Sugar Mountain-Live At Canterbury House 1968 (CD/DVD-A) - Harry Potter 6 Books

Product Description

Now greet the arrival of 'Sugar Mountain- Live At Canterbury House 1968,' another singular installment in the continuing Neil Young Archives Performance Series. On this CD+DVD set, recorded in Ann Arbor, MI, November 9-10, just days before the release of Young's self titled solo debut, one of the greatest singer-songwriters in rock history is heard solo and acoustic at the height of one of the must tumultuous and creative periods ever experienced both in music and culture. This set contains a CD featuring 14 tracks, a DVD disc including a high resolution audio mix of the album plus a 5 minute trailer for the archives set.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. On The Way Home
2. Mr. Soul
3. Expecting To Fly
4. The Last Trip To Tulsa
5. The Loner
6. Birds
7. Winterlong (excerpt)
8. Out Of My Mind
9. If I Could Have Her Tonight
10. Sugar Mountain
11. I've Been Waiting For You
12. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing
13. The Old Laughing Lady
14. Broken Arrow

Disc 2:

1. On The Way Home (CD/DVD-A)
2. Mr. Soul (CD/DVD-A)
3. Expecting To Fly (CD/DVD-A)
4. The Last Trip To Tulsa (CD/DVD-A)
5. The Loner (CD/DVD-A)
6. Birds (CD/DVD-A)
7. Winterlong (excerpt) (CD/DVD-A)
8. Out Of My Mind (CD/DVD-A)
9. If I Could Have Her Tonight (CD/DVD-A)
10. Sugar Mountain (CD/DVD-A)
11. I've Been Waiting For You (CD/DVD-A)
12. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing (CD/DVD-A)
13. The Old Laughing Lady (CD/DVD-A)
14. Broken Arrow (CD/DVD-A)
15. Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 Trailer (CD/DVD-A)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26 in Music
• Released on: 2008-12-02
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Live

Customer Reviews

The "V" in "DVD"
I'm stunned by all the negative reviews that Neil is "ripping people off" by including a DVD that doesn't have video. The clue train has left the station without you all. The "V" in "DVD" is for "versatile" (or so it was originally designated), not for "video." It was a "versatile" disc because the developers intended it to be used in many ways, and in many devices. You can use it to read and write data on your computer. Use it to play movies or video games. Or, as Neil has opted to do, give his fans a copy of this intimate evening in PCM format on the DVD.

PCM is to CD audio as mp3 is to wav, i.e. it's the uncompressed, lossless music. Neil's always been about the quality of the music. Even after the "demise" of vinyl, eclipsed by compact discs, Neil was still releasing high-quality vinyl versions of his albums for the audiophiles. The DVD is for the audiophiles who have the equipment to support it. "Chrome Dreams II" suffered similar complaints.

With that being said, the content is great. Just Neil and his guitar, talking and singing. If you enjoyed the "MTV Unplugged" album, or the "Silver and Gold" DVD, this is the same thing, acoustic versions of his songs. While the later releases feature Neil on piano, organ, and harmonica, in addition to his guitar, the bare guitar versions here allow Neil's lyrics and vocals to shine. His singing is in perfect form, clear and delicate, almost tentative, as if he's not sure about the whole solo-artist-singer-songwriter thing after breaking with Buffalo Springfield. People complain about his "rambling" song introductions. Maybe they do ramble a bit and break the continuity of the music, but they're fun to listen to. He plays a line of music that would later turn out to be "Winterlong," remarking that he "just made that up." I'll take that with a grain of salt, as well as his contention that it only took him "five minutes" to write "Mr. Soul." His songs have a quality and craftsmanship that doesn't come in five minutes.

His "Archives Vol. I" is coming out in both Blu Ray and DVD. I don't have a Blu Ray player, yet. This just might be the tipping point. I'm looking forward to a lot more vintage Neil.

the man now and then
Neil Young continually amazes and this recent release of archived material is spectacular. Of course long time fans have wondered about this concert for many years but the quality and the intimate nature give a rare insight into this talented man. Having had the privalege to see his most recent tour i can tell you he is better at age 63. The release of sugar mountain at canterbury house gives that rare glimpse at then and now and who he is. The only weird thing about this package is the DVD which is the cover still photo with snow moving across the screen... that's it. Unneccessary IMO. However, that is minor, this is a must have for any music fan because it spans the years and provides fresh perspective not just for neil young but also the historical/cultural aspects as well. Buy it!

Canadian-American Primitive
Years ago, when Young released the classic CD "Harvest Moon," his lyrics in the song "Natural Beauty" lamented about hearing "a perfect echo die into an anonymous wall of digital sound." Listeners will not find that "anonymous wall" in the recent release of "Sugar Mountain-Live At Canterbury House 1968." What they'll find are the stripped down raw versions of Young's songs, where the bare essence of each offering gives a pristine look into the raw genius of his songwriting. Hence, I would categorize "Sugar Mountain-Live At Canterbury House 1968 as delightfully primitive.

In an age where music is over-produced and increasingly controlled by Big Brother, this release gives us pause to distinguish between pure art and commercial art. Art is done for oneself. Commercial art is created for a mass audience. This CD is strictly art, with Young abandoning himself to the muse of emotion. Here is a rough-hewn recording that give us a rare look at how these songs might have sounded shortly after birth and leaving the safe haven of Young's own consciousness.

Some have argued in the past that Young's lyrics are self-indulgent and lyrically cryptic. Thankfully, for many of us, Young's explorations into his own emotions connect within others on a deeper level. Lest we forget, the modern age of poetry comes from the raw and primitive "first thought is best thought" intensity of Ginsberg and company, where we are asked to trust what arises in the creative muse before revision and production.

Yes, I do wish the DVD companion was the actual performance, but I'm giving it "four stars" for art. Those lamenting about sound quality are missing the point here.