This souvenir from Neil Young’s Y2K Music in Head tour shines brightest when it reaches what in a vinyl world would have been side two’s opening cut: “Words” starts out as a reminder of the depth and genius of Young’s Harvest album, and then grows, over the course of its 11 minutes, into a fractured waltz that shows just how nicely a bunch of good old boys and girls can breathe new life into classic rock. Instrumental demons Donald “Duck” Dunn, Spooner Oldham, Jim Keltner, and B [Read More...]
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Neil Young is surely one of the most prolific rock artists of all time. “Road Rock Vol 1 - Family & Friends” is Young’s second release of 2000, and it’s a live recording, made during his 2000 tour. Unlike most of his other live recordings (there have been three official live albums in the last decade alone), this one does not feature his long-time collaborators, the primitive but effective Crazy Horse. Instead, Young is backed by Friends and Family, consisting of long-time friends like Ben Keith, Spooner Oldham, Jim Keltner and Duck Dunn, plus wife Pegi and sister Astrid on backing vocals. While its certainly not a bad CD, “Road Rock” will probably leave many Neil Young fans scratching their heads.
This single CD includes versions of “Cowgirl In The Sand” and “Tonight’s the Night” that, while enjoyable, will not make anyone forget the previously issued live versions of either song. Its nice to have performances of “Walk On” and “Words,” two `70’s classics that Young has not previously revived. Also included is a cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” on which the Pretender’s Chrissie Hynde joins Young.
The problem with this release is that it doesn’t really have anything to say. The musical arrangements and performances are solid but unexceptional; unlike Dylan or Springsteen, for example, Young doesn’t seem interested in reinterpreting or reinventing his earlier triumphs to find new meaning. None of the other instrumentalists seem able to push or prod or wrestle with Young as the boys in Crazy Horse would. Complicating matters further is that neither Pegi Young or Astrid Young are accomplished singers, and their performances are somewhat less than professional. Finally, the recording quality of the entire disc is disappointing, with much of the music sounding muddled and indistinct. In the context of a Young with Crazy Horse show, such crudity is acceptable, or even welcome; here its just frustrating.
This is hardly a disaster. There’s a lot of fine music here, and perhaps this will sound better over time, as Young’s 1973 “Time Fades Away” does now. Almost any other artist would be well-served by a live recording of this quality. This CD, though, is a letdown from an artist of Neil Young’s stature and achievements. It lacks the power and energy of his Crazy Horse shows, and fails to find the beauty and directness that were so wonderful in Young’s 1999 solo tour and recent “Silver and Gold .” Luckily, Young reinvents himself every year or so, and by now is already pursuing another musical direction, as he has throughout his long and varied career.
Just three years after the lackluster Year Of The Horse, Neil Young released another live set, Road Rock, Vol. 1. The record is another good, but not great live set. There are some great tracks including the mammoth 18 minute opening track “Cowgirl In The Sand”. The song, even at its tremendous length, does not seem drawn out or over extended. “Words” is a great old chestnut from Harvest and is a treat as is “all Along The Watchtower” which is a duet with The Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde. The rest of the album is okay.