A Letter Home limited edition 10-disc vinyl box

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Neil Young‘s new album A Letter Home (‘reproduced’ by Jack White, Third Man Records and Neil) is available as a limited edition vinyl box set.

The new record has been described as “an unheard collection of rediscovered songs from the past recorded on ancient electro-mechanical technology” and Neil Young is obviously very excited by it since this box is effectively a 10-disc set!

The box includes:

  • • 1 standard 12” LP vinyl
  • • 1 “direct feed from the booth” audiophile 12” LP vinyl
  • • Seven 6” clear vinyl discs
  • • 1 standard CD
  • • 1 standard DVD
  • • a 32-page, 12” x 12” book
  • • Download card to redeem the digital album of the “direct feed from the booth” audiophile version

A Letter Home vinyl box set will be released on 27 May 2014. At present only on Amazon USA, but links below will be updated.


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Limited Edition vinyl box set

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Standard Vinyl Edition

Standard CD Edition


A Letter Home Tracklist

1. A Letter Home intro
2. Changes (Phil Ochs)
3. Girl from the North Country (Bob Dylan)
4. Needle of Death (Bert Jansch)
5. Early Morning Rain (Gordon Lightfoot)
6. Crazy (Willie Nelson)
7. Reason to Believe (Tim Hardin)
8. On the Road Again (Willie Nelson)
9. If You Could Read My Mind (Gordon Lightfoot)
10. Since I Met You Baby (Ivory Joe Hunter)
11. My Hometown (Bruce Springsteen)
12. I Wonder If I Care as Much (Don Everly)

 

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16 Comments

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Mike

Great price on the Neil Young A Letter Home box set at the moment! Amazon UK, Juno

Stefan

any Information on what the DVD will contain?

Zongadude

According the Neil’s website the DVD will content the same audio as the “direct feed from the both” Lp. Perhaps in hires.

Mic Smith

I’m not going to wade into the debate about other consumers’ habits and/or needs as frankly it’s of little or no significance to me personally what drives collectors of music to want this format or that format or a combination of both mixed in with a completely new (to me) format.
All I would ask is that Neil Young and others (Bowie among them) inform his audience at the time of initial release of all the buying options upfront so consumers can make the right informed choice of what to buy.
To date I have already ordered the ‘exclusive’ vinyl edition album only to find it was out of stock. I cancelled that as the vendor thought it could be 2-3 weeks before he was able to re-stock it. Then it was pointed out a CD edition was due at end of May so I pre-ordered that from the same vendor. Within 24 hours I now find there is this deluxe edition – with far more vinyl than I really need (the 12″ audiophile would suffice) plus CD (useful to me), DVD (essential) and book (also useful to me) – so to get the DVD, the better vinyl and a CD for convenience, I will be buying this set. What my options are for cancelling the original CD order I’m not sure. Plus I know not yet if this will be available in the UK to avoid postage and import duty.
I am a huge defender of Neil Young who traditionally has been fair to collectors over the years but the release of A Letter Home has been doused in confusion and misinformation. Sets like this don’t happen over night. Someone knew this was in the pipeline a week ago when the Third Man vinyl release was publicised so why can’t the initial press release give us all the news at once.
As for the situation with Time Fades Away – that just reinforces my point. At no point has anyone yet said if that will be available on vinyl or CD separately from the 3,500 limited edition 4 LP box. I know Young is his own man and runs a tightly controlled ship and is prone to changing his mind, which is his prerogative I guess, but as a consumer I believe the fans have a right to know what’s on offer right from the get-go. Zeppelin and Gabriel seem to manage this so why can’t Mr Young and a few others like him?

Paul Kent

Thank you, Paul. You summed it up so much better than I could! :D

Paul English

In my experience it’s the BAVJs (Born Again Vinyl Junkies) who are the elitist ones who hate all other formats.

Most BAVJs were born in the late 1970s / early 1980s. Vinyl sales were struggling when they started buying music so they chose the easy option – cassettes and CDs. When times were tough for LPs and 45s (practically all through the 1990s) these guys didn’t want to know.
They got into records about 8 – 10 years ago and have no sense of quality control. They’re busy re-buying their cassette/CD collection on vinyl and don’t know enough about the different pressings or what exactly they should pay. The same BAVJs absolutely HATE CDs now and will denigrate the format at every opportunity. They diss CD reissues but love vinyl reissues and totally miss the point that both are the same i.e. not OGs.

They have totally failed to grasp the point that vinyl and CDs can peacefully co-exist. Some of them are in my social circle. When some of us kept the vinyl flag flying through the wilderness years (all through the 90s) these charlatans were nowhere to be found.

I’ll give you an example – a few years ago I called into a record shop and asked for a copy of Sonic Youth’s Dirty (Deluxe Edition). The owner asked me if I wanted vinyl or CD. I said “give me the CD version”. A BAVJ I vaguely know gave me a withering glance and proceeded to talk loudly to his friend about how “cool” the quadruple vinyl repress was. I didn’t need the vinyl repress because 1) It cost three times as much as the CD and 2) I purchased the original double LP back in 1992.

The BAVJs are the ones dissing “crappy 1980s CDs” or “cold sterile CDs” while salivating over mediocre 180g vinyl re-pressings. They’re now on the vinyl bandwagon – great – but can’t shut up about it and think they’re the only ones along for the ride.

Joe

If CD and lossless / high-res files came first then somebody said I have invented this big black plastic disc that attracts dust and crackles when played and you have to turn it over to hear the second half of the album but you get bigger artwork, oh and it will cost more, would anybody buy the vinyl? I mean purely as a brand new format with no historic or sentimental significance.

I appreciate older music listeners having a preference for original vinyl and new vinyl enthusiasts seeking it out but when a lot of modern vinyl is using the same digital source as the CD anyway, what is the draw?

Paul Kent

@Simon – from my experience, those with a preference for vinyl seem to have forsaken all other formats. I have a friend who has ripped vinyl to play in his car rather than an actual CD copy of an album. That’s not to say all vinyl buyers are that obsessed, but certainly those that I know. So, yeah, probably a sweeping generalisation but not an exaggeration either :)

Richie

I`m getting the single album release, I agree with all the comments above.
What I would like to know and to quote `Shakey` himself if “Music matters” why is he recording in a bloody `40`s recording booth?

CP

When they say limited, why dont they say the number!! Is it limited to 5 million or what!!

Paul Kent

I’m with Phil. Neil Young should just mug each of his gullible, deep-pocketed fans in the street and have done with. This is just shameless. I’ve long since seen the point in these multi-format releases – if you don’t have a turntable you just want the CD; if you’re a vinyl junkie you don’t want the CD and are just as likely to not need the download code. In this instance, even a vinyl junkie will be over-faced. Does anyone really need another 12 sides of vinyl that’s already included, even if it is an inch less per disc and clear? Someone, somewhere, is laughing loudly!

Simon

I agree Paul. For the most part: an excessive almost-certainly over-priced set. I have paid just £65 for the Hype Park gig which I am certain will give me more joy than this set. That said can I ask why you think a vinyl junkie would not want a CD to play in the car or the downloads to stick on the iPod on holiday whilst the children are listening to the latest interminable Now collection? :-D

Paul English

Simon – I’m a vinyl junkie who owns all Neil Young’s LPs AND all of the Now That’s What I Call Music volumes (plus associated spin-offs).

Simon

I salute your diversity @Paul English!

Agree about the recent converts too. My budget only allows select purchases these days so careful research is called for. I have been burnt by going for the vinyl choice in recent years (I’m looking at you British Sea Power and We Are Scientists?).

@Paul Kent Your mate sounds a touch too serious for me! I have ripped plenty of vinyl (mostly 12″ singles) but I am perfectly happy with well-mastered music whatever the format. And, shoot me now, I happily listen to MP3s all day at work streamed from the cloud. I am a philistine in the eyes of many I guess. :-D

T

Looks like RSD material. (Record Store Day)

phil

er…. the deluxe edition that “jumped the shark”