Captured By Your Moves

Got all inspired by two recent entries posted during Live Week on Star Maker Machine. Both (check here and here) featured mighty fine, never officially released live tracks by Neil Young. So I dragged myself upstairs, started rummaging through my collection of Dinosaur Sr. rarities, and here´s some of the treasure I found. These songs may turn up eventually in some future installment of the Archives, but with Neil you just can´t count on anything, ever. In the meantime, make do with this Jurassic ten pack.

First up is Pushed It Over The End, also known as Citizen Kane Junior Blues. Recorded in ´74, at an amazing show in the small Bottom Line club in New York City. "Good lookin' Milly's into politics now, and things are looking much better... She keeps ten men in her garage knitting her fine sweaters..."

Neil Young - Pushed It Over The End (live ´74) MP3

Hold Back The Tears is an earlier, way different version to the one that eventually ended up on American Stars ´N Bars. It stems from an acetate recorded in ´75 and/or ´76 called Chrome Dreams, which suddenly surfaced among collectors in the early nineties. The spooky solo acoustic take on Powderfinger comes from the same disc.

Neil Young - Hold Back The Tears (early version) MP3

Neil Young - Powderfinger (acoustic version) MP3

The somewhat bitter piano ballad Don´t Say You Win, Don´t Say You Lose was taped in some unknown venue in ´76. "Once I was in love... now, it seems that time is better spent searching than in finding, but no one seems to know..." Give Me Strength stems from the same year. "The happier you fly, the sadder you fall..." Some nice harp there.

Neil Young - Don´t Say You Win, Don´t Say You Lose (live ´76) MP3

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Give Me Strenght (live ´76) MP3

"Have you seen the evening coconut, bobbing on the bay?" This is the short-lived Stills-Young Band in ´76, with yet another rare gem. Stephen Stills shouldn´t have joined in on vocals though. The legendary Lady Wingshot was performed with the Gone With The Wind Orchestra a year later. The sound quality´s not great, but what a song it is. Leave it on the shelf why don´t you, Neil. "Your draw is fast as lightning, my eyes are captured by your moves..."

Stills-Young Band - Evening Coconut (live ´76) MP3

Neil Young & The Gone With The Wind Orchestra - Lady Wingshot (live ´77) MP3

The lovely Amber Jean, a tribute to his daughter, was recorded at Austin City Limits in ´84 with the International Harvesters. "Amber Jean, oh, Amber Jean, prettiest eyes I've ever seen..." The Harvesters also played the fun, fiddle-driven Let Your Fingers Do The Walking (aka Good Phone) that night. "You never gave good phone at all..." And as cream on the cake there´s a driven ´85 live rendition of Interstate, a song only released much later as a single and on the vinyl version of Broken Arrow. "I'm out on the interstate... I can hear
a soft voice calling me to bring my guitar home..."

Neil Young & The International Harvesters - Amber Jean (live ´84) MP3

Neil Young & The International Harvesters - Let Your Fingers Do The Walking (live ´84) MP3

Neil Young & The International Harvesters - Interstate (live ´85) MP3