I rarely listen to live albums, or live music for that matter. For me, I almost always favor the original studio recording over other versions of the same song. This isn't always the case, however - Chris Rea is well known for re-recording some of his songs, and every version is distinct enough to warrant its own merit, although I will always prefer the Dancing With Strangers version of "Let's Dance" over the 1988 redo, although the '88 re-recording of "Candles" is better than the original. But I still take great pleasure in listening to either version. But of course, I digress. Live albums have never really resonated with me for a number of reasons. But one particular "live" album is the exception to this rule. Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young & Crazy Horse is a fantastic album all around, not just in its capacity as a live album. First half is a collection of delightful acoustic tracks, whereas side two is full of distorted electric numbers, all of which are good, although in my case the distortion takes some getting used to. But I did eventually get used to it, and I can fully appreciate the record in its entirety. Sensational songwriting (as is to be expected from Neil Young) makes this album great, rather than its novelty live/studio hybrid values. Listen to "Pocahontas", "Sail Away", "My, My, Hey Hey (Out of The Blue) and you'll soon find the repeat button to be your best friend. And the fun continues on the electric side of things, with "Welfare Mothers" and "Powerfinger" being the picks of the bunch on that front. A great album for good reasons. A+
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