The openers come as expected, from After the Goldrush: "Tell Me Why", "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "After the Goldrush" performed on a 9 foot Steinway that Lewy's recording nails. Young intersperses silence with dramatic dynamic yet impeccably clean strum-bursts all captured as harmonically rich and perfect as you'd expect from Lewy. His acoustic guitar playing is rhythmically and especially dynamically nuanced. Young's stage shyness obvious in his patter completely disappears when he plays and sings unplugged and closely miked. By the time this was recorded he'd also been in CSN&Y, which released the album Deja Vu that March, and by summer had split from the group, so Neil was less in need of exposure than was Newman! Of course Newman was more in need of the exposure than was Young, who had already made a name for himself in Buffalo Springfield and had released the previous August After the Goldrush, which become immediately iconic. Like this one from Young, Randy Newman/Live is a singer/songwriter showcase that's almost a publisher's demo. As a showcase of pure performing and songwriting talent it most reminds me of Randy Newman/Live (Reprise RS6459) recorded at New York's Bitter End September 17th-19th and issued in 1971. Why it took so long for this to be released is something only Neil can explain. basement club November 30th through December 2nd, 1970, this 13 song collection recorded by the great Henry Lewy (thanked in the credits even though he passed away in 2006) presents Neil Young as intimately and as powerfully as you'll hear him on record.
Recorded during a six show stint at tiny Cellar Door, a circa 100 seat Washington D.C.
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