It’s probably stupid for me to post about the upcoming release of Volume 1 of the Neil Young Archives. This was first announced in 1990. Nearly 20 years later, there’s still no sign of ‘em.

But the rumor mill has been spinning a bit, with word that they’ll be out SOON, although I still can’t find an official release date. The first volume will be 10 discs, covering years 1963 to 1972 (and may include the Massey Hall and Fillmore East live sets that have already been released). There’ll be interactive menus, video footage, and the ability to update Neil’s archives via internet downloads when new info becomes available or is rediscovered.

Cool, right? Here’s the catch though: All this stuff will be released on the new Blu-Ray super-DVD format… and it’s indeterminate as to whether that will be the only format available. It will likely NOT be on CD, but whether a regular DVD release is also happening is unclear. Neil took part in a press presentation with the technerds at Sun Microsystems, endorsing their Java platform for the new technology (he ain’t singin’ for Pepsi, but he’ll shill for Sun). Anyway, for those of us with a Blu-ray—or a Playstation 3, which supposedly supports the format—I bet those scratchy, tinny archival recordings will sound as scratchy and tinny as they did when they were first recorded.

For those of us who don’t have a Blu-ray player… guess it’s time to start rubbing those pennies together.

Damn it, Neil!