AMG Review of Road Rock, Vol. 1: Friends & Relatives

Zac Johnson
All Music Guide

Neil Young's 2000 summer tour brought forth Road Rock, Vol. 1, a live album recorded on September 19 and 20 at the ~Red Rocks concert venue in Denver. The eight-song set features one previously unreleased track "Fool for Your Love"; other highlights include an 18-minute version of "Cowgirl in the Sand" and a duet with the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde on Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower." (The Pretenders served as opening act for several of the dates on Young's ~Music in Head tour.) Road Rock, Vol. 1 also includes rarely performed songs resurrected for the tour, including "Walk On," "Words," and "Motorcyle Mama" from his 1978 album Comes a Time. The album is being credited to "Neil Young Friends and Relatives," most likely a reference to the fact that his wife Pegi and sister Astrid perform as backup vocalists in the group, which also includes longtime associate Ben Keith on steel guitar, Booker T. and the MGs and Blues Brothers bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, soul legend Spooner Oldham on keyboards, and session drummer Jim Keltner.