Neil Young - 'Live At Massey Hall 1971' (Reprise) Released 19/03/07

Late, great producer David Briggs opined that this 1971 solo live recording from Toronto should have replaced Neil Young's 1972 country-rock smash 'Harvest' in the release schedule. Take in these seventeen tracks and you're likely to agree. Great sound, superb setlist and an absolutely monumental performance from Young, live platters don't get much better than this.

If last year's 'Fillmore East' set from 1970 found Young in full hard-rocking pomp, embarking on those electrifying epic jams with Crazy Horse at full gallop that earned him the 'Godfather of Grunge' status, this second release in the long overdue Archives series represents the decibel-dodging flipside of his artistic persona. Not that there's anything soft-focus about these stripped-down proceedings. Armed with just a guitar and piano, Young might sound, ahem, relaxed to the point of keeling over during the mumbled banter that intercepts the performance, but there's no hint of hazy-eyed sluggishness in the intense, often chill-inducingly beautiful music.

Captured at a creative peak when songs were practically pouring out of him, a lot of these tunes were yet to be committed to tape at the time of this show. The unfamiliarity of large chunks of the set doesn't lessen the enthusiasm of the adoring hometown crowd one bit. As it shouldn't with songs as strong as these, many of which were to form the backbone of 'Harvest', the album that turned Young into a bona fide superstar.
 
Of 'Harvest' cuts, the oft-heard 'Old Man' sounds strikingly fresh without studio polish and saccharine backing vocals, whilst 'A Man Needs A Maid', performed in rare tandem with Young's sole number one hit 'Heart of Gold', is stripped off its string-soaked bombast with spine-tingling results. The tender 'Love In Mind', hitherto only available on 1973's ragged, not-available-on-CD jewel 'Time Fades Away', sees Young (in exceptionally strong voice throughout) squeeze every drop of emotion from his fragile, quivering pipes.

Elsewhere, sparse take on epic guitar workout 'Cowgirl In The Sand' reduces Crazy Horse's patented crunch to a bluesy lament, the rousing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young protest rally 'Ohio' is slowed down into a mournful sermon and Buffalo Springfield gems 'On The Way Home' and 'I Am A Child' are performed to perfection. Jubilant encore clap-along 'Dance Dance Dance' provides respite from the themes of heartbreak, longing and anguish that dominate the set.
 
Stunning stuff, in a word, and the best possible introduction to Young's acoustic oeuvre.