City Newspaper Archives - 12/2006
Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Live at the Fillmore East"
Published by Joel Chaffee on Dec 06, 2006
Reprise
In March 1970, after recording Déjà Vu with CSNY, Neil Young grabbed Crazy Horse and played two shows at the Fillmore East, the "church of rock and roll," in Manhattan's East Village. At 43 minutes, Live at the Fillmore East gleans six songs from the two shows that are as grandiose in their executionas Michael Jordan playing basketball, or JFK declaring, "We will go to the moon!"
The dusty fuzz of the guitars is more visceral here than on the well-known studio versions, particularly in "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere." The solo work by Young and Danny Whitten is sometimes reminiscent of David Gilmour's dreaminess, and sometimes sounds as though the musicians are jabbing at notes that are on fire.Hustling out a backwoods stomp is "Wonderin'," which feels as urban as it does rural and wouldn't be out of place in anyone's hands, from the Stanley Brothers to The Temptations.
Closer "Cowgirl in the Sand" is the record's shiniest gem, rocking for 16 minutes until its own jaw drops, reminding any studio wunderkind how much can be done with a five-piece and 40 minutes.
