Neil Young After The Gold Rush by: Tom Bradbury Mon:04-Jun-07 Label: Reprise Year: 1970 WB rating 85 out of 100

Of the members of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Neil Young has always been regarded as the stubborn loner. Not shy of voicing unpopular opinions or going his own way, Young merely added to the notorious instability of the supergroup. His currency in CSNY however was always augmented by his songwriting ability, and during 1970 Young was at his prolific best, writing several of the signature tunes of the band’s Deja-vu album and producing the mesmerizing After The Gold Rush. This is an album that shows Young as he should be, stripped away of the musical and personal trappings of CSNY, free to explore his own material and highlight his remarkable voice.

Young’s voice is defined by its melancholy and fragility, often sounding like it is that of a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but it is far more diverse than it first appears. If nothing else, After The Gold Rush is an album that showcases Young’s remarkable adaptability. Lyrically, he is capable of impressive eclecticism, ranging from pointed songs at southern racism, to empathic looks at the lives of others around him. It is probably this compassion and understanding that is the defining aspect of this album – even the shape of Young’s melodies convey an aura of sensitivity. On the appropriately titled ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’, Young sings, “Don’t let it bring you down/Its only castles burning”, but it’s the way he allows his voice to drift breezily through his lyrics that creates this compassion. The frailty in his voice ensures believability.

The most poignant song on this very affecting album is the transcendent ‘Birds’, which has a profound hymn-like quality. Young’s voice is backed by a beautiful harmonising choir in the chorus, filled with spiritual resonance. Acoustically, the recording sounds like it took place on a church stage, particularly the reverb on Young’s piano, and it adds to the sense that this entire album is informed by history, always aware of what has gone before. Young sings, “Tomorrow see the things that never come today”.

In spite of his usual restraint, Young is also capable of fierce power, and of getting himself into trouble with his mouth. The controversy around ‘Southern Man’ is well documented, with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s response in ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ a good time oldies staple. Yet too often this track is treated as a footnote in the story behind the far more famous Skynyrd song, the fiery power of Young’s anger forgotten. While ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ may be the definitive Southern Rock song, and a great groove-rocker, lyrically it never really addresses Young’s critique. Skynyrd instead merely proclaim, “Neil Young should remember/A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow”. Young’s complaints against Southern racism are strong. In his eyes the south was marred by a hateful religious hypocrisy that would ultimately be swept away - an anachronism that could not be sustained in the quickly changing modern America. Young sings, “Don’t forget what your good book says/Southern change is gonna come at last/Now your crosses are burning fast”. Young’s rage is backed by a jagged guitar assault as he screams, “how long/how long”. The song is as compelling as any protest anthem that Bob Dylan ever wrote.

‘When You Can Dance You Can Really Love’ also showcases Young’s harder side, with the intro highly reminiscent of his 1969 track ‘Cinnamon Girl’. Fuzzed out guitar power chords make it obvious why Young is credited as being a major influence on grunge – this sort of simplicity was definitely not in vogue in 1970. The lyrics may focus on dancing and love, but musically it is far more menacing, with manic bashing of piano chords adding to the chaotic atmosphere of this neurotic song. Suffice to say, After The Goldrush doesn’t quite have the pop sensibility of Young’s next album Harvest, but it is still obviously present on infectious melodies like that of the opening track ‘Tell Me Why’ – which sounds like an outtake from DeJa-Vu. It is a precursor to the easy-listening country rock that Young would dabble in on Harvest, and easily the most accessible song on the album.

After The Gold Rush may not rival Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere for its Crazy Horse ferocity, or Harvest and DeJa-Vu for their popiness, but it contains an emotionally affecting poignancy and a deepness all of its own. It may not grab you immediately, but it will work its way into your heart with a gravity that is matched by few other albums. It is not often that you listen to somebody that you feel may actually understand your own life; somebody whose very voice establishes a connection with you.