Live at Massey Hall by Neil Young
 

This is a thread where anyone who has heard, or plans to hear this album is invited to post a comment :-

Counting from his self-titled 1968 debut album, Neil Young has released a total of something like fifty albums. If Massey Hall, recorded in front of a small, respectful audience in Toronto, had been released at the time, it would been his third album. Instead it`s actually his 42nd release, part of some complex ongoing archival series of a kind that only a few select artists attempt. ( Zappa, Phish, Dylan, the Allmans, the Dead and the Beatles are others that spring to mind.)
So, what`s your opinion of Massey Hall ? How does it stand up as an album ? How do the songs compare with the studio versions ? Which NY would you rather hear, the weary, rough-voiced stadium-filler of today or the fresh young troubador of forty years ago ?

To be honest, this album is highly revered by Young fans and I like it too, but i just don't love it. I'd honestly rather listen to unplugged.

I think it's pretty damn good.

This is a good album. He certainly proves more that capable of holding the audience unaccompanied. However, having heard most of the tracks elsewhere I'm not sure this album has enough to set itself apart from the rest of his catalogue. Some good, classic Neil that actually pre-dates many of the corresponding album versions but probably not a necessary addition for anyone who isn't an obsessive collector.

I`m not familiar with Unplugged, so I checked out the track list and a couple of songs, though I was a little disappointed. The album dips into material from right across Neil`s career, which makes it quite interesting, but it also settles for some reason on a few of his weaker songs, such as Long May You Run and Look Out For My Love. On the plus side, some songs are significantly reworked from their usual formats; Hurricane and Old Laughing Lady for example.

There are just two songs that turn up on both albums, Helpless and Needle and these illustrate what I particularly like about the Massey Hall album. Firstly there is Neil`s voice, pure and strong to bring out his trademark, poignant sound, and then there is the intimacy of the proceedings; the cheers when North Ontario is mentioned; the conversational intro to Needle, which was then a brand new song.

So I guess, I`m one of the fans revering Massey Hall; a collection of some of my favourite NY songs, faultlessly and simply presented by one man with just his guitar and piano, nowhere to hide. But then, bearing in mind what fazstp says, I`m only voting "Good", because let`s face it, forty years on, we`ve heard it all before thank you Neil !! :laughing:

I agree. I think Massey Hall is better than unplugged. But I disagree when you say 'long may you run' is a weaker song, I think it's pretty good. I'm not a big fan of the unplugged version of 'helpless'

I wonder which tracks you particularly liked on Massey Hall ? I think the piano version of A Man Needs A Maid here is much better than the Harvest version. How about you ?

I guess I like NY best when he`s struggling to express sadness, like on Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. For me, Long May You Run just isn`t depressing enough !!

Haha, Long May You Run hits a pretty sad note for me, but uplifting at the same time.

And I agree, the Massey Hall version of A Man Needs a Maid is really good.

I love the Massey Hall video footage.

^ I haven`t really seen any of that, except for the clip that Salami put somewhere.
Have you checked out any of the other NY archive albums ? Long May You Run turns up on Live On Air:The Lost Tapes, not that I`ve heard that album myself.

Just turned on this Neil Young tribute on vh1. It's a little more than halfway through. I thought John mellencamp's version of 'down by the river' was pretty bad, didnt like it at all. I really enjoyed Crosby, stills, and Nash's version of 'human highway'. Stephen stills never disappoints me when he plays guitar, he's damn good. Elton John, Leon Russell, t-bone burnett and Sheryl crow are playing 'helpless'. It's not bad but not great.

well, i finally got the full version of it after only having a "truncated" version

it's okay, I suppose, though for these "archival" historical releases, i'd much prefer him and his "Old Ways" band's live performances, it's called "International Harvesters", cos i really much prefer country NY than folk NY

I guess you`re talking about this album, Howard, which was new to me until I read your post :-

http://www.free-covers.org/covers/58366.jpg

From the little bit of investigating that I did, it sounds quite good, but maybe a little lightweight. I wonder how it compares to Old Ways, which tbh I usually think of as a two track album ; The Wayward Wind and Are There Any More Real Cowboys.

yeah, that's the one

Old Ways sure is better live than in the studio

i also got "Dreamin' Man Live '92" and "Live at Fillmore East" based on the interest in his "Archived Performances" releases sparked by this thread

also, i was in the midst of typing this when the timer cut off my line yesternight so, sorry for the late reply

Yes, I`m getting that impression.
Especially after Dylan`s Nashville Skyline showed how great a "New Country" album could be, Neil`s effort was truely disappointing, with it`s focus on replicating all the clichés that make country music a joke to many people. It sounds as if, with the live International Harvesters, Neil rediscovered one of the best elements of country music; lively acoustic jamming.

Well, let us know what you make of those albums.
No need to apologise, btw - you are one of the most consistently responsive posters on MB. In fact last night we had a power blackout here. Happens quite a lot; a big storm blows down trees and branches which then pull down the power lines.

will do

edit - ok have heard both - no surprises there, neither is that much different from the studio versions, i don't think they're any superior or any inferior, unlike International Harvesters - A Treasure, which demonstrated what the "Old Ways" band could really do

i have a curfew as i'm somewhat addicted to the Net

if there's no timer, i'd probably not get any sleep