After the Gold Rush Review

Neil Young is one of the most unique voices in Classic Rock. His style is unlike any other artist from the sixties, seventies, or eighties, with his vocals controlling a mysterious and dark aurora with a southern twang. His sound seems inspired by drugs such as LSD, or other psychedelic drugs, where he is constantly switching up the aspects of each song, especially on his album After the Gold Rush. It is as if Neil wants people’s minds to expand like it would if you took psychedelic drugs. This psychedelic infusion with the sadness of country rock really defines Neil Young as an artist. It is a raspy sound, but its like it is rustling through leaves from start to finish. It is soothing, softly caressing you as if you were a baby. It can put you to sleep if you do not listen to the lyrics on this album, but also it can get a rise out of anyone when the electric guitar is zipping in and out of the lyrics and drums.

You either hate Neil Young’s sound or you love. My mother thinks it is a bunch of wailing and screeching, like rusty nails on a chalkboard, but my father enjoys the southern twang mixed with the mystery of Young’s voice. For me, I find it the equivalent of white noise, using it to study. At times throughout After the Gold Rush, I feel like I should be riding a horse into the sunset and at other times, its like I should be in a showdown, shooting a pistol at another person. It is a dramatic change in style, stemming from the switches in pitch, beat, and the electric guitar solos over the other instruments. The beats are interesting when listening with headphones because Neil utilizes the left/right audio. I think this contributes to the psychedelic nature of Neil’s sound because you have to concentrate on the whole sound when you want to pick out one side and listen to which instruments are actually being played.

Every song on this album highlights an issue that Neil Young thought was prevalent during the time. For example, lyrics from “Southern Man” talks about the racial tensions in the South and “After the Gold Rush” points out environmental issues. On this same album, Neil talks about love and heartbreak, like in “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and “Tell Me Why”. His messages in his songs really can go a long way, especially with the type of sad, scratchy voice he has. The one downfall he has on this album is probably “When You Dance I Can Really Love”. It sounds like a continuation of “Cinnamon Girl,” off of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, almost like Neil Young didn’t finish his thoughts and had more to say about a lover. “Cinnamon Girl” is a great upbeat song, so by continuation that makes “When You Dance I Can Really Love” decent, but lacking originality because it is eerily similar in beat with a slight difference in tempo. I wish he would have developed the song further, but it seems he left his listeners wanting more.

Overall, there is no doubt that Neil Young is unique. Sometimes he sounds harsh, and sometimes his songs are tranquil. Throughout After the Gold Rush this occurs, and for some reason it works for Neil. He may be the only artist capable of having a voice that can pierce your ears, but still leave you asking you for more. A-