Neil Young - "Live on Air / The Lost Tapes" CD Review (XXL Media) ~ BrooklynRocks: NYC Music Blog

Monday, August 22, 2011

Neil Young - "Live on Air / The Lost Tapes" CD Review (XXL Media)

Neil Young - 'Live on Air / The Lost Tapes' CD Review (XXL Media)Neil Young's Live on Air / The Lost Tapes CD is listed on Amazon as containing six songs, recorded live in 1991 in the UK for a local radio station. Not to take issue with the disc’s liner notes but this 40+ minute set features Neil playing solo acoustic which implies that this recording is either from his 1992 or 1999 solo tours. With tracks like “Ambulance Blues” only played during Neil’s 1999 tour, I strongly suspect that this recording is from Neil’s June 2, 1999 show in Houston, TX as this is the only night of his 1999 tour where all six tracks on this disc were played.

Track List:
Last Trip To Tulsa
Long May You Run (on pump organ)
Harvest Moon
After the Goldrush (starts on upright piano and finishes on pump organ)
Ambulance Blues
Heart of Gold

This recording sounds like it was captured from the audience but it is a solid “you were there” recording. Neil’s vocals and instrumentation are clear and he sounds in great form. As to be expected with an audience tape, there is audience chatter after the songs and some clapping during the opening and closing bars of each song. As this recording is a compilation of tracks from different portions of the show (assuming my hypothesis is correct), there are fade-outs between each of the tracks.

This is a great companion piece to Neil’s 1992 live disc Dreamin' Man Live '92 which documented Neil's 1992 solo tour.

Links:
Neil Young