Happy Birthday Neil Young: Live Spotify Playlist

Today is legendary Canadian musician Neil Young’s 71st birthday. The irascible rocker behind some of the most monumental songs in popular music history continues to expand his ever evolving sonic palette. Next month he’ll issue Peace Trail, a mostly acoustic album of new songs to add to his influential body of studio work. For Young’s birthday today, Saturday Stream takes a look at his catalog of live releases from across his storied career.

Young’s recent return to streaming platforms made it possible to generate the 21-track Spotify Playlist published below. Culled from his massive output that began with late-1960s releases through this year’s Promise Of The Real collaboration EARTH, a track had to reach at least eight minutes in running time to make the improv-heavy collection.

“The Last Trip To Tulsa” from a solo appearance in Ann Arbor, Michigan in November 1968 kicks of the live set. He’s joined by backing band Crazy Horse on several tracks throughout the playlist, including two from a 1971 appearance at The Fillmore East. There are also two songs from the 1971 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tour that made up 4 Way Street including Stephen Stills’ “Carry On.”

The Bluenotes back him on two songs from the late-1980s live album Bluenote Cafe while he teams back up with Crazy Horse for a number of lengthy excursions such as “Cortez The Killer” and “Like A Hurricane” from the 1991 LP Weld. A solo acoustic performance of “Natural Beauty” from 1992 is featured followed by a trio of tracks with Crazy Horse from 1996 off the Year Of The Horse record. A show from September 2000 featuring Young’s ex-wife Pegi Young, Chrissie Hynde, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Jim Keltner and others is represented via “Cowgirl In The Sand,” “Tonight’s The Night” and “Words.”

POTR makes an appearance on “Big Box” and “Love And Only Love” from last year’s live release EARTH that incorporated additional sound effects. Finally the one out-of-sequence track in the set is the experiential 1991 release “Arc” made up of an over half hour long sound collage that closes out the playlist. Give a listen here: