Live At The Cellar Door

Live At The Cellar Door catches Neil Young in wonderfully close quarters: just voice, guitar, piano and a room intimate enough to register every pause and change in mood. Recorded in Washington, D.C. in 1970, it feels loose, present and completely unguarded.

What makes it so compelling is the mix of familiar songs and material still taking shape. Early versions of Old Man and See the Sky About to Rain carry that in-the-moment spark, while the piano reading of Cinnamon Girl is the real surprise, playful, delicate and quietly affecting.

Young sounds relaxed, witty and, at times, slightly haunted. It is not a huge, definitive live document so much as a vivid snapshot of an artist moving quickly and discovering just how wide his range could be.