When I heard this was being done with Jonathon Demme, I knew it was going to be outstanding. Neil surrounds himself with Pegi, Spooner, Ben, Emmylou, and other old friends. He plays Hank Sr's guitar, which hasn't graced the stage of the Ryman since 1951. They run through most of the songs on Prairie Wind, and Neil gives very personal reasons for writing some of them...I'm not going to spoil that for anyone reading here. After that, they do some older material: I am a Child, Harvest Moon, Old Man, Needle & the Damage Done, Old King, 4 Strong Winds, and an incredible One of These Days. I probably missed a song or 2, and then...the lights go down, and it's just Neil on the stage, no crowd, no bandmates, playing The Old Laughing Lady thru the credits. Was the whole show just a dream of Neil's? Thank you Mr. Demme.

In the summer of '05, Neil Young, having just survived a close call with a brain aneurysm, performed two concerts at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium. Documented here, the concerts premiered Young's most recent, and critically acclaimed release, Prairie Wind, followed by many classics from the gentler compartment of his massive, magnificent catalog. From the opening interview snippets to the final scene of Neil Young alone on stage, Jonathan Demme, as one would expect, has created a masterpiece, a film suitable to its subject. No two-second ADD camera work here, this wonderful film was shot with the same grace, intelligence and intimacy as the music Young and his friends--including Emmylou Harris!--perform. I saw this film four times while it was in town, and now I can't wait for the DVD release. Don't miss this (literally) glowing tribute to one of rock/blues/folk/country's genuine icons.

NEIL YOUNG--HEART OF GOLD THE MOVIE:
THIS RELEASE IS ONE OF HIS BEST.
Neil Young has always been a conumdrum; part genius, part guitar hack, part poet, part flack. He has played many roles;a Canadian-born singer songwriter, child of the late fifties, darling of the sixties and spokesman for the seventies. Then later, Reagan supporter in the eighties and grandfather to American grundge in the nineties. Now in the twilight of his career, Neil Young remains one of a handful of voices that can generate industry-wide attention just by releasing a new cd or heading out on tour. He has produced some of the most memorable and occassionally the most forgettable music in popular culture. So while it's no surprise that diehard fans continue to line up whenever the venerable rocker releases new material, many others check in sporadically to see what the old man is up to.
Well,diehards and estranged fans alike should be ecstatic. And they should check out Young and a cast of nearly forty as Jonathan Demme's Heart of Gold captures the singer-songwriter in at one of the most pleasing sonic moments of his four decade career.

This is Young at his best, backed by a host of top level players including Ben Keith, Tim Drummond, and Spooner Oldham, among others. These are all veteran musicians that Young has collaborated with several times over the years, most notably during his Harvest session and during his occasional reprises to that genre which produced Harvest Moon, Silver and Gold, and the recent Prarie Wind.Read more ›

because that is what this is - some top notch musicians who have played together for years - practising their craft. The old timers just stand and play, no histrionics, not leaping around the stage - they just play - and they play WELL. Everyone looks so relaxed that at times it appears they are almost not doing anything - but the sound is superb and the band so tight it sounds like this came out the studio.

It is a meausure of how well everyone plays together that Emmylou Harris - no mean performer herself - can be seen watching Neil's chords like a hawk while she duo's (extremely successfully) on her guitar alongside. The rest of the guys - they don't need to look - they just play. Watch for the pan down a line of 6 guitars in a row as all the fingers move together through the chord sequences and the occassional gently angled shot to give a laid back, guitar to the fore look.

Think of this concert as a sort of "MTV Unplugged" (but plugged in) piece in terms of people sitting down and just playing together. Only WAY better.

Sharp hats Neil.....

It's on my wishlist for release day.

If you like Neil Young, I think you'll love this film. Neil's getting older, but he hasn't lost a thing. If anything he's better then ever.

I'm over 55 now and my wife and I have listened to Neil's words and music for over 30 years now. My wife Pat and I got interested in Neil's stuff in '71 before we got married. I brought "After The Gold Rush" when it came out in vinyl. I actually got hooked on Neil when he came out with "Everybody Know This Is Nowhere" which came out a few years earlier.

The movie was rated by the "Baltimore Sun" with an A+. The reviewer talked about the technical details of the film. I don't know nothing about that. I just thoroughly enjoyed the movie and recommend it to any Neil Young fan.

Be careful. The movie might break you heart!