Chrome Dreams II CD/DVD Special Edition [Collector's Edition]

Neil Young | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 23, 2007)
• Original Release Date: October 23, 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Collector's Edition
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000VQQO3K
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,494 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Beautiful Bluebird

2. Boxcar

3. Ordinary People

4. Shining Light

5. The Believer

6. Spirit Road

7. Dirty Old Man

8. Ever After

9. No Hidden Path

10. The Way

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

What we have here is easily Mr. Young's finest work in years, one that erases the memory of his well-intentioned but anemic 2006 protest album, Living with War. Recorded using analog gear, with Crazy Horse drummer Ralph Molina, pedal steel guitarist Ben Keith, and Rick Rosas on bass, CD2 manages to sound both home-grown and experimental. It's the work of an artist still not afraid to take chances, who also knows what his strengths are and doesn't stray too far from them. Trainspotters will note that three of the ten songs were written but never released before, while we all might puzzle over the title. Chrome Dreams is the name of an unreleased album from 1977. So, why is this Chrome Dreams II? Is it a similar case to 1992's Harvest Moon, when Young went back to the virtual land of his 1972 hit Harvest to write more material in that vein? As the original was reportedly lost in a fire, we may never know. Chrome Dreams II offers up gorgeous, plaintive laments and country-tinged numbers sung in that achy breaky, heart-on-sleeve voice of Young's, as well as ragged barn-storming rockers delivered with a growl. There's even an 18-minute dirge that excitedly mixes R&B back-up horns with searing electric guitar leads! Wow. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

This Walletpak CD/DVD version includes Hi-Res audio of the whole album, with a moving video image. ''One of the most influential and idiosyncratic singer/songwriters of his generation.'' -All Music Guide. Enjoying one of the most prolific periods of his phenomenally prolific career, Neil Young (sans Crazy Horse) delivers Chrome Dreams II. Hard but shiny, acoustic but also electric, Chrome Dreams II continues the new millennium resurgence in popularity for one of the greatest singer/songwriters in rock history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bonus DVD explained, October 29, 2007

By 

geoff "Reviewer" (America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chrome Dreams II CD/DVD Special Edition (Audio CD)

The new neil is great, people, about the dvd, it is included because neil is an audiophile. Just because you hear it is a dvd, don't assume movies or videos are going to be on it. The dvd is for the dvd-audio mix! Yes, it sounds better than the flat one dimensional drink coaster (i mean CD!). To sum it up you are getting the best of both worlds, a cd for your ipod or car cd player and a DVD audio disc for your high quality stereo system at home! Insert the DVD and sit down and enjoy!!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why doesn't anyone understand the purpose of Neil's DVDs?, November 6, 2007

By 

G. Lundgren "Hi-Rez audio fan" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chrome Dreams II CD/DVD Special Edition (Audio CD)

"I can think of something better to do"? The purpose of Neil's included DVDs is to provide a high-resolution recording of his album without forcing the consumer to buy a DVD-Audio player. By using the DVD-Video spec for the hi-rez audio version, he is affording owners of ordinary DVD players the opportunity to hear a high quality music recording. Any video/slideshow that happens to accompany the music is simply fluff. If the listener is content with music as background while doing other things, then purchasing the regular CD version of the albums is more than sufficient. The ipod/mp3 generation is really missing out by not listening to music for the music's sake alone. Oh, and I did listen to both the CD and DVD versions of this album, and the DVD is clearly superior in clarity, dynamic range, and overall depth of sound.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I can find something more interesting to do", October 25, 2007

By 

D. Bell (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chrome Dreams II CD/DVD Special Edition (Audio CD)

The Neil Young "Chrome Dreams" DVD is playing right now, and my wife just wandered out of the room, exclaiming, "I can find something more interesting to do."

And that's the caveat emptor for this Combo Pack: the DVD is only a higher-audio-quality version of the CD. Content on some Neil CD/DVD combos feature live rehearsal/performance footage. Not this one. Perhaps it's the fact that some of the songs on this album were recorded back in the eighties, when he was being sued by Geffen for not recording "Neil Young albums," but the DVD simply has a montage of photographs of broken-down cars accompanying the songs. "It would be better," she told me, as she walked out of the room, "if they included the 'brown acid' with it. That would make it more watchable." Wow! Harsh criticism from a long-time Neil fan.

If you're just going to listen to this in the car, on your mp3 player, or on a boombox, save the bucks and buy the CD only version. The DVD is only for serious-180-gram-vinyl-audiophiles.

Selah.

Oh, yeah. Neil Young rocks. 78 stars.