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4 DISC NEIL YOUNG Rock N Roll Cowboy Rare Outtakes Live! Neil Young
Rock 'N Roll Cowboy A Life On the Road 1966-1994
Track Listings:
Disc 1 (1966-1973):
1. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing, 2. Birds, 3. Cowgirl in the Sand, 4. Tell Me Why, 5. Only Love Can Break Your Heart, 6. Everybody's Alone, 7. A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold, 8. Out on the Weekend, 9. Love In Mind, 10. Dance Dance Dance, 11. Cripple Creek Ferry, 12. L.A., 13. Soldier, 14. Harvest, 15. Sweet Joni, 16. Tonight's the Night, 17. Tired Eyes
Disc 2 (1974-1978): 1. Pardon My Heart, 2. On the Beach, 3. Traces, 4. Human Highway, 5. Love Art Blues, 6. Hawaiian Sunrise, 7. Like a Hurricane, 8, Stringman, 9, Evening Coconut, 10. Long May You Run, 11. Southern Man, 12. Give Me Strength, 13. Comes a Time, 14. Sail Away, 15. Lady Wingshot, 16. Shots, 17. Downtown
Disc 3 (1982-1985): 1. If You Got Love, 2. Transformer Man, 3. My Boy, 4. Old Ways, 5. Kinda Fonda Wanda, 6. Gonna Rock Forever, 7. Touch the Night, 8. Amber Jean, 9. Let Your Fingers Do the Talking, 10. Helpless, 11. Down by the River, 12. Interstate, 13. Grey Riders, 14. Nothing Is Perfect, 15. Southern Pacific
Disc 4 (1986-1994): 1. Mideast Vacation, 2. Road of Plenty (El Dorado), 3. Computer Age, 4. Bad News, 5. Ordinary People, 6. Rockin' in the Free World, 7. Winterlong, 8. Silver and Gold, 9. Campaigner, 10. Homefires, 11. Only Love Can Break Your Heart, 12. Mr. Soul, 13. Separate Ways, 14. Philadelphia
Reviews
In the late '80s, Neil Young casually mentioned in an interview that he was planning a box set of rarities and outtakes (entitled The Neil Young Archives), which would be ready for release shortly. It never appeared, even though it's supposedly still being assembled and finalized to this day. To alleviate the fans' frustration, this 4-CD Italian (Great Dane Records) set appeared, and it covers all the phases of Young's lengthy concert career. The first disc (1966-1973), you'll find an early barnstorming guitar version of "Cowgirl in the Sand" (clocking in at 14-and-a-half minutes) and a harmonious Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young take of "Tell Me Why." A piano-laden medley of "A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold" follows, and the beautiful unreleased acoustic nuggets "Everybody's Alone" and "Dance Dance Dance. Disc two (1974-1978) contains material from Young's dark period, including unplugged versions of "Pardon My Heart" and "On the Beach. Disc three proves to be the weakest since it covers what is widely regarded as Young's unfocused years (1982-1985). The countrified "Down by the River" and a banjo version of the reflective "My Boy" are highpoints of this disc. And the final disc (1986-1994) shows Young with the definitive "Rockin' in the Free World" (from SNL) and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," where he is joined by friends Simon & Garfunkel. The set of four may be a bit too intimidating for more casual fans, but the sound quality is consistent, and it proves to be the ultimate showcase of Young in concert.
Rock 'n' Roll Cowboy is a rich,listening experience. It's a four-disc set that collects various Neil live performances, spanning from his Springfield days to his Grammy Award show performance of "Philadelphia" in 1994. Among the many treats: "Sweet Joni," a 1973 piano-based paean to Joni Mitchell apparently only performed once. Other highlights include several Stills-Young Band run-throughs, especially "Southern Man" which features some scintillating guitar solos from both Stills and Young. Other highlights include the unreleased songs "Everybody's Alone," "Traces," "Love Art Blues," "Give Me Strength," "Lady Wingshot," "If You Got Love," "Gonna Rock Forever," "Amber Jean," "Let Your Fingers Do the Talking," "Grey Riders," "Nothing is Perfect," "Ordinary People," "Silver and Gold," "Homefires" and "Separate Ways." Add in several reworked versions of known quantities, such as the Saturday Night Live debut of "Rockin' in the Free World," "Shots" (performed acoustically from San Francisco's Boarding House) and "Helpless" (a stunning take from Neil & the International Harvester's Austin City Limits appearance in 1984) and "Stringman," recorded in London in 1976, and you have a great collection. However, thanks to this collection's breadth--in total, 63 songs taken from upwards of 40 concerts--the sound quality ranges from the fair to excellent. this is a true "Essential." (A+)
