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Sunday, March 25, 2007

Massey Hall Reviews

massey-hall
Orange County Weekly by Oliver Hall:
"There is no need to preach to Young fanatics, who will rush out and buy the thing no matter what. For people who have a casual interest in Neil Young’s music, or those who prefer the Harvest side of his persona, though, this album will be a great source of pleasure and perhaps even a major discovery. For one thing, the set list includes songs a casual fan probably hasn’t heard before: until now, “Journey Through the Past” and “Love in Mind” have only been legitimately available on the out-of-print Time Fades Away;“Bad Fog of Loneliness” has never made it onto a record (“I was gonna do it with Carl Perkins and the Tennessee Three,” Young says of a cancelled appearance on the Johnny Cash Show,speaking in a distracted way that makes him sound weirdly like Kurt Cobain for a moment); and “Dance Dance Dance” has only been released as a cover by the late Danny Whitten’s version of Crazy Horse. Live at Massey Hall is a beautiful recording of Neil Young at one of his creative peaks, making lovely, scary music."

Entertainment Wise by Janne Oinonen:
"If last year's 'Fillmore East' set from 1970 found Young in full hard-rocking pomp, embarking on those electrifying epic jams with Crazy Horse at full gallop that earned him the 'Godfather of Grunge' status, this second release in the long overdue Archives series represents the decibel-dodging flipside of his artistic persona. Not that there's anything soft-focus about these stripped-down proceedings. Armed with just a guitar and piano, Young might sound, ahem, relaxed to the point of keeling over during the mumbled banter that intercepts the performance, but there's no hint of hazy-eyed sluggishness in the intense, often chill-inducingly beautiful music.

Captured at a creative peak when songs were practically pouring out of him, a lot of these tunes were yet to be committed to tape at the time of this show. The unfamiliarity of large chunks of the set doesn't lessen the enthusiasm of the adoring hometown crowd one bit. As it shouldn't with songs as strong as these, many of which were to form the backbone of 'Harvest', the album that turned Young into a bona fide superstar."

Uncut by GAVIN MARTIN:
"Reminiscent of Dylan in his mid-‘60s heat, Young was practically pissing genius.

Consequently, a hail-the-conquering-hero atmosphere was evident in Toronto: the crowd break into applause when he gets to the 'I'm going back to Canada' line in the middle of “Journey Through The Past”. Unknown to them, Young was in a back brace after a sustaining an injury moving timber at his ranch on a Christmas break. Certainly, no signs of any distress are evident in his superlative acoustic guitar and ol’ Mission Hall piano accompaniment. The relaxed, rambling intros suggest that herbal self-medication was on the agenda. And if so, it only seems to have helped him to focus on the music; once into a song, the hangdog hippy is banished and magic takes hold, with Young attaining cinematic scope from minimal instrumental accompaniment."

Pitchfork by Rob Mitchum:
"All this gloom and doom was only going to build for Neil Young over the years following this tour; his new 'The Needle and the Damage Done' foreshadowed the ensuing half-decade of addiction and death that would inspire some of his finest records. Live at Massey Hall catches Young divining that bleak future from the darkness of the crowd, caught alone at the microphone, a chilling example of why he was, in this particular guise, the 70s' best architect of lonesomeness."

BBC by Chris Jones:
"Stripped of either the country garage stylings of Crazy Horse or his more salubrious West Coast chums, these direct readings brim with the energy of a man hitting his songwriting zenith. Not only do we get early versions of classics such as ‘’Heart Of Gold’’ or ‘’Old Man’’ we hear songs that were either shelved for several years (‘’See The Sky About To Rain’’, ‘’Journey Through The Past’’ and ‘’Love In Mind’’) or simply never saw the light of day (‘’Bad Fog Of Loneliness’’).

Peppered with earlier material, even from his days with Buffalo Springfield, it fast becomes clear that this is no ordinary ‘unplugged’ experience. His approach to acoustic troubador chic had, by this point, been tempered by his membership of the West Coast royalty. Every chord and inflection contain the sun-drenched mellowness and harmonic sophistication associated with the period, but remain entirely Young’s due to his own gloomier perspective (‘I live on a ranch now…lucky me.’)."

From Music Box by Douglas Heselgrave:
"Worlds apart from his incendiary 1969 and 1970 performances with Crosby, Stills, and Nash as well as with Crazy Horse, the shows that Young gave during his 1971 tour of Canada played a large part in forming the classic image that today resides so fondly in the public’s imagination. Confident and brimming with creative fire, one moment, fragile, delicate, and unassuming, the next, the songs sound as if they are being delivered around a campfire or in one’s own living room. The playing is sometimes tentative and exploratory; at other moments, it is full of fire and intensity. The delivery is often unsure; the lyrics are like Zen koans — brief and to the point, having not yet achieved their iconic status. The voice is so impossibly pure and, well, so young-sounding, that (to borrow a phrase) it’s not only love that can break your heart. The intimacy and immediacy of these songs, many of them performed here before they even were recorded, brought tears to my eyes more than once. The versions of Old Man and The Needle and the Damage Done that are featured on Live at Massey Hall are set up beautifully by Young, with the back story to each song’s creation adding resonance to those tunes that have become overly familiar as the years have passed. To be given the chance to hear embryonic, classics-in-the-making — like a piano suite of Heart of Gold and A Man Needs a Maid — is nothing short of a revelation."

From Stylus Magazine by Stewart Voegtlin:
"Everything is spent on “Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” as if Young valiantly attempts to answer what that abstract “it” might be for each and every living breathing being that made it to Massey Hall for the show. He gives these lyrics his most impassioned reading of the evening, wholly believable, convincingly convinced in the stupid power of song. Castles burning, red lights flashing, sirens moaning, the dead heaped in confusing piles on roadsides in every town of every nation; these are clichéd and prophetic phrases, strung together out of necessity and relayed by nearly every bright-eyed dumbfuck new to ennui and armed with a pawnshop acoustic. No matter. Young reclaims the piece by singing it as it probably should have been sung from the beginning, as if the “solution” was realizing that there never was one to begin with, deftly making Massey Hall as ageless, remarkable, and as relevant as it could be."

Salon by David Marchese:
"But aside from being a fantastic collection of songs, the album is elevated by its audio vérité feeling: Young's halting, self-deprecating song introductions; his admonition of the cameramen after their clicking shutters throw off his rhythm; the lonesome, cracked beauty of Young's singing voice. They all add up to a portrait of a young man fiercely protective of a gift that allowed him to write such searing, soulful music, and few albums in his vast catalog showcase Young's talent with such simple and forceful clarity."

Also, Bad News Beat: Massey Hall reviews en masse, Sneak Preview of Live at Massey Hall, and 1971 Toronto Massey Hall Concert Next Up in Archives Series.


12 Comments:

At 3/25/2007 11:38:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just got back from my local mall 03/24/07 with Neil’s latest, Massy Hall 1971. I am watching the DVD wow !!!!!!! Take about bringing back dusty memories !!!!!!! I am 54 this year and was born and raised in Toronto and have always be a big fan of Neil Young from day one. There are many songs that made there debut at that concert re “ old man “that went on to be mega hits. Its neat to see the audiences’ reaction to these new songs re 1971.Could not think of a better way to spend my Saturday afternoon!!!!!!Neil is a musical genius and has given us so much of his talent over the years.Thanks for the memories and being part of my teenage years and to date.

 
At 3/26/2007 05:13:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Awesomely beautiful and haunting in its grandeur and minimalist-ness. Watching Neil rip off all these "new songs" leaves one enraptured by his inspired then-26-year-old genius. When, once he mentions - in what can now be regarded as a 'mock' brag - that he will be performing at a later date with James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, one is left to realize how much more his star has blazed and has remained in full glow while those others have faded. Massey Hall was a watershed event. Thanks for sharing, Neil.

 
At 3/26/2007 09:52:00 PM, Blogger firehills said...

Live at Massey Hall (CD/DVD) [LIVE]/Neil Young is a live recording at Massy Hall in Tront, Canada on January 19, 1971. Young said "This is the album that should have come out between After The Gold Rush and Harvest. David Briggs, my producer, was adamant that this should be the record, but I was very excited about the takes we got on Harvest and wanted Harvest out. David disagreed. As I listened to this today, I can see why. Love you, David.". After 36 years sleep, finally this came out. This is the only one official album which Young performed accoustic only.

In 1970, Young had a hernia of intervertebral disk, so he could not play electric guitar. But he started U.S. tour at around the end of the year. He played at Carnegie Hall in December. Stationed in Nashville, he was recording Harvest, but due to his hernia, he had to wait for electric sets until next year. In January he continued to record Harvest in Nashville. After Massy Hall, he played at Chandler Pavilion at Los Angeles Music Center. Up to then, only rock musician who played there was Laura Nyro (I don't know we can call her a rock musician).

Anyway, Massy Hall is one of the best lives of Neil Young. His No.1 hit, Heart of Gold, on the album, Harvest, with Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor on back vocal, was played on this live as a suite with A Man Needs A Maid, with Young's piano.

 
At 3/28/2007 06:21:00 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

I just bought Live at Massey Hall at Borders but I cannot find a DVD. Is it being sold with and without the DVD?

 
At 3/28/2007 11:33:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

To David:

The answer is yes. You just got the CD. There's also a CD/DVD combo pack.

 
At 3/30/2007 11:40:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Orange County Weekly by Oliver Hall:

"There is no need to preach to Young fanatics, who will rush out and buy the thing no matter what.

Mr Hall: We fanatics did not have to rush out and buy the thing because we pre- ordered the thing... Thanks Thrasher for keeping us in the know... Much appreciated.

 
At 4/01/2007 01:26:00 PM, Blogger wally said...

Does anyone else notice the similarities between the Massey Hall DVD and the film footage taken of Neil performing about a week later in Stratford, Conn.? This show was filmed by the same Dutch camera crew whose film clips of Neil on his ranch appear on the DVD. There are many discrepencies on the DVD video compared to the CD audio as well. Neil is speaking words on the audio that he does not appear to be speaking in the DVD (Dance, Dance, Dance when speaking to the audience about making some noise). The in between song banter is not included on film in the DVD. The songs without footage (BFOL, I Am A Child, Helpless)were not performed in Stratford which makes me believe the Massey Hall film footage is not what it is purported to be. Is Neil being honest here? Go to www.umgf.com to read more about this in the "Techniqes and Players" section of the forum. You can see the Stratford film footage at www.sugarmegs.org and see for yourself.....

 
At 4/14/2007 05:40:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Thrasher, where's the discussion on Neil's deception regarding the Massey Hall DVD disappeared to? These reviews pre-date that discussion, and they are still up - hope it's not censorship. If the Massey Hall DVD footage is not from where it claims to be (and it's not!) people should be made aware of it...

 
At 4/14/2007 06:15:00 PM, Blogger thrasher said...

HE Pennypacker:
Not really sure what you're referring to? The discussion is still posted. See 4/1 post at Neil Young News: Comment of the Moment: Massey Hall DVD Mystery

 
At 4/16/2007 12:59:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thrasher, the link you posted works fine. But if you try coming in through the home page, the link that is supposed to take you to the DVD discussion only takes you to the Massey Hall reviews (this discussion), and when I sent that last post, obviously your reply wasn't there yet, so there wasn't a working link to the discussion. Sorry for my paranoid presumption that cencorship had been the cause...

 
At 2/23/2008 02:05:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

There will never be another Neil Young.Just like ther will never be another Lennon-McCartney

 
At 2/06/2009 05:55:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

dr dip said,
well: LIVE AT MASSEY HALL
SUGAR MOUNTAIN CD
Filmore CD
Decade
Best of Neil Young
Except for early buffalo spring field The archives can really wait can't they.. Heh!
Massey hall: probably the best acoustic original unplugged Neil you'll ever get..Never get sick of listening to this CD.."I'm mainly gunna play new songs tonite..'cept for a coupla old ones..cause I just don;t know what else to do with'm...Don't you love his rap comments...Hey thrash I was THERE! in the front row.. and actually gave him back his pick when he dropped it!!!..DR DIP

 

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