For those who want just a summary, the first few minutes should suffice. That is, unless you need the full rundown review, Davy can help you out here.
Also, see
Check out, First Impressions: Citizen Kane Jr. Blues by Neil Young | Old Grey Cat. (And be sure to check out comments on locating the legendary "Honeyslide recipe" rap on NYA, which is -- oddly -- not included on the Official release itself?!)
Also, see the 1st release in OBS was Carnegie Hall 1970 and REVIEW: The Neil Young Official Bootleg Series -- Carnegie Hall 1970 by Harvey Kubernik.
For regular visitors here @ TW, you may recall earlier this year us having Davy from Scotland on Thrasher's Wheat Radio 2.0 episode
discussing the connections between albums Deja Vu and Living With War amidst the
backdrop of ongoing global unrest. ( Check it out. )
Thanks Davy! The physical product is nice and all, but these full show tracks on NYA’s new Official Bootleg releases are where it’s at. Better than CD quality, artwork in hi-res too. The different raps between songs help distinguish the very similar shows at Royce Hall and DCP. Each have a few minutes excised on the other formats. The full digital file is the only way I’ll listen to Citizen Kane Jr. Blues from now on! The cut story of the Black cop “crunching” the wasted Southern Man fan is priceless and strange in a perfectly “ditch” way. Unofficial Canon, indeed.
ReplyDeleteNow which of these will I pick up on vinyl, knowing I’ll be purchasing a somewhat edited version? “I’m glad that y’all came down” is the clear winner. Royce Hall is a fine record, but compared to that final show of the tour, it sounds like a warm-up. The performance is a little rushed, and the sound recording/ mastering is a bit thinner. Royce comes off as more of a document than an album for me, some of the songs already having been mined for Harvest and Time Fades Away and then later for Archives Vol 1 (Neil’s first recorded and released use of the harmonica). Royce Hall does have the best Ohio of the tour, though. The tune hit home for a politically activated college crowd and for Neil in that moment on stage.
But a couple nights later he was back in L.A., this time to a more diverse and mature downtown audience. The recording still has its distinguishing quirks, like the mysterious silly loud clapper off to the side of the stage, but it’s overall a smoother and more confident performance, a good vibes victory lap. Here the songs practically sing themselves. He even gets the audience to sing along (not clap) to Sugar Mountain, finally!
Royce may have the first harmonica Heart Of Gold, but Dorothy has the better one. It’s hard to believe he only played the harmonica on one song back then! Its inclusion, along with a flawlessly engineered recording, help set it above the more tune-packed Carnegie Hall OBS release, which listed harmonica but does not actually feature the instrument.
Royce Hall apparently was a limited release bootleg, so is more known for hosting those definitive album versions.. But it sounds like EVERYONE had “I’m glad…” and wore the old bootleg out on their turntables. So I’m excited about the album art replicating this piece of illicit history, and by owning the new LP, I can feel like I was there to sneak a listen too.