Neil Young - Live Unapproved (1989) + Bonus Tracks

(Canadian 1960-Present)
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Starting out as a Canadian folk singer, Neil Young ended up in Los Angeles in the mid-Sixties, where he joined Stephen Stills in Buffalo Springfield.
His debut selftitled 1969 album marked a return to the acoustic guitar, though a follow-up 'Everybody Knows This is Nowhere', issued later that year, found him in blistering form, backed by a full band, Crazy Horse.
Public recognition came when he reunited with Stills in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, joining them at Woodstock and making telling contributions to the 'Deja Vu' album. The arrangement was short-lived and Young returned to his solo career with several strong albums throughout the Seventies. 'Harvest' (1972), featuring the 'Heart Of Gold' single, was the most successful, though it was the desolate 'On The Beach' (1974) that was probably his finest achievement.
In 1976, Young performed with Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and numerous other rock musicians in the high profile all-star concert The Last Waltz, the final performance by The Band.
Young has often alternated between the soft and the hard, a musical eclecticism that has continued to the present day. One minute, he's almost strangling his guitar with Crazy Horse, on 'Live Rust' album (1979); the next he's back with the seemingly lightweight songs of 'Hawks & Doves' (1980).
The 1982 album 'Trans', which incorporated vocoders, synthesizers, and electronic beats, was Young's first for new label Geffen Records.
Young reunited with Crosby, Stills and Nash to record the 1988 album American Dream and play two benefit concerts late in the year, but the group did not embark upon a full tour. The album was only the second-ever studio record for the quartet.
Young's 1989 single "Rockin' in the Free World", which hit #2 on the U.S. charts, and accompanying album, Freedom, rocketed him back into the popular consciousness after a decade of sometimes-difficult genre experiments. The album's lyrics were often overtly political; "Rockin' in the Free World" deals with homelessness, terrorism, and environmental degradation, implicitly criticizing the government policies of President George H.W. Bush.
Young continued to hit form again, with the abrasive 'Ragged Glory' and 'Weld', followed by 1992's more mellow 'Harvest Moon'.
In 1994 Young again collaborated with Crazy Horse for Sleeps with Angels, a record whose dark, sombre mood was influenced by Kurt Cobain's death earlier that year; the title track in particular dealt with Cobain's life and death, without mentioning him by name. Cobain had quoted Young's lyric "It's better to burn out than fade away" (a line from "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)") in his suicide note, causing Young to then on emphasize the line "'cause once you're gone you can't come back" when performing the song. Young had reportedly made repeated attempts to contact Cobain prior to his death.
Neil Young still continues to release new material at a rapid pace in the new Millennium, his most recent album appearance on the album Potato Hole, released on April 21, 2009 by Memphis organ player Booker T. Jones, of Booker T. & the MG's fame. Young plays guitar on nine of the album's ten instrumental tracks.
Young also continues to tour extensively. In 2009, he headlined the Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England, at Hard Rock Calling in London (where he was joined onstage by Paul McCartney for a rendition of "A Day in the Life") and, after years of unsuccessful booking attempts, the Isle of Wight Festival in addition to performances at the Big Day Out festival in New Zealand and Australia and the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. [extracts from 'The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Rock' and 'Wikipedia']
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This MOJO bootleg release has no date or concert details credited, however, it is highly likely that the recording was taken from a concert held at the Jones Beach Theatre, Long Island, NY 1989 during Young's tour for the 'Freedom' album. This concert has also been released under the title 'Rock at The Beach'.
The concert includes a guest appearance from Bruce Springsteen on 'Down By The River'. Young performs his classics "Heart Of Gold", "Hey Hey, My My", "The Needle And The Damage Done", "After The Goldrush" alongside then-recent material "Rockin' In The Free World", "This Notes For You". The concert is a great acoustic performance with good and clear sound and features Young making regular dialogue with the audience.
The full concert has also been released on DVD under several titles 'Rock At The Beach' and 'At The Beach', available through Amazon
Finally, while researching this concert I stumbled upon this YouTube clip depicting some very funny Charlie Chaplin antics with Neil Young's "Old Laughing Lady" as its background music. Absolutely brilliant!

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The rip was taken from my CD at 320kps and includes 4 bonus tracks taken from the 'Rock On The Beach bootleg, also ripped at 320kps. Full album artwork is included for the MOJO release.
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Track Listing
01 Rocking In The Free World
02 The Needle And The Damage Done
03 No More
04 Comes A Time
05 Sugar Mountain
06 After The Goldrush
07 Heart Of Gold
08 Crime In The City
09 Helpless
10 My My Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)
11 Ohio
Bonus Tracks
12 This Old House
13 This Notes For You
14 Powder Finger
15 Down By The River (featuring Bruce Springsteen)
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Neil Young Link (160Mb) REPOST
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