“Influences And Recollections Of A Musical Mind”

1979 was the year that Neil Young became a bit of an obsession in my musical taste. A big reason for this was his album (and concert film of the same name) Rust Never Sleeps. Recorded live with Crazy Horse and altered with overdubs and then suppressing nearly all of the crowd noise, Rust Never Sleeps highlighted Neil’s acoustic folk side and his rampaging electric rock style with the hard rocking Crazy Horse. Later in the same year, Live Rust came out as a companion piece to the film and was a double album of purely live performances. Highlights for me include Thrasher, Ride My Llama, the bizarre Sedan Delivery, and the incredible Powderfinger from Rust Never Sleeps. My picks from Live Rust are a haunting Like A Hurricane, a menacing Cortez The Killer, and the beautiful Sugar Mountain to kick off the acoustic side. Special mention for the bookends of Hey, Hey My, My (Out Of The Blue) and My, My Hey, Hey (Into The Black), the acoustic/electric combo that is included on both records. If you’re looking to discover Neil in all his live glory, these 2 records are an exceptional place to start.

Written By Braddon S. Williams