LIVE RUST

Wrapping up an artistically bountiful decade, Neil Young (aided and abetted by Crazy Horse) brought some new material to the concert stage that reflected diametrically opposite poles of the volume spectrum. Divided neatly between two sides of vinyl, Rust Never Sleeps was a triumph that mixed softer acoustic fare with loud, uncompromising rock. Six of the nine selections were recorded live, with crowd response removed and some further augmentation done prior to its release. Pushing forward, Young had also captured a number of gigs in multiple venues during that same period in 1978. With the Horse in fine form, the backline consisted of cartoonish, oversized amps and mics. Apart from relatively quiet solo performances on guitar/piano, the rest of the show was put across at high decibel levels.

We've got Mother Nature on the run in the nineteen seventies

Once the mushroom clouds had dissipated, producer David Briggs sifted through the tapes to mix the bulk of what would become Live Rust. Released just five months after Rust Never Sleeps in late November 1979, the double album was intended to serve as a companion piece to the concert film of the quartet ripping it up at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. While some would quibble that four tunes from Rust Never Sleeps found their way onto this disc, the overall quality of the final product was not in question. Opening with slow pitches, armed with just his trusty 12 string and harmonica, there are beautiful takes on "Sugar Mountain" and "I Am a Child". The folky strumming persona soon morphs into the volume dealer, leaning into his axe with abandon.

"The Loner" is stunning. Jacked up with twin lead lines, it is taken at a frenetic pace that shreds the more understated studio version that had appeared on Young's self-titled, first solo effort. This journey through the past doesn't stop for maudlin speeches about lost friends, ten years gone down boozy, drug fueled highways or the collateral damage done by a life devoted to chasing the lost chord. Instead, you have the odes all too clearly etched in the set list ("The Needle and the Damage Done", "Tonight's the Night") with cleverly placed audio snippets from the Woodstock Festival to raise hippie ghosts and opaque clouds of smoke above the crowd. Perhaps having that Hendrix button pinned to his guitar strap provided additional inspiration to bomb the faithful punters back to the stone age (pun intended) with "Sedan Delivery" and wind out like a madman on "Like a Hurricane".

For an artist so prolific, this sonic tour diary covers many, though understandably not all, highlights from the Shakey Songbook. His biggest hit ("Heart of Gold") is nowhere to be found, yet "Lotta Love" from Comes a Time is a terrific bonus and delicately rendered at that. Melody mixes easily with the more ostentatious fare found on this disc. Programmed intelligently, the overall excitement generated is palpable nearly 40 years on from these gigs. Poncho proudly rocks a Habs jersey, Ralph and Billy get stuck in the mud occasionally but float nice harmonies around the boss as he takes flight. It's all there in a beautiful snapshot and has held a prized spot in my vinyl collection since the early eighties. Live Rust majestically crowned years of top class work, rightfully earning accolades as a high watermark in terms of live LPs.

The days of the Squires were long gone, though the passion to play remained strong...