Search - Neil Young :: Dreamin' Man Live '92

Tomm S. from NEW MILFORD, CT
Reviewed on 2/15/2011...

Neil is in his prime and the quality of the recording is excellent.

Harvest Moon Live..... missed opportunity?

Marc B | Edinburgh Scotland | 12/08/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Performance Series releases for the most part have been my favourite part of Neil's archives project. They have ranged from good to essential in my view, Massey Hall being the best and most essential and Dreamin' Man the least for me. What made Massey Hall special was it was a complete performance and the unreleased tracks and stripped down versions of tracks like Down by the River made it an essential purchase.

Don't get me wrong there is some fantastic performances on this release, Dreamin' Man, Such a Woman and War of Man especially shine in this stripped down format.

The problem for me is what's not here! By limiting the concept of this release to ONLY tracks from the Harvest Moon album, performances of which have been chosen from the whole of 1992's year long solo tour, we miss out on hearing unreleased gems like.



Hitchhiker

Love Art Blues

Homefires



all of which were performed and recorded and the inclusion of any of the above would have made this an essential purchase.



Plus.... Silver and Gold was played every night of the first solo tour, solo acoustic versions of Tonight's the Night, Powderfinger, This Notes for You, Cripple Creek Ferry etc etc, where also performed on this tour. So it is more the concept of the release I have an issue with, as opposed to the performances which are fantastic and well worth hearing.

The sound quality is just outstanding especially if your CD player can decode HDCD and the cover art is lovely. I love Neil's vocal quality from the early 90's, really suits the reflective tone of the material from that era.

I look forward to the next Archives release, they are really coming thick and fast now. I recommend something from the Blue Note era or Tonights the Night tour Neil if your reading."

War of Man

2LovelySwans | Sedona, Arizona, USA | 12/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Neil Young is one of the most creative and unpredictable artists in history, and his dedication to the creative muse has always been his first priority. His commitment to his craft is not only commendable but important; for him and for his fans as well. Rarely does a Neil Young release arrive without some sort of knee jerk reaction from some of his fan base, and Dreamin' Man is no exception. Here we have a beautifully stripped down version of Harvest Moon performed live before anyone in the audience had heard the album. I was fortunate enough to have seen this tour with some friends, and I remember some of them were disappointed by the lack of older material, yet I felt the complete opposite. For me, the idea of hearing brand new songs, for the first time live was just amazing. After Harvest Moon was released, my friends understood my point, and I felt a kinship with those who were also lucky enough to be at Massey Hall hearing Harvest for the first time back in 1971.

Dreamin' Man is an opportunity to share a unique experience of discovery, and to hear songs in their infancy. Honest, reflective, and insightful, Neil delivers some of his most personal songwriting with exceptional grace. Each song takes you on a journey into middle age; One Of These Days, From Hank To Hendrix, Such a Woman, and You and Me. Neil sings of his relationships; both lost and found. Natural Beauty, and War of Man, two of Neil's most powerful observations on the plight of the earth are both master works, and more powerful here in their solo versions than on Harvest Moon. He writes a song for an old hound dog with as much love and affection as he would for anyone else in his life. This is a remarkable opportunity to hear great songwriting in a live setting, and I give it my highest recommendation. As with all the past releases on the Performance Series recordings, the sound quality is perfect, and the packaging is identical to the others in the series."