For me it's not over...

When I started this effort in January 2022, it was mostly a way to catch up on an artist I had always been a fan of, but with huge knowledge gaps. Every couple years, I’d dive into old favorites or give a cursory listen to something new. The Archives series really gripped me when they were first out, but it was treading a period of time I was already very familiar with. It was all those aforementioned gaps that I was truly interested in hearing at the outset of this journey. At this point, I’ve covered his entire solo (with and without backing bands) career. It’s been quite a journey. However, I don’t feel it’s over. I’m going to talk a little bit about what I’d like to do going forward.

1. Neil is continuing to release archival material (see Chrome Dreams). There are at least two more Archive box sets coming, with Vol. 3 potentially end of this year/early next. That volume is going to have a lot to cover in it, with Neil constructing collections of unreleased material more than just ordering his released output along with some outtakes and live material, as happened on Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Given that potential structure, I may tackle each disc as a separate post. From what’s been hinted, there’s going to be a lot to talk about.
2. There are some potential standalone Archive releases forthcoming. Or not. In his answers to letters, he’s been suggesting that certain things we thought would be separate releases will instead be included in Archive volumes. For instance, there’s a film/disc of a Dublin show with Pearl Jam he has talked about over the years. His last update on it suggested it would be within Vol. 4. Likewise, the Alchemy film/disc (covering the 2012-2014 tour) may be a Vol. 4 disc now. That’s a little bit of a bummer, as I was really looking forward to Alchemy but Vol. 4 is a couple years away at least.
3. I intend to do a look at the Ducks’ High Flyin’ compilation. It’s such a cool story and the collection is really fun. I didn’t really intend to cover any of the bands Neil has been in (Buffalo Springfield, CSNY), but that may change. I may do a post for each of those last two, focusing on Neil’s contributions and how they influenced his career.
4. Neil will continue to release new music as long as he can. He’s lately been talking about “making a record” and “a new album” potentially released this December. Speculation is some kind of release covering the Coastal tour, but he hasn’t come right out and said that straight up. Even if that December release is a live album of some sort, I can’t imagine he’s done writing and recording new songs. He did not look like a musician ready to retire when I saw him in July.
5. I want to do a series of posts that kind of offer some conclusions from doing this deep dive over the past year and a half. This would include mundane things like an official playlist (it will be long) and a breakdown of my top 10 songs. I’d like to do an overview of the online Archives site, pointing out some gems like timeline concerts and films, neat features, and its just general astounding nature. Perhaps pompous, but there are a couple long form topics I may want to expound on: why I love Neil, his infamous voice, his legacy as an artist, etc. I’d like to try to offer some kind of ultimate conclusion about Neil’s work as a whole. That will probably be a mess, which is fitting.

I’m still livin’ the dream we had…

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