Neil Young – Heart of Gold: Directed by Jonathan Demme

Quality control has never been Neil Young’s strength. For every three gems (Zuma, Harvest, Comes A Time) there is usually one dud (Hawks and Doves). His prior concert movies (Rust Never Sleeps, Year of the Horse) failed to captured his essence, and his attempts at being theatrical (Journey Through the Past, Greendale) were equally forgettable. So for his latest escapade to the big screen, Young hooked up with director Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia, Stop Making Sense, The Silence of the Lambs) to capture his recent “Nashville phase” for Heart of Gold during two nights in August of 2005 at the hallowed Ryman Auditorium.

Following a brain aneurysm, Young was flushed with a creative spark that would soon become Prairie Wind. In the need to get certain emotions off his chest, Prairie Wind visits themes of mortality (“Falling off the face of the Earth”), love for his children (“Here for You”), a tribute to his deceased father (“Far From Home”) and respect for his elders, “This Old Guitar.” These shows would be the debut for these poignant tunes, so in addition to Young strumming Hank Williams