Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall

After years of archival silence, Neil Young has plundered the vaults for the second time in less than six months with Live at Massey Hall 1971. Recorded during a stop on a solo tour in his native Toronto on January 19, 1971, Massey Hall finds Young performing songs that were mostly unheard at the time. He even comically adds, “I’ve written so many new ones I can’t think of what else to do” before the Canada-themed “Journey Through The Past.” There’s a quiet-storm sensation to the relaxed pace of the record. Electric barnburners such as “Cowgirl in the Sand” and “Down by the River” are stripped down, and Young plays piano on nearly half the album, indicating the musical place he occupied between 1970’s After the Gold Rush and the yet-to-be released Harvest. The medley of an early version of “A Man Needs a Maid” segueing into a loose, piano-based “Heart of Gold” is more than interesting, but it’s “Bad Fog of Loneliness” and “Dance Dance Dance” that are worth the price of admission alone, as these gems have never officially seen the light of day on a Young album. A scorching “Ohio” proves even more urgent by his lonesome yearning and Young’s banter between songs, such as his explanation of the origin of “Old Man,” sheds light onto a shy kid who was just hitting his creative stride. While there are many more songs here than the recently released Live at the Fillmore East, Young has to be docked for putting out a show that is widely circulated in soundboard form. Young’s long-time producer, David Briggs, originally intended Massey Hall to be released before Harvest, but Young was never willing to listen to it and the tapes fell into the hands of fans, putting a rift into the musician-producer relationship. Briggs has since passed, and Young decided to give the tapes a shot. He became floored with what he heard. Although many are familiar with this show, Mr. Young’s fans should remember any archival release (with the exception of the forgettable 80s) is a good one, and there is apparently quite a bit more on the way. [www.neilyoung.com]