After The Gold Rush [Remastered] - Neil Young

After The Gold Rush was the first Neil Young album released after his foray with Cosby, Stills, Nash and Young, enabling him to be shot into the limelight and the album to become of greater significance and prominence in the public eye. The album combined many of the elements of his CSNY work with some of his earlier pieces with Buffalo Springfield, with Crazy Horse backing Neil Young on many of the album’s songs. This mixture of harder, grittier ...
...Me Why 2:54
2. After The Gold Rush 3:45
3. Only Love Can Break Your Heart 3:05
4. Southern Man 5:41
5. Till The Morning Comes 1:17
6. Oh, Lonesome Me 3:47
7. Don’t Let It Bring You Down 2:56
8. Birds 2:34
9. When You Dance You Can Really Love 3:44
10. I Believe In You 2:24
11. Cripple Creek Ferry 1:34

Total Run Time - 35:15

1. Tell Me Why *****

The ... more

After The Gold Rush was the first Neil Young album released after his foray with Cosby, Stills, Nash and Young, enabling him to be shot into the limelight and the album to become of greater significance and prominence in the public eye. The album combined many of the elements of his CSNY work with some of his earlier pieces with Buffalo Springfield, with Crazy Horse backing Neil Young on many of the album’s songs. This mixture of harder, grittier songs and country/folk acoustic pieces provides an interesting blend that helps to create a dynamic sound that can be different from one listen to the next. Although initially dismissed by some critics upon its release, again with Rolling Stone magazine dismissing it, as an unfinished piece of work, but this has slowly changed over time, and is now seen as a classic album, ranking 71st on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Young’s best showing on the list. And despite this not being the be-all-and-end-all, it does indicate the quality of this record, and despite it not appealing to everyone it is an album that is among the favourites in my collection.

And even though this album was originally meant to be a soundtrack for the non-starting film of the same name, the album holds up incredibly well, with the songs feeling cohesive and embodying much the same idea and feel to create an album with a singular goal. It is an expression of movement, love and youth, and album that tries to provide personal emotions and ideas at a level that can be provided easily in a lyric within a song. And the album itself does feel like a journey, with the opening track really feeling like a beginning, and for me Cripple Creek Ferry sounding exactly as I would expect a final track to sound, it has an air of finality, that is often lacking on many closing tracks.

I have always enjoyed Neil Young’s work and his ability as a song writer has never been in doubt, and that point is clear here, with many tracks providing, as they should, multiple angles to a certain idea, or a suggestion of further ideas left unsaid. It is though still quite a light, enjoyable album, and includes many tracks that leave you simply enamoured with the unique (in a good way) vocals of Neil Young, whom I have always seen as a great vocalist, moving away from generic forms. And despite its short length, coming in at just over thirty-five minutes (the norm for many early Neil Young releases), it feels somehow complete, and not lacking depth or quality, which it has in abundance. Many albums can simply be seen as a collection of songs, but few are able to come away as a cohesive album, providing a degree of spontaneity and form at the same time, with the former something Young has always searched for in the studio.

Track Listing

1. Tell Me Why 2:54
2. After The Gold Rush 3:45
3. Only Love Can Break Your Heart 3:05
4. Southern Man 5:41
5. Till The Morning Comes 1:17
6. Oh, Lonesome Me 3:47
7. Don’t Let It Bring You Down 2:56
8. Birds 2:34
9. When You Dance You Can Really Love 3:44
10. I Believe In You 2:24
11. Cripple Creek Ferry 1:34

Total Run Time - 35:15

1. Tell Me Why *****

The original Rolling stone magazine reviewer says that he feels the songs on this album are first-rate, but lacked a degree of polish and full completion, and perhaps that could be considered true, but then that is what this album uses to its advantage, providing something that sounds real and ragged, performances as they were meant to be heard. This track is a good example of that, with the opening line coming in seemingly too early at a slightly higher register than the rest of the song, but somehow feeling far more like an opening track on an album that can be personal to the listener. This idea of making it sounds slightly spontaneous and back to basics enables the listener to become more a part of the music and feel as if they are witnessing the formation of brilliance. The song itself though is really an expression of moving from youth to independence and responsibility, where life seems to put you down for your inexperience but still expects you to go out and provide something for society. But then it could also be seen as an expression of some of the problems with relationships, in that there can be a lot of compromise, when there is still something missing that perhaps makes this an imbalance of gain and loss. The backing is done with a prominent guitar strumming throughout the song, with a backing vocal coming in for the chorus, that although could be seen as a continuation of things used with CSNY, could also be seen as a call from a wide majority, more than simply from a singular entity.

2. After The Gold Rush *****

This to me and to many others is an expression of some of the environmental effects that modern society has caused, with ‘mother nature on the run’ from modern industrial society, with a rapidly growing population and slowly dwindling resources, something that has become even more critical today. The song is split into three verses, each dealing respectively with the past, present and future respectively, trying to show how things have changed from the obvious return to the children mentioned in the first verse going from laughing to crying, but despite these rather obvious messages and ideas, the song comes across quite well. The middle verse though does appear to be quite cut off from the others, taking on a far more personal tone, with the singer referenced rather than a wider picture, perhaps detailing some of the inwardly looking aspects that had appeared, forcing many to abandon a connection to nature. The instrumentation helps in a way to provide the progression, with Neil Young backed by a piano for the verses, and a horn solo coming in between the verses, to perhaps indicate the passage of time.

3. Only Love Can Break Your Heart *****

After the less personal song coming before this, we return to more relationship struggles. The song itself, at least initially, appears to be directed at the female in this relationship (or non-relationship), indicating that in a sense both are lonely and in need of a connection with someone else. And this idea becomes clear further in the second verse, where we are introduced to a friend trapped inside a dream, probably a part of the singer trapped in the back of his mind, unable to fully express himself. But it is really the chorus that provides any clear idea as to the main idea and theme of the song, perhaps being that he fears entering a relationship for fear of it breaking his heart, thus it becomes easier to avoid it and never have to feel that pain.

4. Southern Man *****

After the mainly acoustic pieces coming before this, we come to a song with a bit of bite, prompting the writing of Sweet Home Alabama, a retort due to this song and Alabama on Neil Young’s next album Harvest. This put plainly is a decry towards the racist attitudes, past and present, of Alabama, asking them to pay them back for the damage and emotional harm that they have caused, in splitting and segregating members of society. The Southern Man in the song could perhaps be seen as a stereotype pointing towards a wider problem, or simply a call to all southern men, but then this is simply a minor point, and the message is pretty much the same. The song itself is dominated by a driving electric guitar, coming in with a couple of solos between verses, perhaps to provide some backing to the lyrics by indicating distortion of social equality. This though is still a great song even if the message behind is not fully grasped, as the driving guitar and continuous backing from the piano provides a near apocalyptic piece of music that gets the meaning across without the lyrics needing to be said.

5. Till The Morning Comes ****

After the longest song on the album, we get this short track that for me acts a bridge between Southern Man and Oh, Lonesome Me, which are worlds apart in terms of style and idea. It is a nice little track though, with a quiet piano part opening the track before being joined by the drums and vocals, and then evolving further on this on –line song that in terms of a film soundtrack would act as a connecting piece between the main source of plot.

6. Oh. Lonesome Me *****

For a cover, this is a brilliant track, taking the upbeat country song to more of a lamenting track punctuated by a harmonica part deftly played by Young. In terms of continuity, I guess this could be seen as a return to the ideas of Only Love Can Break Your Heart, with the singer going further within himself. If this can be seen as a continuation of pervious tracks, then in this instance the girl in question has moved on and has become far more independent, moving away from the singer to meet new people. And even though he is aware of the goings on, he remains away from the fun and locks himself in the past, looking back at a relationship that has either failed or never came about. But beyond this, this for me is one of the big highlights on the album, showcasing Neil Young’s ability as a singer and musician, with the playing perfect for this track. And with the backing vocals coming in for the brief chorus line, we get a feeling of an almost angelic or ethereal sound, casting him as the centre of our attention and emotions.

7. Don’t Let It Bring You Down *****

Neil Young once said of this song that it starts off quite low and then fizzes out altogether later on, but in a sense that is merely a piece of self mockery, as this is a great song, that has many sides. It can be seen as a reason to be cheerful for your own situation when others have it so much worse, or it can be seen as a song about trying to fix faults and problems that seem far from solvable. The chorus, alluding to ‘castles burning (or turning)”, perhaps indicates a sense of the indestructible showing frailty, and of course all of this can be related back to personal issues within or without a relationship. But then the chorus continues by looking for a positive in someone else that can help you escape this chasm of lose and loneliness, a major theme on this album. The instrumentation on this song is similar to many of the others, with the piano and drums acting as the dominated pieces, providing both focus and perhaps security, or simply perhaps providing a great laid back feel to the song, but still retaining a part of the dark downtown sound.

8. Birds *****

This song is very much the post-relationship piece, as with many songs leaving without regret and anger, simply wanting the best for the other, in this case looking to try and make them find someone who really cares for them, not quite It Ain’t Me Babe, but along a similar line. Again though, with the idea of flying away, we are reintroduced to moving on and transitions in life, when we break away from past connections and people and look to start new ones, indicating that this is very much a young man’s album. The remorseful vocal from Neil Young here though does really make this song, and provides what can only be described as sadness and regret at a loss.

9. When You Dance You Can Really Love *****

Continuing with distant and removed relationships, we have another song that despite going with a more rock based instrumentation, with the electric guitar and driving drum and piano parts, describes a love for someone that still is not close. The arrangement may indicate that, and although that may be a false pretence, the singer, continues to want to say something but never gets round to it, at least not in this song. But this track is mainly about breaking up some of the slower more acoustic/piano pieces for a slightly faster upbeat track that allows us to slip from one genre to another with ease.

10. I Believe In You *****

This for me is the conclusion of what can be seen as a drawn out love affair, with the singer constantly pursuing the girl in question, and here we come to a point where she is said to have made herself love him. But with the slow backing and vocals, we get the sense that this a relationship near its end so soon, with the singer looking to try and convince both of them that perhaps this can work whilst still knowingly talking about its faults. And perhaps the main thing that we can take from the chorus is that this is a man that has perhaps become to safe in his own self-desires that once he has succeeded in gaining them, the wait seems somehow slightly wasted, as it has not occurred in the fashion that he would have liked.

11. Cripple Creek Ferry *****

If there was one song on this album that should have closed it, it would be this, with the piano and drum intro, saying we are now at the end of the line, it is hard to properly put across but I see this as perhaps the best finishing track in terms of its suitability, as it is just perfect. Although it only runs for about a minute and a half, this is perfect, as a goodbye, as at our journey’s end, we can’t expect to have anymore, we have reached the conclusion of the main ‘story’ of the album and now let’s turn our attentions elsewhere. The song is dominated by a simple piano and drum beat that continues throughout, allowing a degree of calm to end the proceedings. The lyrics are simple enough and act simply as a diversion to help us move on, they mean little (or do they?) simply describing a short scene on the Cripple Creek Ferry, but it is still the perfect final track, nothing more , nothing less.

When listening to this album initially, after listening to its follow-up Harvest, I was not entirely convinced as to its strength, but after a few plays, I got it, and the songs began to click. This is an album, not a group of songs, as previously stated, making it harder for the newcomer to get into, but by far the more rewarding for fans and those willing to approach it with patience and an open mind. This is one of Neil Young’s best albums, although he has so many, and I am glad to have this album in my collection, easily a great purchase. And although it is not quite as commercial as Harvest, it has songs that go beyond some of the pieces on there, and provide perhaps a clearer picture of who Neil Young is. They are both great albums and both have there positives, and maybe even some negatives (maybe), but if you own Harvest, which I would recommend for first-time Neil Young buyers, then this should be one of your first stops afterwards. 

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