Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall (CD/DVD)
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Free Music Notes for Live at Massey Hall (CD/DVD)
Free Music Review: Classic Neil Young
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a good companion to Neil's Unplugged record. They are both live, acoustic sets (Massey Hall is solo, no harmonica), and many of the same songs are played. I like both his mature, gritty voice of the 90's and his more pure falsetto of the early 70's. Neither is better; both are great.
He recorded this album before the release of "Harvest" and was playing many "new" songs from that upcoming album. It's fascinating that the audience has no reaction to the (now) familiar opening chords of some classic songs, not knowing that these unfamiliar tunes would go on to become classics.
The dvd is great; not a traditional concert film, probably because the pictures available are dark and grainy with usually only a close-up of Neil's face...but the film makers took advantage of this and wove in home movies and other video with the same grainy look. I felt like I was there in Toronto 36 years ago.
Free Music Review: This has been sitting around for 35 years unreleased???
Hit: 5 Stars
If you're any kind of Neil Young fan, you need to buy this now. Honestly, this is the best live Neil album there is, including Live Rust, imho. I was totally blown away; the sound quality is gorgeous, rich and full; Neil's singing and playing are absolutely top notch; there are several unreleased great songs; the other hits are performed so well. A couple of favorites: the solo acoustic Cowgirl in the Sand sounds like a totally new song, and Bad Fog of Loneliness, previously unreleased to my knowledge. The chit chat between songs will get old after the third listen, it's true. Also, the DVD concert footage is forgettable but the extras are nice. I read somewhere that his producer wanted this to be released instead of Harvest (he was just about to record Harvest, and many of the songs here are new to the audience), and that Neil now thinks that would have been a good idea. That's how good this is! Buy it now.Free Music Review: Purity and Beauty
Hit: 5 Stars
Admit it. How many of us wanted Neil to stay exactly as he was right then and there? Actually from the very first sliding power of "Cinnamon Girl" straight through to the peaceful piano and steel guitar tapestry of "Words (Between the Lines of Age)", he was exactly what we wanted from him. Then came "Time Fades Away" and things just kept changing. Never to be seen or heard the same way again. Not a bad thing, just very different. But in January 1971, there he was in his solo, acoustic pre-Harvest loneliness, delivering what most of us viewed as his purity. Hell, we even learned to play guitar through these songs. This tour has been available via scratchy bootlegs for years. It's amazing to hear it with this level of clarity. It's interesting that he hadn't picked up the harmonica yet. That was to come in sublime beauty a short time later. This record is essential.Free Music Review: Holy Grail
Hit: 5 Stars
This archive release is absolutely remarkable. The sound quality alone is extremely impressive for a 1971 show but considering the quality of the setlist and how well the songs were performed, Massey Hall 1971 is one of the most amazing things ever released by Neil.
NOW, add the fact that you also get a wonderfully produced DVD with live footage of the show plus home movies from the time period and you really do have a tremendous gem.
In regards to the set list, I'm thrilled to have a 'Bad Fog of Loneliness' which is gorgeous at this show (and very rare elsewhere) but for me the big surprise is the `There's a World'. I never really cared for the way the song was presented on Harvest but here in it's stark naked beauty with just Neil's flawless, unwaivering voice and lovely piano, it's bound to choke you up with tears every time.
Free Music Review: As good as it gets
Hit: 5 Stars
I spent most of the 70's listening to Neil Young, and I'm pretty sure that if I had been able to listen to this record, it would have been one of my favorites.
Neil's voice has never sounded better -- it's very strong and clear -- and the simple solo arrangements are very strong. And there are several songs on this CD that I like better than the canonical versions on the studio records.
The experience of listening to this has been really odd for me. There are songs on here that have been part of my life for 30 years, and I think that some of these versions are better. And it's not that there's a new or different take on them -- it's that same original vision, the thing that grabbed me at first, coming through stronger.
Basically, this is one of the best records of the 70's, inexplicably released in 2007. Go figure.