This infamous set of 4 'unreleased on CD' albums that have finally found themselves embedded into the plastic discs were perhaps the longest holdouts against the digital revolution. The fact was that Neil Young has never liked the sound of CDs calling them flat and lifeless in comparison to their analog LP counterparts. Of course, Neil was the protector of his life's blood, in this case, his lyrical and musical output.

Recent technology and the advent of high resolution capability make bringing out the artistic quality of music, particular analog masters, much closer to the original sense. Neil recognized this and decided his long standing moratorium on CD issues of his most personal achievements can now be released. Time Fades Away is one of those albums yet to make the transitory journey.

But oh, do they sound marvelous.

On the Beach, Neil's legendary and highly worshipped introspective work with deeply poetic lyrics and down home accompaniments, is, surprisingly, his most commercially unachieving album in terms of sales; usually the path of genius output. With 8 songs looking deeply into his greatest fears and depressive moments, the greatest of them the 8+ minute "Ambulance Blues" and the title track, "On the Beach", On the Beach may be his masterpiece. Carefully engineered, this album, of the four released, speaks the closest to the heart. With the perfected sonic clarity making this musical masterpiece a stunning look into the soul of Neil Young, we cannot fault his obsessive attention to detail. On the Beach, with it's minstrel-like songs, is the better for it.

Later, Neil created a hybrid album of country tunes and hard rock with his American Stars 'n Bars. Not only those but also some very poignant ballads such as the warm "Star of Bethlehem" and his expressive "Will to Live". Neil Young's creative output was split here but it didn't detract from the beauty of this album. Incidentally, his greatest rock classic, "Like a Hurricane" resides on this album and shines from the magic that remastering has bestowed upon it. His signature guitar is, as the song suggests, like a hurricane.

With the first five songs out of the gate country in nature, they become swallowed by the surprising change in pace with "Bite the Bullet" which gets assistance from Linda Ronstadt and Nicolette Larson. The album closes with the declaration that "Homegrown", a country anthem, is alright with him.

Just a few years later, Neil's Hawks & Dove forsook the rock sound and relied largely on a country flavoured recipe, yet remarkably affecting his fans with its charming ragtime mix. It's this collective and fearless approach to his music that makes this album a favourite amongst strong Neil Young fans. Although not his strongest, it's eclecticism is its endearing quality. There is a turn to a rockabilly track of sorts with "Union Man" which is the closest this album came to any rock.

1981's slam back into the rock arena with punkish overtones came with re.ac.tor, his hard as nails, ballads be damned, output was perhaps a confusing one. When paired against the lyrical quality of On the Beach, one is left scratching their heads with such lines as "Got mashed potatoes, Got mashed potatoes, ain't got no Tbone..." and on and on...well, you get the point. Regardless, Neil has been known to change gears from time to time and this album is no exception.

When you realize that just one year earlier, Neil gave us the lyrically strengthened Hawks & Doves and then you get this one next, you find what most Neil Young fans already knew; Neil knows no bounds. In fact, he defies boundaries and categorization. Albums like re.ac.tor with songs like "t-bone" verify this penchant for 'across the board' experimentation. Does this negate the quality of this album? Never. In fact, it's the stylish attack that endears this album to dedicated fans. A listen to the deliberate bass/guitar driven locomotive rush of "south.ern pa.ci.fic" and you reaffirm something that many of you already knew, this thematic album showcases Neil's rockin' chops.

While this album will never approach the status of a Tonight's the Night or the rock fury of Rust Never Sleeps, it reveals that Neil uses his music to fuel his creative output in whatever form it chooses to take...at any given time. To appreciate the sonic beauty of this album and the remastering that brought it out, listen to "mo.tor cit.y" and enjoy the bass feedback taking on the life of a growling lion. Listen to Neil's stuttering in "rap.id tran.sit" and you may swear that he's somewhere in that room with you.

Now, having said all that, Neil Young fans don't need me to tell them his legacy and what he brings to the sphere of rock n roll. He stands alone, that's easy enough. But to have his entire (almost) collection of albums is necessary for completists. To have them in HDCD enabled, remastered beauty is cake and eating it too. It's also the argument for a re-release of his other albums to take advantage of this hair raising quality. And while that may raise the hackles of some, I'm willing to bet that many will agree.

This collection faithfully reproduces the artwork of the original LPs. There's nothing extra but then that would remove the allure of the original if it were saddled with bonus material. We like bonus cuts and we complete collections with special editions, but it's also great to have the original in it's undisturbed state.

"...I'm gettin' blown away."