Young had just fled the burgeoning Rock scene, ran to the hills and started plotting a new beginning when he played this intimate live set. Here he cranks out straight Folk tunes with a rare rawness.
Young literally had just walked out of Buffalo Springfield, the successful mid-60’s Folk Rock band, after a series of clashes with head honcho Stephen Stills. Fed up with the Rock establishment, he moved out to the sticks - well, for Los Angeles - living out his ’simpler life’ fantasies in Topanga Canyon.
The Canterbury House gig features the first fruits of Young’s move. Straight, Folk and Country inspired songs with introspective lyrics. The recording predates Young’s solo debut by almost a year and is a rare chance to hear his songs without any embellishment.
Even compared to later solo performances, this is very low key and bereft of guitar wizardry or showmanship. Young’s stage banter - and there’s a good bit of it - is self depreciating and slow coming. ‘Live At Canterbury House’ captures a shy artist before Rock stardom set in.
Some of the songs on this album would later appear on his solo debut ‘Neil Young’ in 1969, embellished with strings and a crack crew of session musicians. It’s Country symphony sound still makes it an amazing album but places it firmly at the very start of the 70’s West Coast Rock era. Listen to ‘Sugar Mountain’ and catch a glimpse of a more humble, timeless artist at work.
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You can download ‘Sugar Mountain - Live At Canterbury House 1968′ here from iTunes UK.
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