BuzzFlash Reviews

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS

An Online Reviewer:

"This entirely solo acoustic performance rivals the best live work Neil has ever released. Somehow, it outdoes the intensity of Neil's incomparable "Unplugged" set from 1993, and conjures memories of the night I saw Neil on his solo acoustic tour in 2000 to support the "Silver & Gold" album, which remains the most memorable concert I have ever attended.

Casual Neil Young fans tend to prefer specific dimensions of the wide range of sounds Young has explored throughout his career, but "Live at Massey Hall" is that kind of unifying performance that appeals across the entire spectrum of Young's audience. Crisp, marvelously intimate and characteristically intense, this set captures Neil just before he leapt into superstardom with the phenomenally successful Harvest, and it is just so fascinating to hear Neil perform songs like "Heart of Gold" when they were brand new and no one in the crowd had heard them before."

Playlist:

1. On The Way Home
2. Tell Me Why
3. Old Man
4. Journey Through The Past
5. Helpless
6. Love In Mind
7. A Man Needs a Maid/Heart Of Gold Suite
8. Cowgirl In The Sand
9. Don't Let It Bring You Down
10. There's A World
11. Bad Fog Of Loneliness
12. The Needle And The Damage Done
13. Ohio
14. See The Sky About To Rain
15. Down By The River
16. Dance Dance Dance
17. I Am A Child

Another Online Review:

"Whether you are a Neil Young fan or not, this is a 'must hear' live recording for anyone who loves great folk music! The lyrics and melodies are both pensive and mirthful, taking you back to a simpler time when life and love was easier to contemplate. Neil's trademark stiletto-falsetto-like voice was beginning to peak, piercing your heart gently with melancholic honesty and sincerity. I have been a fan of his most of my life and, although I have enjoyed hearing Neil's later albums and how his talent has evolved through the years, (IMHO) nothing compares to his solo seventies creations! Thanks, Neil, for reminding us once again how music can touch our soul and be a soothing constant in this mad, erratic world."

All Music Guide:

"This is a remarkably rich set of songs, touching on nearly every aspect of Young's personality, whether it's his sweetness, his sensitivity, his loneliness, or even his often-neglected sense of fun. True, the latter only appears on "Dance Dance Dance," but that comes as a welcome contrast to the stark sadness of "See the Sky About to Rain." But even if "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" retain their intense sense of menace when stripped of the winding guitar workouts of Crazy Horse, this concert isn't dominated by melancholy: it's a warm, giving affair, built upon lovely readings of "Helpless," "Tell Me Why," "Old Man," and an early incarnation of "A Man Needs a Maid" (here played as a medley with "Heart of Gold") that removes the bombast of the Harvest arrangement, revealing the fragile, sweet song that lies underneath.

"While this concert isn't as freewheeling and rich as Young's studio albums of the early '70s -- each record had a distinctive character different from its predecessor, thanks in part to producer David Briggs, arranger/pianist Jack Nitzsche, and Young's supporting musicians, including Crazy Horse or the Stray Gators -- it nevertheless captures the essence of Neil Young the singer and songwriter at his artistic peak. That's the reason why this concert has been a legendary bootleg for nearly four decades and why its release 36 years after its recording is so special: it may not add an additional narrative to Neil Young's history, but it adds detail, color, and texture to a familiar chapter of his career, rendering it fresh once more. No wonder Briggs wanted to release this concert as an album between After the Gold Rush and Harvest: it not only holds its own against those classics, it enhances them."

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