Neil Young and the Santa Monica Flyers/Somewhere Under the Rainbow 1973/NYA/Sweet Pictures Records/Reprise Records
Three out of Five Stars
Videos by American Songwriter
The Ducks/High Flyin’/NYA/Sweet Pictures Records/Reprise Records
Three out of Five Stars
The latest batch of unearthed recordings from Neil Young’s seemingly unlimited cache of archives focuses on two live releases from the mid-’70s. Somewhere Under the Rainbow, recorded with members of Crazy Horse under the guise of the Santa Monica Flyers at the Rainbow Theater in London on November 5, 1973, is the strongest in terms of a familiarity factor.
Nils Lofgren, steel guitar player Ben Keith, bassist Billy Talbot, and drummer Ralph Molina are the prime players, but photos of guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry loom large in the graphics, hardly a surprise since both had succumbed to heroin overdoses just prior to these performances. As Pete Long explains in the liner notes, Young was still trying to process these tragedies by drowning himself in drink, making for a decided disconnect and a very loose performance. Long places the blame on the two bottles of Jose Cuervo delivered backstage prior to the band taking the stage, and indeed, given the blistering critiques he makes mention of as well, the effects were clearly evident that evening, especially on disc two, where Young starts with a solo acoustic set that degenerates into a rough rambling monologue.
So too, the sound is of bootleg quality, with audience comments and an occasional cough evident in the mix. Nevertheless, given the set list that’s spread out over the two discs, it does make for a worthy archival addition. The ominous opener, “Tonight’s the Night,” written in the wake of Whitten and Berry’s demise, more or less sets the tone and confirms the fact that there was definitely a pall of sadness lingering over the performance overall.
An even rarer offering, Young’s brief sojourn with a band called The Ducks, finally gets a public airing courtesy of High Flyin’, a live recording taped at various venues in Santa Cruz in the summer of 1977. Notably, the band also included Bob Mosely, late of Moby Grape, on bass and vocals. So while Young naturally dominates the proceedings—three of his better-known songs, “Are You Ready For the Country,” “Mr. Soul,” and “Human Highway” (an aborted song originally intended for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young that’s also included on Somewhere Over the Rainbow in solo form) are standouts within the 25 song set—Mosley’s vocals add an interesting counterpoint throughout. The other two members of the ensemble—Jeff Blackburn (guitar and vocals) and Johnny Craviotto (drums and vocals)—hold up their responsibilities admirably as well. Most of the material runs the gamut between erstwhile rockers and Young’s sensitive country rock template, with songs such as “Leaving Us Now,” “Two Riders” and “Hold On Boys” being among the best of some otherwise obscure offerings.
As a result, High Flyin’ offers an interesting insight into one of Young’s many outside ventures and a good representation of a brief chapter in his ever-changing trajectory that hasn’t been shared to any great extent before. On the other hand, it doesn’t represent any dramatic change in his template, as the replay of his aforementioned classics confirms so convincingly.
Naturally, these two albums will certainly find favor with the Young faithful, who can’t help but appreciate the fact that he continues to open up his archives with ever-increasing frequency. The best advice is to keep looking for loose coins in-between the sofa cushions. As these two efforts make clear, they’re well worth both the effort and the expense.
Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns
