Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41907 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-04-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 62 minutes

Amazon.com
If you live long enough with a rock & roll heart, you find that dreams occasionally come true. One of the oldest dreams for many Neil Young fans has been that the prodigious folk-rocker would somehow find his way back--even once--to the youthful, bruised majesty of his epochal 1970 album, After the Gold Rush. Silver & Gold comes very close to evoking the same dreamy suggestiveness as that first solo masterpiece in Young's long career, but, for obvious reasons, from an autumnal perspective.

A video companion to the CD of the same name, Silver & Gold is actually a longer, fuller experience of Young's stirring acoustic concerts than the album represents. The hushed intimacy of Young's playing and singing, sans backup, in such a setting can be unforgettable, and this widescreen presentation captures that delicate beauty.

While the play list has its share of familiar gems, the emphasis is on a group of thematically and musically related songs Young had been arranging just prior to the CSNY reunion. Among them are gentle, double-edged reflections on childhood ("Daddy Went Walkin'"), elemental odes to mature love ("Silver & Gold"), and richly imagistic allusions to loss and rediscovered innocence. These and a number of other new titles are largely of a piece, 30 years later, with After the Gold Rush and its blend of melancholy stateliness, crosscurrents of pure emotion, and touches of the mystical. The difference is in the experience of time: After the Gold Rush confirms the shifting, glorious colors of a sensitive young man's constant immediacy, while the new material on Silver & Gold blurs all boundaries between past and present.

Young doesn't fail to stoke our affection with his absent-minded strolls and sloppy prepping of his instruments, but his emotional concentration on standards such as "City of Brotherly Love," "Harvest Moon," and "Long May You Run" (played on pipe organ and sounding like the church hymn it was meant to be) is something to behold. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

A nice surprise from Neil Young
Shakey Pictures is an accurate pseudonym for Neil Young's video productions - most of his concert films leave a lot to be desired. This, however, is a genuine pleasure to watch and conveys the same warmth and emotion as the album by the same name. There are a few old favorites thrown in as well as a few numbers from the latest CSNY outing, but this is largely new material, purely solo and acoustic and extremely well-performed.

Videophiles may be annoyed by the blue and pink shadows (especially distracting on the DVD) that fall over Neil's face during several of the piano and organ numbers, but the music is just fine. One particular standout is a pump organ version of "Long May You Run," reminiscent of UNPLUGGED's "Like a Hurricane."

A definite recommended buy for any Neil Young fan and a must-have for those thrilled by the latest album, SILVER & GOLD.

mellow my mind
If you're looking for a laid-back hour of solo acoustic, mostly new and expertly crafted Neil Young numbers, you've come to the right place. Young has put together 62 minutes of fine entertainment in this year 2000 release.

These recordings are gleaned from Young's May 29, 1999 solo appearance at the 2,000 seat Bass Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Texas. The filming has a very simplistic and classy feel to it... Neil surrounded by a crescent of acoustic guitars, a pump organ and piano. A trio of lights illuminate the performer, and the camera's provide only close-ups, and direct and angled shots from the foot of the stage. Young appears to be creating a set list from the seat of his pants, and this prompts numerous requests from the crowd... that is until a lone and timely "SHUT-UP" is reinforced by crowd applause, and an already reserved audience becomes reverant. Suffice it to say that the 'atmosphere' of the concert is a joy to behold in this age of "I paid, I can yell whenever and whatever I want" mentality.

The entire setlist for this particular concert can be viewed on the Sugar Mountain web site. Looking over that list, there are a few numbers I sure would have liked to hear in an acoustic mode, such as 'Powderfinger' and 'Southern Pacific', but I'm sure Neil would tell me to buy a ticket. There is really only one classic tune resurrected from the complete concert, that being the pump organ (yes, pump organ) rendition of 'Long May You Run'. While I suspect there has never been a poor rendition of this wonderful song about Neil's Hearst, this version is my least favorite. The solo acoustic version from 'Unplugged' and of course the original Stills-Young Band recording outdo this performance, but it's still a pleasure to hear. 'Harvest Moon' is included, although the studio track and the 'Red Rocks' video version are superior. A rare recording of 'Philadelphia' from the 1994 movie soundtrack is offered as well.

The remainder of the songs are chosen from the October 1999 Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young 'Looking Forward' reunion disc, and of course the 'Silver and Gold' audio CD. The two opening numbers, 'Looking Forward' and 'Out of Control' and a later track, 'Slowpoke' appear on the CSNY CD. From 'Silver and Gold' we have 'Good To See You', 'Daddy Went Walking', 'Buffalo Springfield Again', 'The Great Divide', 'Red Sun' and 'Distant Camera'. Two of these songs, 'Daddy Went Walking' and 'Buffalo Springfield Again' also appear on the 'Red Rocks' tape, and sound better with full instrumental backing. 'Good To See You', 'Distant Camera', and 'Slowpoke' are my personal favorites.

The video ends with a studio recording of Neil performing 'Silver and Gold' in 1997. It's a bit grainy and Neil rolls the credits over it, so it has a throw-away feel to it. Only Neil would do it this way. Nothing's good unless it's imperfect. Ya gotta love the guy.

There isn't a bad song in the bunch, and mercilessly, MERCILESSLY, while the audience is audible at times, they are completely invisible to the camera, and there are none of the dreaded audience sing-alongs. Neil's voice is at times strained by that insidious Mother Nature, but these recordings reinforce the reality of Young's continued musical relevance. Only a handful of performers, among them Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, have managed to do what Neil has done... not only survived, but thrived in both the 1960's and the 1990's, and every decade in between. Thank You, Neil. You've help make it a wonderful trip.

Silver and Gold-Neil Young
I just received a 62 minute Neil Young treasure on DVD. The music(accoustic guitar, harmonica, and piano/organ) is breathtakng with DD5.1 and linear PCM. The picture quality from video tape source is like looking into a clear glass-You're there! Clearly a must-have. His best accoustic work since Harvest-ENJOY.