Neil Young

Neil Young

Live at Massey Hall (Reprise)

Whereas Neil Young's first installment from his Archives Performance Series, last year's Live at the Fillmore East, branded the rugged glory of his trails blazed with Crazy Horse, Live at Massey Hall, a stark, solo acoustic set from 1971, revels in the songsmith's vulnerability often overshadowed by his various full-band arrangements. Beautifully bookended with two from Buffalo Springfield's Last Time Around, "On the Way Home" and "I Am a Child," Young takes a "Journey Through the Past," his dry demeanor accentuating his sincere cries of "Ohio" and "Helpless," while offering crucial insight into this creative high point in his career, debuting new material that includes the never-before-released "Bad Fog of Loneliness." The highlight is a piano medley of "A Man Needs a Maid" and "Heart of Gold," the former revealing Young's foreboding sense of isolation, while "Needle and the Damage Done" recalls the live rendition chosen for his imminent Harvest.