After The Gold Rush - Neil Young (1970)
After spending the 60s paying dues and being well-respected among west coast musicians but not very widely recognized, Neil Young was having a moment in 1969 and 1970. His first record with his rock-oriented outfit Crazy Horse, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, had made a huge splash, as did the last Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young album Deja Vu.
Then, in case people hadn’t had enough Young, he also released this record.
It has a lots of the harmony-conscious songcraft of CSNY as well as the occasional burst of electrified rock like he played with Crazy Horse.
Young has been consistent as a writer and performer over the years, even if the sonic particulars change often. His songwriting is often personal, direct, and confessional. His singing might acknowledge that he doesn’t have the best voice, but he builds his melodies so that the conviction in his wavering tenor shines through. And he always finds a way to showcase his guitar playing to great effect.
This album is maybe the best mix we’d had yet of his louder and quieter sides as both a performer and a songwriter.
Tracks I Liked
After The Gold Rush - one of his classic signatures. whimsical, melancholy, and yearning.
Don’t Let It Bring You Down - a deep cut but a great song
When You Dance I Can Really Love - a more electric, more psychedelic throwback to the work he was doing a few years earlier with Buffalo Springfield.
