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In this series of blogs, I will document a selection of albums that were pivotal in shaping my musical journey. I will focus on what made these albums special to me, as opposed to what makes them special in music, cultural or any other terms. Of course, every album I discuss can be considered as recommended listening, however, please keep in mind that whilst these albums are special to me, that doesn't mean they're particularly special and/or unique in their own right (although in most cases, I would argue that they are!).
Artist: Neil Young
Album: After The Gold Rush
Release: 1970
Label: Reprise
Genre: Folk Rock / Country Rock
Personnel:
Neil Young – guitar, piano, harmonica, vibes, lead vocals
Danny Whitten – guitar, vocals
Nils Lofgren – guitar, piano, vocals
Jack Nitzsche – piano
Billy Talbot – bass
Greg Reeves – bass
Ralph Molina – drums, vocals
Stephen Stills – vocals (credited as Steve Stills)
Bill Peterson – flugelhorn
David Briggs - Producer
Kenall Pacios - Producer
Personal Context
When I was a teenager, my Mum asked me to get her this album for Christmas, so I did! As she was listening to it on Christmas day, I was struck by the strangest sensation; I knew this music! I knew some of the words to the songs, I knew the melodies, and the moods and atmospheres of the songs felt unsettlingly familiar. The feelings this album evoked in me ran very deep, like some of the strongest nostalgia I had ever felt, yet I had no tangible memory of ever having heard this music. It was very disconcerting (yet at the same time, strangely comforting). I was a bit freaked out and explained all of this to my parents who laughed and smiled fondly.
As it transpired, my Dad used to have this album on cassette. When I was two years old, we went on a road trip to visit my uncle who was working in The Netherlands at the time. For the entire trip, I kept insisting that we listen to this album. Apparently, my toddler self couldn't get enough of this album.
Upon returning to the UK, the car was broken into and the radio (with the After The Gold Rush cassette still in it) was stolen. For the next 13-14 years, I did not listen to any Neil Young and my infantile memories of that holiday had completely faded.
Side note: The cassette in question had After The Gold Rush on Side A, and Neil Young's following album Harvest on Side B. I also had the exact same experience shortly after when I listened to Harvest - an equally brilliant album.
My Takeaways
The journey of this album takes the listener through poetic mystery, sincere ballads, overt social commentary, coded social commentary and more, all handled with (in my opinion) exquisite songwriting.
Perhaps the thing that strikes me most about this album is the almost haunting quality that runs through it; created by a blend of elements that were quite possibly coincidental happy accidents.
Young's voice is quite high and has a beautiful vibrato. I suspect it's not to everyone's taste, but it resonates strongly with me. His distinctive vocal tone sings melodies that masterfully tug on my heartstrings with their simplistic, yet complimentary phrasing. Meanwhile deliciously thick and lush vocal harmonies from the backing singers often underscore the lead melody for emotional impact. The opening song Tell Me Why is just such an example.
Young's lyricism is sometimes tied up in poetically mysterious imagery that alludes to bigger stories that are never fully explained; piquing my interest and stirring my imagination, such as Don't Let It Bring You Down. At other times, Young directly addresses issues head-on with unwavering angst and purpose (Southern Man); made evermore powerful as such instances sit between otherwise serenely sweet and beautiful songs.
Young never shies away from harmonic extensions both in the vocal harmonies and instrumentation, lending a sweetness to the harmonic content with 6ths, 7ths and 9ths littered all over the place. The way these harmonies are nested in vocal harmonies, or guitar voicing creating a dreamy, almost ethereal soundscape at times. When I (re)discovered this album in my teens, I was learning my way around harmonic relationships and chord extensions, and so for my developing ear, it was a great time to discover this album.
The musicianship as a whole feels very matter of fact and understated (something that's very difficult to do well). It's not flashy but serves the songs in the most appropriate ways possible, and one of the album's strength lies in this understatement. This album's production and arrangement is a big lesson in less is more.
With this album releasing in 1970, and taking into consideration the overall tone and coded poetic themes, I've often thought of this album as a farewell to the 1960s and early signifier of the and impending societal problems of the 1970s.
The 1960s, when Young launched his career, was a heady time of optimism amidst the explosion of youth culture, and mass protests and calls for change on a range of matters. However as the 1970s rolled around, this optimism didn't materialist into the societal change young people hoped it would. Economies faltered, wars raged on (both hot and cold), and the political and civil issues of 1960s carried over deep into the 1970s and are still proving problematic now. Such disillusion and discontent is present throughout a lot of 1970s soul and R&B, and inspired a lot of incredible music. However, (and perhaps this is just me, but) I hear the early stages of this disillusion, and disappointment in After The Gold Rush. I wonder if (somehow) Young saw what was coming in the 1970s, as he penned this selection of songs which manage to bridge the free-lovin' sentiment of the 1960s with the sobering sombreness and melancholy of what was to come in the social, economic and political mire of the 1970s.
Conclusion
I've listened to this album countless times and I'm always left with a strange sense of nostalgia for something I don't remember. It's as if Young's lamenting of the 1960s as a new, less optimistic decade lies before him mirrored my own lamenting for youth and innocence whilst verging on adulthood in my late teen. Moreover, as I first enjoyed this album as a carefree toddler, when life was simple, before I was able to form tangible memories of it, only to later rediscover this album around the time I came of age, and grew aware of the wider world and systemic, near unsolvable problems that befall humanity.
I sometimes try and imagine my two-year-old self sitting in the back of my Dad's green Volvo 240, listening to this album. What was going through my head? Why did I insist on listening to this album on repeat?
Today, with musical training and the ability to better understand and interpret poetry, I know why I like to listen to this album, but surely my adult reasons aren't the same reasons a two-year-old would like to listen to this album (at least not knowingly so). For my two-years-old self, there was something in the mood, the feel and atmosphere of this album that really struck a nerve.
I think this album still strikes this same (or very similar) nerve today, but I can't be sure and I'll never know for certain. Nor can I exactly express what the feeling is, as it's tied up in youthful nostalgia and sentimentality, blurred with musical curiosity and intrigue. I take some comfort in never knowing for sure, as it helps maintain the mysticism of childhood innocence. However, part of me would love to know precisely what I was thinking back then.