Neil Young: Heart Of Gold review

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Brain aneurysm, a lifetime of rock and a seething aversion to his government – Neil Young is, without doubt, a fascinating bloke. Shame, then, that director Jonathan Demme only grabs about a minute’s worth of interview in what is, mainly, a concert film – no frills, just the music. Yet, with Young’s dad having recently died and the man’s tendency for singing the heart off his sleeve, all we could ever want to know is already in the tunes. Alas, from an oeuvre of timeless greats, the set draws mostly from 2005’s okayish Prairie Wind album. Which is a little like making a Morrissey film based around Ringleader Of The Tormentors. Thankfully, the ageing songsmith pulls out a show-ending run of classics – ‘Old Man’, ‘Needle And The Damage Done’, ‘Harvest Moon’ – that recall the incredible old days. And will make the uninitiated rush out to buy the back catalogue...

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