Neil Young

Live at Massey Hall, 1971

2007-05-24

In 1971, Neil Young was four years out of Buffalo Springfield after having quit on the eve of the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and was on his way out of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young after waxing Déjà Vu and 4 Way Street. He was also three discs into a solo career that included his 1970 masterpiece After the Gold Rush. This acoustic solo show catches him dipping into his catalog with "Helpless" and "Ohio" from CSN &Y, "I am a Child" from Buffalo Springfield and ample doses of his solo classics. Importantly, it also catches him running through songs that would soon be released on Harvest and Journey Through the Past including "Needle and the Damage Done", "Old Man" and "Heart of Gold". Not yet reduced to obligatory performances as greatest hits the songs resonate with discovery and benefit from Young’s spoken introductions putting them into context. Imagine "Heart of Gold" kicking into gear without a single hint of recognition from the audience and you’ll have some sense of just how new this material was. Great stuff then. Great stuff now. Smitty

More reviews tagged #Folk

  • reviewed 08/2007

    JOAN OSBORNE
    Breakfast in Bed

  • reviewed 05/2009

    Zach Vinson
    Cracked Open

  • reviewed 10/2006

    Jess Klein
    City Garden

  • reviewed 01/2008

    SUZY BOGGUSS
    Sweet Danger

  • reviewed 07/2006

    RAMBLIN’ JACK ELLIOT
    I Stand Alone

  • reviewed 01/2015

    BROTHER ADAMS
    Almost Alive at Front Street

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.