Neil Young & the Stray Gators - Toronto 1973 CD
Comprising Jack Nitzsche, Ben Keith, Tim Drummond and Kenny Buttrey, The Stray Gators had backed Neil Young on 1972's Harvest, and would go on to do likewise on the tour during which its follow-up, Times Fade Away, was recorded live. Featuring previously unreleased cuts, until 2017 TFA remained the only Young album not released on CD, despite critical acclaim from most quarters. What would later become known as the Time Fades Away Tour began on 4th January '73 in Madison, Wisconsin; it was fraught from start to finish. Young would later describe it as one of the unhappiest times of his life and the worst tour of his career. However, the show performed at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens on 15th January, recorded for live FM broadcast and now featured on this CD in its entirety, sounds far from chaotic and forms a fascinating document of a legendary tour from which a full performance has rarely been heard. This CD features a set list that includes five numbers from the TFA album (albeit in different versions to those included on the record that would appear in the shops in November'73) alongside a handful from Harvest and others from earlier LPs.
Track Listing
On The Way Home
Tell Me Why
L.A.
Journey Through The Past
Borrowed Tune
Out On The Weekend
Harvest
Old Man
Heart Of Gold
Lonely Weekend
New Mama
Alabama
Last Dance
Don't Be Denied
Cinnamon Girl
Lookout Joe
Southern Man