 |
 |
|||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Road Rock - Volume 1Neil Young
As much as you have to love and appreciate Neil Young, you have to wonder why the quality doesn’t always live up to the quantity. A case in point was when he insisted on releasing those very unlike Neil Young recordings back in the 80s. Still, you can’t deny that the man isn’t true to himself even if his honesty is a bit hard to swallow at times. His live album, Road Rock, Volume 1 doesn’t really capture Young at his best, and yet it’s just another sign that rock and roll’s most durable performer isn’t about to hang it up anytime soon. Taken from the 2000 summer tour, Young doesn’t perform solo or with Crazy Horse on the disc. Instead, he has the steady rock rhythm section of bassist Duck Dunn and drummer Jim Keltner (both of whom accompanied Young earlier in the same year when he went out with Crosby, Stills and Nash). Another longtime collaborator of Young’s who joins the fray is guitarist Ben Keith. Keyboardist Spooner Oldham rounds out the instrumental portion of the line-up. And then there are two very special women in Young’s life who handle the backing vocals — his half sister, Astrid, and his wife, Pegi. Hence the subtitle of Friends & Relatives is aptly applied. The material itself is nothing to get overly excited about. "Cowgirl In The Sand" receives an uneven bashing, and at eighteen minutes, may be a bit excessive for its own good. "Walk On," "Fool For Your Love" and "Peace Of Mind" seem far more suitable for this collection of musicians. When Young slows down a bit, and invites his musicians into the mix, the results can be spell binding. "Words" and "Tonight’s The Night" are long workouts while "Motorcycle Mama" is a rather silly throwaway you can take or leave. The CD finishes out with "All Along The Watchtower," one of the most covered Dylan songs in history. Joining Young is the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, who despite her invigorating presence, doesn’t really add much to the tune. All in all, Road Rock, Volume One ranks as one of Young’s more inferior live offerings. Put up against Live Rust, Unplugged, Weld and The Year Of The Horse, it just doesn’t cut the mustard. But it’s nice to see another side of Neil Young that most fans never really think about. And I always give Young an "A" for the effort. This disc is also available on DVD audio, a favorite format of Young’s. ~ Shawn Perry
©Copyright 1997, 2008 Vintage Rock
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
