Somewhere back in the late 60s / early 1970's a singer/songwriter from Canada left a band called Buffalo Springfield and went solo. He had an acoustic folk style heartfelt lyrics and a voice laden with emotion. Neil Young has long been one of my favorite musicians and with good reason. He holds more emotion in his voice than dozens of prefab singers or American Idols.

Back in 1971, Young had done his time with Buffalo Springfield, released a couple solo albums including the hit laden Everyone Knows this is Nowhere He also recorded some music with a a few guys named Crosby, Stills & Nash. Before his well known 1972 album Harvest Neil Young actually toured playing his hits and his soon to be hits. Neil recorded many of these concerts, but never released them, until now.

Neil Young Live at Massey Hall 1971 was remastered and released as part of the Archive Performance series, and it is fantastic. You can purchase this as just a Compact Disc, or as a CD/DVD set. I opted for the DVD set, so I will include comments on both.

First, the Music! Wow, this is a great concert. This is Neil Young in his mid 20s, and just making his impression on the music scene. As the newspaper on the CD insert states Neil Young in concert sings with quiet, intense intimacy. We hear sparse but highly effective versions of On the Way Home, Tell Me Why, Old Man, Journey through the past, Helpless, Love in Mind, A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold, Cowgirl in the Sand, Don't Let it Bring You Down, There's a World, Bad Fog of Loneliness, The Needle and the Damage Done, Ohio, See the Sky About to Rain, Down by the River, Dance Dance Dance and I am a Child. All early Neil Young or Buffalo Springfield.

I put this on and listened in my car, and then again at home. The songs put chills down my spine. I thought many of these songs sounded great on the original albums and CD releases, but this concert really adds by subtracting. The studio releases has Neil with his band, but this show is mostly just Neil on acoustic guitar with the occasional piano or harmonica. No electric, just acoustic. Neil talks a lot between songs, sounding almost nervous. The audience is very enthusiastic for the show. A song by song description of this show won't help you. If you like Neil Young, you know these songs. If you really like Neil Young, you will know that Needle and the Damage Done sounds especially sad because Neil was dealing with his bandmate Danny Whitten's heroine habit and literally watching his friend destroy his life. I've seen the needle and the damage done, a little part of it in everyone, but every junkie's like a setting sun. (Tonight's the Night would be recorded a couple years later after Whitten OD'd on heroine in '72). I especially loved the acoustic versions of Cowgirl in the Sand and Down by the River it allowed me to focus on the guitar alone. I am trying to learn to play Cowgirl, and hearing it with just the guitar makes it a lot easier to hear. Hello cowgirl in the sand, is this place at your command?

The DVD adds some of the worst video I have ever seen, yet it works, and I can't take away from my thoughts because of this. It is grainy and washed out to almost black and white. Not only that, many songs, we don't even SEE Neil Young! We see a reel to reel tape deck recording or a guitar sitting on stage. When you do see Neil his face is so poorly lit, you can barely make him out. It is shot in wide screen. Yet somehow, the poor vidoe quality just adds to the archive quality.

However, on audio the DVD shines. It is not in Dolby Digital or DTS. The whole show is recorded in PCM stereo 24bit 96khz sampling (CDs are 16 bit 44khz sampling). The sound is in a word, phenomenal! I felt like I was at the show, although with really poor seats! I could hear great, but just couldn't see very well. You can hear every strum of the guitar and every nuance of Neil's voice. While video barely gets 2 stars, audio here gets 5 stars. Even if the DVD is just in stereo, it is pristine stereo.

The DVD also includes many extras, including a couple videos, song lyrics information about the show and a bio of Neil Young. There is also a discography of selected acoustic releases.

Summary If you like the quiet acoustic melancholy side of Neil Young, you must get this concert! If you are a completist, pick up the CD/DVD set, but at least get the CD, the music here is so fresh and emotional, I can't imagine any of Neil's fans listening to this and not being moved by it.

If you would like to read about other fine Neil Young concerts, check out my concert DVD guide

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening