Neil Young - "DVD Collector's Box" 2xDVD

Comprising two previous documentary titles ("Neil Young Under Review 1966-1975" and "Neil Young Under Review 1976-2006"), this well-done set provides a fairly comprehensive critical appraisal of one of Canada's most beloved (and perplexing) musical icons. 

The first disc details Young's early days with Buffalo Springfield, his work with Crosby, Stills, & Nash, and his early post-folk solo career. Disc two highlights his later solo career, and his collaborations with Crazy Horse, Devo, and Pearl Jam, among others. Both DVDs are individually-packaged and simply housed in the "DVD Collector's Box" slipcase.

As with most of Chrome Dreams' unauthorized documentaries, there are plenty of "talking heads" -- critics, biographers, writers, and associates, to narrate and analyze the recordings. With plenty of live footage and splices of music, this is an entertaining and engaging set, essential for serious Neil Young fans, and enlightening for those not so familiar with his extensive and widely-varying body of work. (Chrome Dreams)

Neil Young official site

Bert Jansch - "Sweet Sweet Music" CD

If you're a fan of acoustic guitar and have never heard of Scottish guitar legend Jansch, who passed away in 2011 at the age of 67, do yourself a favor and investigate. Heralded by legends like Neil Young, Jimmy Page, and Johnny Marr, Jansch was often called the "Jimi Hendrix of the folk world". His intricate, delicate, and emotive finger-picking style was a huge influence on the aforementioned, as well as folkies like Nick Drake, Donovan, and later artists like Mazzy Star or Devendra Banhart.

 "Sweet Sweet Music" is a well-recorded live performance from 2006, with Jansch accompanying himself in front of an appreciative crowd in Sheffield, England. Tracks like "Blues Run The Game" are heartfelt, gentle, and warm, and everything here sounds downright contemporary and, somehow, very English. While this may not be the finest introduction to Jansch's wonderful and lively music, it is a beautiful document nonetheless. (Secret Records) Janschspace

Neil Young - "Here We Are In The Years - Neil Young's Music Box" DVD

A 2-hour unauthorized analysis of Young's musical influences, this one isn't so much a bio of the Canadian rock renaissance man as it is a look at what the man himself was listening to at various stages in his long and storied career. There's no interviews with Neil himself, only a series of journalists, writers, and historians who examine (with critical eyes and ears) the various facets and periods of Young's music.

Beginning with the early rock and roll and rhythm-and-blues (Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Chuck Berry), the disc travels into folk (Dylan, Ian and Sylvia) to punk (Sex Pistols) to electronics (Kraftwerk, Devo) and "grunge" (Pearl Jam, Nirvana). "Here We Are..." is an interesting behind-the-scenes look at an influential and ever-evolving artist who has always followed his own muse. Young is a musical treasure, and this examination of what inspired him is a must for any serious fan. (Chrome Dreams via MVD Visual)

Neil Young official site