Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Live Rust
Album · Rock · 1979
By the end of the ‘70s, Neil Young established himself as one of the decade's most important rockers. His three-LP retrospective Decade made a strong case for his first-rate relevancy. His albums, including Rust Never Sleeps, proved he was still writing vibrant contemporary rockers. And this live album from a performance in 1978 showed Young in peak condition both as a solo acoustic act and as an electric powerhouse with Crazy Horse. The track selection is excellent, beginning with his paean to eternal childhood, "Sugar Mountain" and "I Am a Child" and ending with his grim depiction of the rock ‘n' roll lifestyle, "Tonight's the Night." In between, he captures many career highlights. "After the Gold Rush," both acoustic and electric versions of "My, My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)," a crushing "Powerfinger," a gentle "The Needle and the Damage Done" are as serious and chilling as the decade would produce. His bruising performances with Crazy Horse would become the gold standard for grunge bands more than a decade away, while his acoustic moments represent the ever-surviving '60s troubadour tradition.