Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall 1971 [DVD-5] (2007)

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Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall 1971 [DVD-5] (2007)

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"I'm gonna sing mostly new songs tonight," Neil Young tells the rapt Massey Hall audience, "…I've written so many new ones that I can't think of anything else to with them other than sing 'em." He steps to the mic unadorned, distant from CSNY's rippled harmonies or Crazy Horse's yowl, hypnotically nailing 17 tracks on this unreleased 1971 solo set. You hear him tower at vocal heights on the chorus for "Old Man" (then a debuted, brand-new song) and name-check Canada on "Journey to the Past" and North Ontario on "Helpless," much to the Toronto crowd's delight. The sound is impeccable, and the closeness to Young in this spare setting exhilarates–especially his vocal quavering in the high registers, his intricate guitar work, and an overall vibe that exceeds description. And the DVD: Here you catch Young in tightly framed, starkly-lit shots, flourishing in the early years of an unparalleled rock career. Not only that, you get commentary from 1997, a rare window on how Young thinks, how he speaks, his humor. [Andrew Bartlett, Amazon]

Neil's voice & guitar are wonderful; the dvd is disappointing.

This cd/dvd has some of the best recordings of Neil's early songs. His voice is pure and moving, and his guitar playing subtle and perfectly in tune with his voice. He was at his best in this concert. The dvd is ok, but with blurry film and half of the performance shots of a reel to reel on a chair facing a mic, you're not much better off just listening to the cd. The moody feel of the video is great for a few songs, but wears thin. Buy this cd for Neil's voice and adept guitar sounds…you can't get much better. [Amazon user review]