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Live at the Cellar Door Image
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 19 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 15 Ratings

  • Summary: The 13-track release collects recordings from the Canadian singer-songwriter's six shows at Washington D.C.'s The Cellar Door in 1970.
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  • Record Label: Reprise
  • Genre(s): Singer/Songwriter, Folk-Rock, Pop/Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Album Rock, Country-Rock
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Classic Rock Magazine
    Jan 2, 2014
    90
    As a close-quarters portrait of a singer-songwriter at a relatively early stage of his ascension to true greatness, it's hard to beat. [Feb 2014, p.97]
  2. Dec 10, 2013
    90
    Live At The Cellar Door is a treasure chest that holds the glowing embers of a brilliant, already burgeoning career.
  3. Dec 10, 2013
    87
    Although cobbled from six different shows, Live at the Cellar Door sounds like a cohesive entity. The recordings have been remastered with such love; each string on Young’s acoustic rings with clarity and weight, and each crack in his voice stings with resonance. And yet, a distant haze pervades the record that could convince listeners that this is an actual bootleg on wax.
  4. Dec 5, 2013
    80
    The stillness and intimacy of each live recording is singularly enthralling.
  5. Dec 10, 2013
    80
    This handsome solo acoustic set overlaps a few songs with earlier entries in Neil Young's official bootleg series. But there's no shortage of standouts.
  6. 80
    There are beautiful moments.
  7. 60
    Live At The Cellar Door sounds like Neil Young with his head down playing to an exceedingly polite crowd.... But the real gems here are the pared down Everybody Knows tracks.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Dec 27, 2013
    9
    Recorded at the crescent peak of his 1970's career, "Live at the Cellar Door" exemplifies what Neil Young became famous for and still is.Recorded at the crescent peak of his 1970's career, "Live at the Cellar Door" exemplifies what Neil Young became famous for and still is. Bleakly beautiful folk rock that will leave you introspective yet satisfied. Fantastic sound quality, even among the sparsest of arrangements, this is a true testament to the legacy of Neil Young's fantastic career. Expand