Neil Young

It's been a rollercoaster year for Neil Young fans. The monumentally horrible Fork In The Road was quickly forgotten by the long-overdue release of Archives Vol. 1. With that smorgasbord barely digested comes this unexpected trip back to Young's arguably last vital period, the early '90s. Dreamin' Man is a full reinterpretation of 1992's Harvest Moon, with tracks drawn from various stops on that year's solo tour. As with all of Young's decisions, it's hard to imagine what possessed him to revisit that album at this moment, although it was his last multi-platinum seller. That said, anyone who already owns Harvest Moon, or 1993's MTV Unplugged, shouldn't be in any hurry to pick up Dreamin' Man. In fact, its relaxed, reflective performances stand in stark contrast to what now has to be considered Young's definitive solo performance on record: Massey Hall 1971. It would have been more interesting to hear something from 1989's much more engaging solo tour, which preceded Freedom, or the long-cherished 1974 Bottom Line set that debuted On The Beach. Those are still to come, surely; idiosyncrasy is Young's trademark, after all. But until then, only completists need to shell out for Dreamin' Man.