After the Gold Rush

There Was A Band Playing In My Head
Neil Young's third album, After the Goldrush, is testimony to his eloquent songwriting skills. Some of his finest work can be found on this recording. The album is mainly a mix of acoustic guitar and piano driven material, along with some electric intensity reminiscent of his second album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. This album may be forty years old, but it's still amazing. Young writes plaintive songs, full of yearning. Highlights include the wistful title track, the angry "Southern Man" written about racial inequality (one of Young's songs that inspired some controversy, as well as Lynyrd Skynyrd 's "Sweet Home Alabama"), and the absolutely amazing "Don't Let It Bring You Down". One of my favorite Young tunes has long been the short and sweet "Cripple Creek Ferry". Honestly, there isn't a bad song on this album and even the cover of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" fits seamlessly into Young's pastiche of melancholy, redemption, and yearning. The 2009 remaster is simply amazing. The piano is bright and vibrant, individual notes ring out from the acoustic guitar, and the electric guitar snarls out from the speakers. Background vocals have a clarity not found on the original CD issue. This obviously isn't a repackage job to bring in a few extra bucks, but an honest attempt to breathe new life into a classic session. Even the CD booklet is printed on heavy, textured paper. After the Goldrush was already a 5 star album, but John Nowland and Tim Mulligan's remastering work has served to make it even better.

Disappointed
Why are those four bars still missing at the end of the guitar solo in "Southern Man"? This was my main reason for buying this cd and again I've been fooled. Those were fours were there in 1970 and to my mind they should be edited back in. Don't make the same mistake as me!

A Stellar Performance
To the average listener, Neil Young is probably best known for his 1972 hit album Harvest and its #1 hit single, Heart Of Gold, but After The Goldrush, the record he released prior to Harvest, is arguably his best album. Virtually every song on here is a gem and taken as a whole are representative of the many, shifting styles of Neil's work. Rock songs like Southern Man and When You Dance are placed side by side with acoustic gems like Only Love Can Break Your Heart and the soaring Tell Me Why. But the most effective songs on here, the achingly beautiful Birds and the haunting title track, were recorded with a simple piano arrangement which only served to highlight the lyrics. The remastered version is as close as one can come to the original vinyl edition and well worth the price. If you don't have this CD, buy it. If you already have the original CD, replace it with this one. Either way, you won't be disappointed.

Overdue Remaster of an Important Album
After The Gold Rush is the second remastered CD I have bought from the Neil Young Archives series. The first, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere I bought because I didn't yet own it on CD. This one I bought to compare with the old Reprise label release that I already own. After listening to both of them many times, it seems that the benefits of the remastering accrue much more to the former album than to this one. As one reviewer noted, the remastering done thus far for the Archival Series is more apparent on the electric pieces. As far as the music goes, After The Gold Rush is one of the most important albums of the last half of the 20th century. And while a remaster is long overdue, I have to strain my ears to notice any appreciable improvements on most songs. The benefits of the remaster are most apparent on the smug, preachy yet still powerful Southern Man. Elsewhere the benefits are quite underwhelming. Like the Reprise issue, this CD is accompanied by an attractive booklet containing lyrics, pictures, and important album information. If you already own this on CD, whether an upgrade is worth the added expense depends on the quality of your sound system. But then, this remaster is so inexpensive it will be hard to resist. I look forward to further releases in the series.

NEIL'S GOLD
EVERY SINGLE SONG on this album is pure GOLD. Neil is truly OUTSTANDING in these gems. No song is tired nor can a music lover grow tired of them. Brilliance and folk-rock pay dirt here. If I died tomorrow, I'd do it with a smile while listening to this master piece...je