Best Pressings: Neil Young Live at Massey Hall 180 Gram Vinyl
Review of Neil young Live at Massey Hall (2009) 180 Gram Vinyl
11/1/20251 min read
In 2009, Warner initially released Neil Young's Live at Massey Hall as part of his Archives Performance Series. And in the ensuing decade plus, numerous additional performances have been released, including Live at Fillmore East and Live at the Cellar Door--but none are quite as good as Massey Hall. Recorded at Massey Hall Auditorium in Toronto in 1971, between After the Gold Rush and Harvest, this intimate recording brings the listener directly to the auditorium and places him in one of the first few rows. This is indeed a very special perforance; in particular, Young delivers songs such as Old Man and The Needle and the Damage Done, that had yet to appear on Harvest, with a sensitivity and vulnerability that would not reappear in future recordings.
The sonics on Massey Hall are also worthy of the superb performance. Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering captures all of the detail of this intimate performance. While the CD/DVD sounds very good, the two discs of 180 gram vinyl reveal layers of Young's voice that can't be heard on the digital releases.
Unlike Live at Canterbury, Fillmore, and Cellar Door, this 2-LP set is surprisingly still in print on vinyl and available at a very reasonable price. If you are a fan of this artist, this vinyl release is essential.
Very Highly Recommended
