As much as you have to love and appreciate Neil Young, you have to wonder
why the quality doesn’t always live up to the quantity. A case in point
was when he insisted on releasing those very unlike Neil Young recordings back
in the 80s. Still, you can’t deny that the man isn’t true to himself
even if his honesty is a bit hard to swallow at times. His live album, Road
Rock, Volume 1 doesn’t really capture Young at his best, and
yet it’s just another sign that rock and roll’s most durable performer
isn’t about to hang it up anytime soon.
Taken from the 2000 summer tour, Young doesn’t perform solo or with Crazy
Horse on the disc. Instead, he has the steady rock rhythm section of bassist
Duck Dunn and drummer Jim Keltner (both of whom accompanied Young earlier in
the same year when he went out with Crosby, Stills and Nash). Another longtime
collaborator of Young’s who joins the fray is guitarist Ben Keith. Keyboardist
Spooner Oldham rounds out the instrumental portion of the line-up. And then
there are two very special women in Young’s life who handle the backing
vocals — his half sister, Astrid, and his wife, Pegi. Hence the subtitle
of Friends & Relatives is aptly applied.
The material itself is nothing to get overly excited about. “Cowgirl In
The Sand” receives an uneven bashing, and at eighteen minutes, may be a
bit excessive for its own good. “Walk On,” “Fool For Your Love”
and “Peace Of Mind” seem far more suitable for this collection of
musicians. When Young slows down a bit, and invites his musicians into the mix,
the results can be spell binding. “Words” and “Tonight’s
The Night” are long workouts while “Motorcycle Mama” is a rather
silly throwaway you can take or leave. The CD finishes out with “All Along
The Watchtower,” one of the most covered Dylan songs in history. Joining
Young is the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, who despite her invigorating
presence, doesn’t really add much to the tune. All in all, Road
Rock, Volume One ranks as one of Young’s more inferior live offerings.
Put up against Live Rust, Unplugged, Weld and The Year Of The Horse, it just
doesn’t cut the mustard. But it’s nice to see another side of Neil
Young that most fans never really think about. And I always give Young an “A”
for the effort. This disc is also available on DVD audio, a favorite format
of Young’s.
~ Shawn Perry
