Part of the excellent, and increasingly indispensable, Performance Series, Tuscaloosa (number 04 in a series that has been anything but linear), captures Neil on tour with The Stray Gators (Jim Drummond, Kenny Buttrey, Jack Nitzsche & Ben Keith) in 1973. Put together by Neil and John Hanlon, Tuscaloosa runs the whole gamut of Neil, from acoustic melancholy to electric shock and awe, over the course of the eleven tracks on offer, even making room for the eight-minute haze of a trippy don’t be denied, which brings the set to a suitably mesmerising close.
The set starts out with Neil playing a gorgeous, acoustic version of here we are in the years, an evocative piece that captures an old-before-his-time Neil at his most vulnerable. The applause is loud and sustained and it is redoubled as Neil heads into a solo, piano take on after the goldrush. With the piano sounding rich and warm, it’s a stunning version of a classic track and aficionados will be delighted at the sparkling sound quality. The band finally step out on stage for a delightfully ramshackle Out on the weekend which, with its cardboard percussive shuffle and aching harmonica, really opens up the show. Taking a moment to introduce the band (over a gentle, country shuffle), Neil leads his band into a sweet, countrified Harvest, although it’s a subtle, somnolent take on Old Man that really raises the profile of this release from the merely interesting to the absolutely essential. It’s a fantastic version with liquid slide and an impassioned vocal performance that tears at the heart. The first half of the record concludes with a short tale regarding an attempt to use Heart of Gold as a commercial before the band deliver their take on the song, once again showing just why fans have long been clamouring for a recording of this particular tour.
Barely pausing for breath after the winsome heart of gold, Neil leads his band into a frantic time fades away, the tough beat and ramshackle piano recalling the Rolling Stones at their rockabilly best. From there, Neil and his band up the ante still further with a gritty Lookout Joe, dedicated to all the soldiers returning home from Vietnam. Replete with solos that slither over one another, it shows the great interplay between Neil and his band and it really raises the hair on the back of the neck as the song progresses. Unwilling to slacken the pace, the wailing leads of New Mama see the band matching an electrifying Neil every step of the way. Heading into bluesier territory, Alabama is a slow burning piece with a glorious chorus that leads up to the epic Don’t be denied. Clocking in at eight minutes, it opens with a raw, repetitive vocal from Neil that threatens to fall out of tune altogether, before he pulls it together for the verse, he and the band delivering a hypnotic, mid-paced tune that builds nicely before quietly fading to the close, with not even the cheers of the audience to see the album out. It’s the perfect conclusion to a beautifully-paced set that will easily repay repeat listens.
Neil’s Performance Series (ten of which have been made available outside of the Archives box set) are a gold mine for long-term fans. The attention to detail, in audio terms, has been ubiquitously excellent, even if the packaging (annoyingly changing sizes half-way through the series), is entirely bare bones and Tuscaloosa is no exception. Well-edited and sequenced, it captures the interplay between Neil and his band in full flow and stands as one of the highlights of the Performance Series to date. 9
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