Nomination #8....Neil Young After The Goldrush

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NEIL YOUNG "after the goldrush"

After The Goldrush mixes up the hard rock of Everyone Knows This is Nowhere and the folk and country leanings Young pursued with Crosby, Stills And Nash in one of his most eclectic and satisfying releases. The acoustic picking on the opener, "Tell Me Why", frames Young's vulnerable warble beautifully, signalling the softer aspect of the album. But the electric crunch of "Southern Man", a raging tour de force protest song that captures the special chemistry between Young and backing group Crazy Horse, balances Young's sensitivity with aggression and amplification. The album continues its collage of styles, from the wistfulness of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" to song fragments like "Til the Morning Comes" to the transformation of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" from canter to ballad. But the crowning achievements are the album's magnificent title track, a vividly drawn portrait of post-'60s melancholy, and the gorgeous, aching "Birds", a swansong heralding emotional departure. Both songs are graced by Nils Lofgren's delicate piano, and stand as two of Young's finest compositions. In a catalogue filled with rock classics, After The Goldrush still ranks among the best.

1. Tell Me Why
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynlW5_rnRVE audio
2. After The Gold Rush
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12T95RHGLH8 live
3. Only Love Can Break Your Heart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_8WNbg-Ypg CSNY live
4. Southern Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVRxdPWV3RM audio
5. Till The Morning Comes
6. Oh Lonesome Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-INEio2LtI live
7. Don't Let It Bring You Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oxos8HIhQo live
8. Birds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHsiNl-F1Sc live
9. When You Dance, I Can Really Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVvhJegJl-c live audio
10. I Believe In You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecam9pN5uh0 live audio
11. Cripple Creek Ferry