Neil Young – Young Shakespeare (Vinyl LP)

January 1971 Acoustic Performance Which Young Hails as Superior to Massey Hall Restored from the Analog Tapes and Presented on Vinyl LP for the First Time!

Just two months after the release of his seminal album After The Gold Rush, Neil Young played a solo show at The Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, CT on January 22, 1971. The show was filmed and recorded, and the concert shown on German TV later in 1971. In 2020, while Neil and his team were reviewing his Archive for future projects, Neil re-visited the 16mm film and audio recording of this show that had been preserved in the Archive for almost 50 years. Piecing together the tapes and footage, Neil realized that he had the full concert – the film of which is the earliest live footage of Neil performing that is known to exist.

The ancient analog tapes have been lovingly restored – resulting in (as Neil also says on NYA) “one of the most pure sounding acoustic performances we have in the Archive.” Released almost exactly 50 years after the original performance, this beautiful concert is presented here on vinyl LP for the first time!

1. Tell Me Why
2. Old Man
3. The Needle and the Damage Done
4. Ohio
5. Dance Dance Dance
6. Cowgirl in the Sand
7. A Man Needs A Maid/Heart of Gold medley
8. Journey Through The Past
9. Don’t Let It Bring You Down
10. Helpless
11. Down By The River
12. Sugar Mountain