Be ready to take a trip back in time and take in a 1971 Neil Young concert that’s been made available for the first time ever.
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Young Shakespeare is Neil Young’s earliest full concert film and was recorded at The Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, CT on January 22, 1971. The performance offers an intimate look at Young’s masterful songwriting as he strips his music down to the basics. An acoustic guitar, piano, harmonica, and his voice.
The performance comes just two months after Young released his iconic album After the Gold Rush. The performance was initially recorded for broadcast on German TV later in 1971, but has just been made publicly available for the first time ever. The original 50 year-old analog tapes were restored for this release.
Fans will get to hear early versions of “Old Man,” “The Needle and the Damage Done, “A Man Needs a Maid,” and “Heart Of Gold,” all songs that would be released a year later on his 1972 album Harvest.
In a statement, Young called Young Shakespeare “a more calm performance, without the celebratory atmosphere of Massey Hall, captured live on 16mm.”
“Young Shakespeare is a very special event. To my fans, I say this is the best ever…one of the most pure-sounding acoustic performances we have in the Archive.”
Find the full Young Shakespeare track listing below and listen to the concert here.
Young Shakespeare track listing
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
8. Journey Through the Past
9. Don’t Let It Bring You Down
10. Helpless
11. Down by the River
12. Sugar Mountain
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