Neil Young - Young Man's Fancy

Side 1

1. On the Way Home

2. Tell Me Why

3. Old Man

4. Journey Through the Past

5. Cowgirl in the Sand

6. Heart of Gold

7. A Man Needs a Maid

Side 2

1. Sugar Mountain

2. Don't Let It Bring You Down

3. Love in Mind

4. The Needle and the Damage Done

5. Ohio

6. See the Sky About to Rain 

In my experience, the live bootleg is one of the rarer varieties of thrift store records. But happily, the couple I have managed to find were by favorite artists of mine. I'm a big Neil Young fan and have been really enjoying the string of classic live recordings released in recent years (The Neil Young Archives Performance Series). Of the three I've heard, I think Live at Massey Hall 1971 is my favorite. Comparatively shoddy sound quality aside, this unofficial "Young Man's Fancy" live LP is similar in several ways to that recently released Massey Hall 1971 recording.

Label from unofficial 1971 Neil Young live LP:

Young Man's Fancy/Live on Sugar Mountain

Very little information was included with this record. The only writing to be found was on the title page insert posted above. By utilizing powerful, modern investigational techniques (ie Google search) and noting Young's own between-song banter, however, we can piece together the basic facts: It was an audience recording, made on Feb. 1, 1971 at the Los Angeles Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. This means it took place just ten days after the Massey Hall performance/recording, and the set list and performance is similar (and similarly great!). It was the last night of his early 1971 solo tour. Before playing Sugar Mountain (which is the only song on this LP not found on the Massey Hall release), Neil says: "...tonight's the night when the tour ends for me..." (then it sounds like he makes a sad little sniffle and everyone laughs). He goes on to say: "this is my twenty fourth show since January fifth." 

Label from unofficial 1971 Neil Young live LP:

Young Man's Fancy/Live on Sugar Mountain

This recording must have been an extra exciting find back when it first showed up (reportedly, only weeks after the show), as it contains several songs that had not yet been released. It would be another year (Feb. '72) before future classics Heart of Gold, A Man Needs a Maid, The Needle and the Damage Done, and Old Man would be available on the Harvest LP. Journey Through the Past and Love in Mind didn't come out until October, 1973, on the Time Fades Away live album. See the Sky About to Rain would not get an official release until 1974's On the Beach. 

I mainly read about two versions of this recording that have been circulating on vinyl: A two record set containing 15 songs, which has been called "Young Man's Fancy," or alternatively: "I'm Happy That Y'all Came Down." There is also a single LP version with 10 songs, called "Live on Sugar Mountain." The one I own seems to be a hybrid of the two. It has 13 songs on a single disc, with both the Young Man's Fancy, as well as Live on Sugar Mountain titles printed on the insert.

My copy has a small warp that causes a rhythmic whooshing sound during the first song; there are scratches that occasionally add a steady ticking; the needle sticks in one spot; and there is a light & zesty crackle throughout, but it is still a pleasure to hear this performance. The extraneous noises aren't actually too distracting (except when the needle sticks) and, in a way, they even sort of add to the sparse, (mostly) mournful atmosphere created by Young's heartfelt vocals and lone guitar (or piano) accompaniment. 

Click here to listen to a YouTube clip of Don't Let It Bring You Down