A “monumental” performance from legendary guitarist Neil Young on a recently released album has been praised by fans.
The veteran performer has a backlog of live albums, with a recent release hailed by fans who believe it houses some of his best work. Listeners took to the r/NeilYoung subreddit to share their thoughts on the recently released As Time Explodes. Fans highlighted one song in particular as featuring a “monumental” performance from the band. A fan asked: “Thoughts on As Time Explodes? I really enjoyed it. The highlights for me were: Cortez the Killer, Hurricane, Ohio, Looking Forward and Be the Rain. What do you guys think about the album?”
Listeners were broadly pleased with the live album release and singled out Cortez the Killer and Vampire Blues as the best of the bunch. One person wrote: “Good performances all around and a monumental Cortez the Killer, but I feel like the best songs of the tour weren’t included (specifically Ambulance Blues). Also, I felt like the production was pretty weak.”
Another added: “Awesome collection… Really needed some live Neil right now. Standout cut to me is the heavy, funky version of Vampire Blues. Neil’s playing on that is as good as I’ve heard from him.
“I would have liked to see a few more tracks from the new record, but I really liked all the picks anyway, so… whatever. The only weak link to me was Big Crime … surely there must have been a better take? Maybe he dug the guitars on it, but the vocals are sort of rough.”
Despite the high praise for Cortez the Killer and Vampire Blues, other songs proved to be questionable inclusions. One fan noted: “Not having Cowgirl or Ambulance Blues, especially in favour of After the Gold Rush, was a miss.”
Another replied: “I didn’t see this tour so can’t comment on Ambulance Blues (one of my favourite Neil Young songs), but I imagine Cowgirl was skipped because there are so many live versions officially released already. I did like this version of After the Gold Rush, his age brought something new to the song.”
A third listener wrote: “I hate to be negative, but truthfully, it feels like an afterthought. The song sequencing on the album is not good at all! He claims no good Ambulance Blues takes for the album, yet some of his guitar fills on included tracks aren’t up to his usual standards (opening of Ohio is very rough).
“I love Neil’s live albums and there’s some great stuff on here (Cortez the Killer, Harvest Moon, Vampire Blues, Daddy Went Walkin’) but it’s not what it could have been. Also, I have seen some incredible photos from the tour, and THAT was the photo they chose for the cover?”
A description for the live album reads: “The 13-track album includes songs that span Young’s entire career; including Ohio and After The Gold Rush from 1970 to Silver Eagle from the 2025 album, Talkin To The Trees. Also in the set list are Young classics such as Harvest Moon, Like A Hurricane, Cortez The Killer, and Vampire Blues.
“Making this album extra-special is the new song Big Crime, plus songs that have rarely been featured on recent Neil Young live albums, including Long Walk Home, Daddy Went Walking, Be The Rain, and Name of Love.”
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