This 12 track live album, ‘A Treasure’ includes recordings during Neil’s 1984 and 1985 U.S. Neil had no album out at this time. Young’s alongside Neil Young onstage are some of the greatest artists in the history of country music, including the late, Ben Keith on steel and slide guitar and Rufus Thibodeaux on fiddle, along Spooner Oldham and Hargus “Pig” Robbins on piano, Tim Drummond and Joe Allen on bass, and Karl Himmel on drums, among many others.
‘A Treasure’ is Young’s first release since last year’s Grammy- and Juno Award-winning album ‘Le Noise’.
This was an interesting time in Neil’s career, he was facing criticism and lawsuits from his then record company for exploring a more traditionally country sound. “You can call me erratic,” Young said when asked at the time about his tendency toward musical shape shifting, “but I’ve been consistent about it, consistently erratic.” Always celebrated for his musical versatility, ‘A Treasure’, is akin to a sonic time capsule, instantly transporting the listener to the time and place when it was made. “I love this record,” Young says. “I hadn’t heard these takes in 25 years but when we unearthed them co-producer Ben Keith said, ‘This is a treasure.’”
As I sit here and type this review on a glorious sunny day, I am thrilled to hear a live 80s take on the Buffalo Springfield classic ‘Flying On The Ground Is Wrong’ brilliant stuff! Motor City could have been written last week! And there is a blinding version of “are you ready for the country’ which makes me want to line ‘harvest up as soon as this has finished ;-).
If you weren’t sure whether to get this cd, don’t hesitate it’s classic Neil!
