“Road Rock Volume 1”

Neil Young

Compare to: Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills and Nash

4 1/2 Stars out of Five

Neil Young has gathered together friends and family to show for the umpteenth time that no one rocks harder than this old man. Young is one of the few artists it actually seems wrong to critique. He holds himself to such high standards that any failure on his part is usually imperceptible to listeners.

With that said, “Road Rock Volume1” is a fine live collection of songs that includes “Cowgirl in the Sand,” “Walk On,” “Fool for Love,” and, best of all, Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.”

Listening to Neil Young reminds us all that some people still have standards and its OK to disdain those who do not. The man is a perfectionist and it comes through in his performance. He is all about perfection yet still rocks with freestyle abandon.

This CD is the perfect one to listen to in your car driving down a sun-baked highway with the windows down. No changer, no volume control, just pure abandon.

The sound quality leaves a bit to be desired. This isn’t the clearest of recordings and seems a bit more subject to the limitations of live recordings than one is used to in this day and age. This gives the album a raw feeling of power and shouldn’t interfere with enjoyment.