Young perfect between Gold Rush and Harvest

Neil Young deserves every credit he has received over the years. A versatile artist, Young is a true musical chameleon; playing with Buffalo Springfield in the '60s, becoming a folk star as a solo artist in the '70s and earning the title of "the godfather of grunge" with his backing band Crazy Horse.\nLive at Massey Hall, the second official release from Neil Young's Archives Performance Series, is the purest example of the singer/songwriter side of Young. The album, which captures the second show of a two-night performance at Toronto's legendary Massey Hall, was recorded in February of 1971 -- sandwiched between Young's 1970's After The Gold Rush and 1972's Harvest.\nThe bulk of the songs on the album were brand new at the time, including five songs that would eventually find their way on to "Harvest" a year later.\n"I'm gonna sing mostly new songs tonight," Young said to a cheering crowd. "Maybe only a couple more old ones. But I have written so many new ones that I can't think of anything else to do with 'em other than sing 'em."\nThe album as a whole has a truly natural feeling, stripped down to the songwriter and his guitar and piano. Hearing Young in this setting proves his skilled abilities as a songwriter.\nYoung starts off the show with "Tell Me Why" and an early version of "Old Man," where he shows his abilities as a singer with an outstanding vocal performance during the chorus. "A Man Needs a Maid/ Heart of Gold Suite" is a unique listen for any Neil Young fan, in which Young, accompanied solely by his piano, combines both future Harvest cuts into one seamless song.\nYoung has the Toronto crowd cheering in delight during two hometown callouts during "Journey Through The Past" and "Helpless," which sounds quite different without the backing vocals found on the album version.\nAs good as the album is, the CD/DVD combo does have its drawbacks. The concert DVD itself has very little concert footage and uses old photos and random Young footage to fill the gaps. However, the album, with its intimate sound, is worth the purchase as it shows one of the best singer/songwriters in his prime.