Neil Young's fans have long known that his archives of unreleased material could - and probably do - fill a warehouse. Prolific and awkward in equal measure, his tendency to write songs one day and dump them the next, for no better reason than his mood has changed - along with his notorious reputation for project-scuppering rows - ensures both that these archives contain a wealth of riches, and that we're unlikely to get to hear much from them.
All of which makes the release of 'Boxed Set' the more surprising. First attempted a decade ago, this exhaustive retrospective of his short-lived first 'proper' band, Buffalo Springfield, required the involvement and approval not only of Young but also the equally tetchy Stephen Stills and (more peaceable) band member Richie Furay. Lovely idea, but it just wasn't going to happen. Was it?
So why all this effort for a stack of outtakes and demos? Because, for two short years, Buffalo Springfield were a force to be reckoned with. Like a raw version of The Byrds, they created an edgy blend of folk and rock and layered it with psychedelia and garage band jams that put them, in terms of creative potential, up alongside the likes of Hendrix, the Stones and The Beatles. Their strength came from their ability to combine the rapt melodic skills of Stephen Stills, later to flourish as one third of Crosby, Stills & Nash, with the more ragged talents of Neil Young.
This was also their problem. They didn't stop arguing, from the moment they formed till the point they disbanded. Neil Young in particular seemed to leave and rejoin the band about once a fortnight. Of the three albums released under their name, only the first was co-ordinated, planned and agreed upon by all. The second may well have been their masterpiece, but it was hastily assembled from bits and pieces of sessions. They had so little hand in putting together the third that they've all but disowned it.
So here, finally, we have the material they themselves feel represent the band. Chronologically arranged, and more than half of it previously unreleased, it moves from early, simple demo recordings, through superior alternate takes from their first album, songs that clearly should have been on the second to a tantalising glimpse of how good the third could have been if they'd stuck together. Previously unheard versions of Young classics 'Mr Soul' and 'Broken Arrow', alongside demos for what would be his first solo record, are the highlights here, although Stills' songwriting is shown to be almost the equal of Young's. And 'For What It's Worth', their biggest hit, is as sublime as ever.
OK, the myths overstated it - there's no legendary album-in-waiting here. Just a lot of fine music, which we can finally hear in the form its authors intended.
