After The Gold Rush

Certain Songs #1265: Neil Young – “After The Gold Rush (Boston 10-04-1978)”

July 16, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: Live Rust
Year: 1979

Recorded at Boston Garden on October 4, 1978

On the shortlist of Prettiest Songs Ever Recorded, Neil Young division, “After The Gold Rush” combines surreal, apocalyptic imagery with absolutely unforgettable melody.

While I’m sure a lot of folks prefer the studio version, I always loved the version on Live Rust, which admittedly sacrifices some of the fragility, but replaces the flugelhorn solo with a harmonica solo, and of course has the inappropriate audience cheering after Neil sings “and I felt like getting high,” which has always kinda cracked me up.

Certain Songs #1240: Neil Young – “Don’t Let it Bring You Down”

June 16, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: After The Gold Rush
Year: 1970

Recorded in Neil’s home studio in Topanga, on March 17, 1970.

Taking advantage of his ability to sound almost hard rock — and most certainly doomy — without any electric instruments, “Don’t Let it Bring You Down” gets a big sound out of stripped-down instrumentation: Ralph Molina on drums, Greg Reeves on bass, Nils Lofgren on piano & Neil on acoustic guitar.

With Molina leading the way playing what I’ll call the “Neil Young beat” — kick-kick-SNARE-space, kick-kick-SNARE-space — the rhythm that artists appropriate when they want to show that he’s been an influence, “Don’t Let it Bring You Down” is close-miked to the point of claustrophobia.

Certain Songs #1239: Neil Young – “Southern Man”

June 15, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: After The Gold Rush
Year: 1970

Recorded in Neil’s home studio in Topanga, on March 19, 1970.

While Everybody Knows This is Nowhere was divided into obviously major songs and, er, not major songs, its follow-up, 1970’s After The Gold Rush, is one of the most consistent albums of Young’s entire career.

Consistent in terms of song quality, that is. Not so much sound, because while After The Gold Rush is mostly acoustic in nature, it’s not entirely acoustic, as Young stuck electric guitars on “When You Dance, I Can Really Love” and tossed out one of his greatest weird guitar solos at the end of “Southern Man.”