Unplugged

Harvest Moon When Neil Young seems about to zig, he zags. Two years after 1990's loud Ragged Glory, he retreats to an old world of steel guitars, gentle folk melodies, and pristine country choruses. (That's Linda Ronstadt, who helped make 1972's Harvest a hit album, singing backup on the foll...	Live Rust Mere months passed between the release of Neil Young's mid-career milestone Rust Never Sleeps and this 1979 tour recording, which documents a late-'78 San Francisco performance. Indeed, Live Rust boasts four songs from the album that gave it its name. It's also sequenced in the s...	After the Gold Rush After laboring in Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Neil Young finally hit perfect pitch--if his endearing off-center whine can be called "perfect"--with his third album. He's equally passionate with trippy riddles (has anybody figured out what "We've got moth...	Harvest Proclaiming his intentions with "Are You Ready for the Country?" Young detoured briefly to the Nashville mainstream. On this No. 1 1972 album, even the singer's acquired-taste voice comes across smooth and beautiful--the smash "Heart of Gold," with steel guitars and Linda Ronstad...	Live at Massey Hall (CD/DVD) "I'm gonna sing mostly new songs tonight," Neil Young tells the rapt Massey Hall audience, "...I've written so many new ones that I can't think of anything else to do with them other than sing 'em." He steps to the mic unadorned, distant from CSNY's rippled harmonies or Crazy Hor...
Freedom Freedom was Young's return to form after almost a decade of electronic experiments and mediocre novelty music. "Rockin' in the Free World," a howling anthem about homelessness, depression, and drug dealing, bookends the album--and, in 1989, proved the singer/songwriter hadn't com...	Comes a Time Often overlooked as it comes between Young's career-defining 1977 three-LP set Decade and the decade-ending Rust Never Sleeps, Comes a Time is a gentle album that includes some of Young's most soft-spoken material. "Lotta Love" became a hit for Nicolette Larson, who adds harmonie...	Weld (2 disc set) Live Rust gets the most props, but if you're looking for a live document of Neil Young and Crazy Horse at their speaker-shredding, stage-scorching best, Weld is an absolute must-own. Fired up by the success of 1990's Ragged Glory, and outraged by the eruption of the Gulf War, You...	Rust Never Sleeps Young has recorded many live albums, but none capture his two dominant musical personalities with as much power as 1979's Rust Never Sleeps. The acoustic side opens with "My, My, Hey, Hey (Out of the Blue)," a devastating anthem about the state of rock & roll. Comparing the Sex P...	Greatest Hits One question would be: What took him so long? After all, a contemporary like Van Morrison has sold boatloads of his single-disc best-of set to buyers wary of diving into that deep catalog without a primer to get them started. So three and a half decades into his solo career, Neil...

(2.5 stars) All good and fine, but what's the point?
Neil Young confuses me sometimes. All his '70s albums had been bigger artistic successes than commercial ones; and his '80s albums at least proved he had little interest in stardom. But after Clapton's unplugged album jolted him out of his sales slump, our boy Neil was right behind him. But unlike Clapton's, Neil's is arguably the most redundant live album ever released - "Pocahontas", "The Needle and the Damage Done", "Harvest Moon", "Unknown Legend", and "From Hank to Hendrix" had originally been recorded acoustic in the first place, and are virtually unchanged from their studio versions. I suppose they're decent, perfectly acceptable remakes, but I'd much rather hear the originals. And when he significantly reworks the songs, they're hit-or-miss: while "The Old Laughing Lady" benefits from this more personal, less intricate setting (and actually has a melody, unlike on the original), and is a massive improvement over the decent but rambling and formless studio recording, "Mr. Soul" with harmonica blasts replacing guitar blasts and "Like a Hurricane" with church organ replacing electric guitar were two tremendously bad ideas and are, as such, the only two truly bad songs here. But Neil does show off some remarkable acoustic technique on "Look Out for My Love", and while I don't know where "Transformer Man" came from (turns out it's from Trans, the only Neil Young studio album I haven't heard), that is one great melody. Not too bad, I guess, but redundant and boring. Collectors take note: this is the only place where you can find the decent but unexceptional "Stringman", part of the aborted Chrome Dreams sessions.

Marlon Brando and Me
My parents (both born in 56) had Neil's Harvest album which I listened to a lot. When I was about 15 this album came out and I just happened to rent it from the library. And it's now my favorite Neil Young Album. The first part is the most amazing part. Just Neil acoustic, which he had been for most of his records anyway. Starting with the brilliantly simple 3-chord 'Old Laughing Lady', a dark 'Mr Soul', the emotional 'Stringman', the historical 'Pocahontas' and the great pipe-organ version of 'Hurricane'. All pure master pieces. If you want to start listening to him and haven't do so already. Get this one, Harvest and the Decade compilation.

great collection
Neil Young is a Very talented Singer, Songwriter and Instrumentalist and this collection highlights him in a unplugged setting. he is pretty much a acoustic performer for the most part throughout his career and catelog,but a performance as this one showcases his talents even more and opens the eyes of a new generation of music eyes and ears to his depth and range as a artist. this is a very strong collection.Neil Young can always bring it to the stage.

Pleasing and Interesting
I like this record Neil did in the early 90's, right in the middle of another "wave" of appreciation, as Neil puts it, for the man's music. An acoustic album dealing with Neil's acoustic fare. You get to hear several updated, more intimate and soulful versions of earlier material. The performance of "Helpless" here, is, in my opinion, the definitive version of the song. The interesting aspect of this recording lies in the subtle yet effective changes in tempo and feel Neil achieves. "Like a Hurricane" is showcased in a shockingly different way that one is used to hearing, it is truly compelling. "World on A String" and "Mr Soul" as more bluesy, slower acoustic renditions. Each track is a winner on this well recommended album, for those people new to Neil, this album should be up high on your "to get list"

It'll "sweep" you off your feet
This is the second attempt by Neil at MTV's Unplugged. He stormed out of the first try, and one can only guess we're all the better for it. Nils puts in yet another great backup performance, and the song selection is one of Neil's best sets ever. One question remains however, "WHERE"S THE DVD?"