Neil Young's Country phase

For the uninitiated Neil Young fan, it’s important to know that the 80s were a time of stylistic upheaval for him.

His latest release, “A Treasure,” is a series of live performances from 1984-85.
If you didn’t know that Young could be credited with creating grunge and garage rock, these performances might make you think he was always a country musician. He never relies on caricature to replicate the country sound. Part of that is due to his excellent backing band, The International Harvesters.

The group is as tight as any of his other bands; tighter, actually, considering that Crazy Horse is known for being gloriously sloppy. Those stereotypical country instruments, the fiddle and the pedal steel guitar, never take over the mix.

Part of what makes “A Treasure” so frustrating, aside from its silly name, is that Young offers tantalizing glimpses at what the album could have sounded like if he had been interested in rocking a little bit harder.

On the final track, “Grey Riders,” he lets loose some electric guitar with plenty of feedback, creating more energy on the one song than the rest of the album combined. As good as the performance is, it upstages the rest of the rather laid back material.
Perhaps that’s just a problem with song selection: the album is a compilation of songs from that tour, not a full concert.

Ultimately, “A Treasure” will help to legitimize Young’s unruly 80s period, but it’s unlikely to convert any new listeners.