CD of the Week January 28-February 3, 2001

Neil Young

Road Rock Vol. One

Reprise

A few weeks ago I reviewed the Allman Brothers newest live CD and Neil Young’s latest live document falls in to the same category. It is a nice souvenir of a good tour, but probably not essential. That is not to say that it is bad in any sense. It is just that like the Allman’s, Neil has about 500 live albums already under his belt some of which are certified classics.

This disc was recorded during Neil’s Summer 2000 "Family and Friends" tour in support of his latest studio effort, Silver and Gold. There are no songs from that release included here, but there is a nice collection of classics and rarities.

The CD starts off with an epic version of "Cowgirl in the Afternoon" that features Neil’s trademark staccato guitar stylings. This version is very intense and Neil really stretches it out.

"Walk On" is next which is bouncy and cool sounding with great drumming by Jim Keltner. This is followed by a song called, "Fool For Your Love" which is previously unreleased. It is hardly essential Neil, but it is cool and its style and structure hearken back to the music Neil was probably listening to during his formative years. It also has nice backup vocals by Astrid and Pegi Young. Also of note is cool version "Motorcycle Mama" which defines Neil’s "Mountain Funk" sound as described by Eddie Vedder once.

The highlight of the disc for me is a sweet version of the haunting "Tonight’s the Night" where Neil plays barrelhouse piano in place of the guitar on the original version. This is such a great song and this is a unique and interesting version.

The disc closes out with an extended workout on Dylan’s "All Along the Watchtower" that features the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde on shared vocals. Neil always does this song justice with his ragged, lightning strike style.

All in all this is a solid live album that captures a cool band backing up Neil. If you saw this tour you will probably want to pick this up to preserve the memory. If you are looking to buy your first Neil live album, maybe start with Live Rust.