Dancing Across the Water

Neil Young and Crazy Horse : Cortez The Killer

[Purchase]

On November 14, 1979 Neil Young summed up the decade with one final album, Live Rust, a performance of songs actually dating back to his days with Buffalo Springfield ("I Am a Child") all the way up to 1979's Rust Never Sleeps. The latter was mostly recorded live with the sound sof the audience removed, leading some critics to wonder if Young was repeating himself.

Live Rust was accompanied by a film of the same name, directed by Young under the pseudonym Bernard Shakey, shot at the Cow Palace outside San Francisco. I haven't seen it all, but I understand the stage hands dressed as jawas from Star Wars

The album begins with Young on stage alone, only accompanied by his guitar, piano and harmonica. Crazy Horse joins Young for Sides 2, 3 and 4. Most of the live performances are tighter than "Cortez The Killer", but this is the only clip I could find.

Robert Christgau sums up the critical take in his A- review,

John Piccarella thinks this is the great Neil Young album, Greil Marcus thinks it's a waste, and they're both right. The two discs are probably more impressive cut for cut than Decade, but without offering one song Young fans don't already own. I prefer the studio versions of the acoustic stuff on side one for their intimacy and touch. But I'm sure I'll play the knockdown finale--"Like a Hurricane," "Hey Hey, My My," and "Tonight's the Night," all in their wildest (and best) recorded interpretations--whenever I want to hear Neil rock out.

Live Rust finished #22 on the Village Voice Pazz + Jop critics poll, 20 spots behind Rust Never Sleeps.