Road Rock Vol. 1

As Neil Young enters his fifth decade of writing and performing music, the world needs to be reminded of his god-like contributions, particularly as recent young disciples such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam have either burnt out or faded away.

Last summer, Young yet again hit the road with a cast of what he affectionately called "friends and relatives". His wife Pegi and sister Astrid performed as backing vocalists, while long term Neil associates Ben Keith, Booker T and the MGs bassist Duck Dunn and soul legend Spooner Oldham also hitched along for the ride.

On November 17th 2000 at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver Colorado (a venue that was also host to Under A Blood Red Sky), Young and this cast of renegade legends tackled a set of material that hadn't received a live airing in years.

The opening eighteen ragged minutes of 'Cowgirl in the Sand' take us straight back to the Everybody Knows This Nowhere territory of genius. The production quality is impeccable, with every sustained note of those heavenly solos beautifully echoing out of the speakers.

'Walk On', 'Tonight's the Night' and the lump-in-throat inducing 'Words' are all present and correct as trademark Young live renditions, each and every one dripping with passionate intensity.

Personally, I've always hated the disposable honky tonk shenanigans of 'Motorcycle Mama', but a brand new composition, 'Fool For Your Love', is a cute little shuffle with lovely vocals from Astrid and Pegi. It mightn't be solid gold classic Neil, but it’s still crammed with more soul and longing than a lifetime of number one singles.

The real treat is the parting shot of 'All Along the Watchtower'. Chrissie Hynde drops in to strap on a guitar and do a mean vocal duet with the Godfather – and you can hear the crowd going justifiably apeshit.

Good live albums make you want to be there, and on that front Road Rock Vol 1 really hits home. Superb.