release date: Nov. 23, 1991
format: 2 cd (1994 reissue)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,25]
producer: Neil Young, David Briggs, Billy Talbot
label: Reprise Records, Germany - nationality: Canada
Tracklist: Disc 1: 1. "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" (4 / 5) - 2. "Crime in the City" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Blowin' in the Wind" (3,5 / 5) - 4. "Welfare Mothers" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Love to Burn" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Cinnamon Girl" (5 / 5) - 7. "Mansion on the Hill" (3,5 / 5) - 8. "Fuckin' Up" (4,5 / 5)
Disc 2: 1. "Cortez the Killer" (5 / 5) - 2. "Powderfinger" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Love and Only Love" (4 / 5) - 4. "Rockin' in the Free World" (4 / 5) - 5. "Like a Hurricane" (5 / 5) - 6. "Farmer John" (4,5 / 5) - 7. "Tonight's the Night" (4 / 5) - 8. "Roll Another Number (For the Road)" (3,5 / 5)
Live album released as Neil Young & Crazy Horse recorded in Apr. 1991 as Young & Crazy Horse were on promotion tour with the Ragged Glory album as part of the North American tour. The album is recorded 'as is' without studio dubs nor with other musicians except for Neil Young & Crazy Horse, who aside from the man himself consists of Frank 'Poncho' Sampedro on guitar, Univox Stringman synthesizer and vocals, Billy Talbot on bass and vocals and with Ralph Molina on drums and vocals. Initially, the album was released in a 25,000 copy limited 3-disc edition titled Arc Weld with the 3rd disc made up of guitar feedback called "Arc".
In my mind this is the best live album by Neil Young. I know many of the old school fans who love him for his folk rock and singer / songwriter period do not agree. I'm from the punk rock period, and I love Neil Young playing garage rock... also. This is simply a great live manifest of a great live performer and a fabulous songwriter, and it's the album by Neil Young that I have played the most. The average playing time of the individual tracks is somewhere around 7+ minutes - the shortest being "Cinnamon Girl" at 'only' 4:47....
I first copied the album to a cassette, back in the early '90s, after finding a copy at the local library, and I played it over and over again before finally buying the album on cd - I then wore the cd-player down, listening to this. Although the songs may be found in their original studio versions on various Young albums dating from the earliest '70s to the latest Ragged Glory, these tracks are just all new because they are played with intuition and improvisations and they come to live in a never before heard version that shows these old guys as young at heart, and they play as if it was their last ever show together. Just listen to "Cinnamon Girl", a track that is already a classic pop / rock song, and here it's even like: "waoo, they even managed to make that one better!". Even Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" sounds refreshingly new performed here in an 'upgraded' version. It's simply amazing how this 4-piece band is able to play so... voluminously.
Just give me this album, Ragged Glory, This Note's for You, On the Beach, After the Gold Rush, and Everybody Knows...... and then of course the 8-disc box Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963–1972). Seven releases, that's about all you really need from Neil Young, the rest are just minor to really fine works, but this... this is one of the absolute best live albums of rock that you will ever find.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]
