just finished listening to the audience recording of Neil Young's legendary impromptu gig at The Bottom Line, including lots of one-time-only or rare performances of songs.
Now i'm listening to a 1999 acoustic gig (1999 04 25 Oakland to be exact) and the stripped-down unplugged Cortez is haunting to say the least. The lamenting voice, the lonesome guitar, the harp breaks bouncing off the theater walls,
it all creates a unique mood. Turn down the lights, light a few candles, lay down, crank up the stereo and dream of a time gone by. Not a happy time, but a fascinating time, as old Neil takes you on a journey. And right thereafter sings of "aurora borealis", the icy sky at night, of massacred buffalos, taxis and babies, as he wishes to sleep with Pocahontas, just to find out how she felt (get your mind out of the gutter) and sit by the fire.
