7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
good tunes, but terrible sound, December 28, 2000
This album has received a lot of negative criticism, and unfortunately much of that (though not all of it) is warranted. Indeed, the sound is awful, and like others, I don't understand why an album has to sound this bad. We all know Young is a fantastic guitar player, and he must know that himself, so why does the guitar get drowned in a vague, hazy, echoy mist?
However, there are redeeming qualities. The version of "Cowgirl in the Sand" is good, but especially the bass (drum and guitar) sound terrible, as if they were recorded in cardboard box. Don't knock "Walk On" too quickly--it's meant to be a slightly happy tune, and I like this one. I am also very happy to now have a live version of "Peace of Mind"--it's a beautiful tune and it's well played. Crazy Horse couldn't have pulled this off: Keith and Oldham know where it's at. Neither old nor decrepit, the guys backing Young up know that there is more to rock 'n' roll than loud and fast.
Both the good and the bad on this album are evident on "All Along the Watchtower." Young pays his dues to Hendrix and Dylan on this one (he's played this before--I have a CD single at home somewhere with this song live) and his guitarplaying is brilliant. That is, I think it is, because it's hard to make out in the mix. I hope those who saw the tour heard it better; it must have been awesome.
In all, I have very mixed feelings about this album. It's by the man, so I got to buy it, and I must respect what he was trying to do, but I can't say I understand how this album came to sound the way it does. Perhaps Young can enlighten us.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Another Live Record, May 8, 2001
Just three years after the lackluster Year Of The Horse, Neil Young released another live set, Road Rock, Vol. 1. The record is another good, but not great live set. There are some great tracks including the mammoth 18 minute opening track "Cowgirl In The Sand". The song, even at its tremendous length, does not seem drawn out or over extended. "Words" is a great old chestnut from Harvest and is a treat as is "all Along The Watchtower" which is a duet with The Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde. The rest of the album is okay.
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Neil still rocks, March 1, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Neil Young - Road Rock #1 (DVD Audio) (DVD Audio)
This DVD is great. Neil Young still rocks just like 25 years ago. Sounds a lot like the Crazy Horse years. Much better than Silver and Gold DVD. The best part is the 21 minute version of "Cowgirl in the Sand" played outside during a driving thunderstorm. It was incredible. Be careful if you order this to not order the "DVD-audio" version. That makes no sense to me at all since the DVD-video has the same songs (DTS and Dolby surround) and the incredible video to go with it at the same or cheaper price. Amazon has been confused about this since the video version was released in December so make sure they are sending you the right one.
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