As any longtime Neil Young worshiper could tell you, a Shakey tour isn’t always a “greatest hits” event, and his latest, a 13-city jaunt with Bert Jansch dubbed Twisted Road, is no different. Sure, Young has been adorning his sets with “Cinnamon Girl,” “Down by the River,” “Ohio,” “Helpless,” “Cortez the Killer,” and other choice tunes from his epic oeuvre, but amid “After the Goldrush” and co. are a handful of songs never before heard.
Rough footage of Young playing new tune “Walk With Me” (complete with awkward guitar tune-up) hit the Web after opening night, but we’ve been patiently waiting for higher quality previews to reach our ears… until now. Clips from Monday’s gig in Washington, D.C. in which Young unveils solo acoustic versions of new songs “Peaceful Valley,” “Love and War,” “Sign of Love” (electric in CT), “Leia,” and “You Never Call” were posted a few days back, and — while I can’t put my full stamp of approval on the video quality — the audio captured is quite good. Are these new songs from Young’s forthcoming Daniel Lanois-produced record? Perhaps, but only one thing is known for certain at this stage: Neil Young is still writing amazing Neil Young songs. Watch/listen below:
“Love and War”
“You Never Call”
“Peaceful Valley”
“Sign of Love”
“Leia”