Neil Young 1966-1975

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NEIL YOUNG "after the goldrush" cd, 1970. #8 US, #7 UK, #13 AU.

on top of the world after the success of the CSNY tour and album young rushed back to California to again get Crazy Horse back in the studio, but his high spirit was dashed almost immediately, Danny Whitten was spiralling out of control with his new found vice...heroin, the other members of CH were also dabbling in booze and drug, an angry Young sacked them on the spot. while consolling himself young's friend Dennis Hopper showed him a screenplay he had written for a movie called "after the goldrush" and asked NY to record the muisc for the movie, the movie was to be about life in the Topanga Canyon after an apocolyptic war devastates mankind...not a surprising topic for either of them as they had both frequented "the familly's" ranch on numerous occasions. Hollywood studios refused to produce the movie due to its too close to home subject matter following the senseless murder of Sharon Tate by Manson's "family group". with his back against the wall once again Young kept the title and turned it into a song about the death of the 1960's 'hippy dream'.
what we end up with is pretty close to being NY's greatest forty odd minutes on disc. the title track and "birds" are two of his finest compositions IMO. its quite an eclectic album,folk,country,rock, piano ballads and a cover of the old country classic "oh,lonesome me", most of the tracks here follow the theme of abandonment,loneliness,uncertainty...all the things he was feeling at the time, Young spits venom in his song "southern man" about the black slaves and their white captors....a track Lynyrd Skynyrd replied to shortly afterwards(sweet home alabama).
Young is on top of his game with this one both lyrically and musically, amust have album in any serious music collectors collection...IMO.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

worst track: cripple creek ferry
best track: after the goldrush & birds

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** #33 US
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*** #93 US
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 **

3s=5
2s=6
1s=0

rating: 2.5