This was the album the prolific Neil Young released right after his first flirtation with CSN&Y, and once again he shows just how wide and deep his musical talents are. All we aging sixties kids all have a copy of both this album and his "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" album; it is standard issue for older babyboomers. Indeed, out of the welter of so many artists with so much in the way of incredible and unforgettable music, Neil Young stands alone as a sixties icon, someone who has consistently done the music his way, and with great sincerity, consistent authenticity, and a singular verve. No one has produced the range and quantity of memorable songs and melodies, as has Mr. Young, who has always produced what he wanted on his terms, and has never sold out to commercialism or tried to appeal to the mainstream audience.

Here we have so many terrific songs like "Tell Me Why", "After The Goldrush", and his smash hit, "Southern Man", that it is hard to remember that this is just one of several such albums he released in short order over a three or four year period. IN a number of other songs, such as "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", which Linda Ronstadt later did a great cover of, Neil's genius and guitar virtuosity shines, as it does in songs like "Don't Let It Bring You Down", "Birds", "I Believe In You", and a personal favorite of mine, "When You Dance". Young may well be an iconoclast, someone who is unpredictable, unreliable from a business sense, and something of a prima donna, but he always plays straight from the heart (and groin), and one knows that the guy playing that axe so masterfully is absolutely in control of the incredible sounds emanating from it. Wow! Put this baby in the CD player and listen as the CD illustrates why Neil Young will never die! Long may his chrome heart shine!

In the shadow of his crushing success with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Neil Young released this solo album using some of his best studio friends to produce a landmark album that was a runaway best seller at about the same time as CSN& Y's "Déjà Vu" was dominating the charts. There are a lot of memorable songs included in this album, all written by Young, and Neil's trademark guitar twang is audible everywhere. Also quite evident is his strange, eerie voice, which would be almost laughable were it not so memorable and also so effective a vehicle for his music. It drifts out at you like an echo in an alley, invading your private spaces as much as entertaining you.

The album opens with "Tell Me Why", a plaintive ballad delivered in a mostly acoustical format. Next is "After The Goldrush", a dreamy, sometimes nightmarish reflection on the state of the country at the turn of the seventies. Also included are ""only Love Can Break Your Heart", a long and rocking version of his famous "Southern Man" effort, including the afterward of "Till The Morning Comes". He does a terrific cover of Don Gibson's classic country song "Oh, Lonesome Me", and depresses us all with "Don't Let It Bring You Down". I simply love his song "Birds", and also like the rock treatment of "When You Dance". Finally, he delivers what has become a standard folk-rock ballad, "I Believe In You", which with "Cripple Creek Ferry" rounds out the album. This is a classic Neil Young effort, and like his work with Crazy Horse, is essential for any serious sixties rock fan. Enjoy!

Neil Young's After the Goldrush stands as one of the most complete albums in rock N roll's mythology. He laces social commentary (Southern Man, After the Goldrush)with beautiful songs of anguish (Only Love can Break Your Heart, Oh, Lonesome Me). This album shows that Neil Young has few boundaries as an artistic voice. His backing band (Crazy Horse) lends a graceful accompaniment, but it's Young's show. Southern Man is quite frankly one of the most important rock songs of all time. It has a patented Young minimalist guitar solo and lyrics which cut straight to the heart of America's "silent majority" racist attitudes. Alternately, with Birds, Young still looks for hope through love. This album is essential for aspiring singer songwriters. All of the selections have a logical fit and tremendous aural dynamics. Young feels no need to create complex song structures; he bypasses this. His playing is emotive and instintive. The lush landscape resonates far after you stop listening to the pithy 30 minute gem. I wish he did a sequal to Goldrush instead of Harvest.

Yes, it's a very good album. But the "editorial review" by Steve Knopper above the customer reviews is very annoying. He writes, "He's equally passionate with trippy riddles (has anybody figured out what 'We've got mother nature on the run' means in the title track?)."

Huh. Well. The line is actually, "Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1970's." Gosh, what DOES it mean? That the environment is threatened by our species?

Just as Neil Young's ferocious second album was a dramatic contrast to his folksy debut, so is his third album, After The Gold Rush, a complete contrast to that. Certainly, his work on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Deja Vu album may have lead him to dip his toe back into the waters of these folksy rockers, and he does a very fine job of it here. Some of his best soft, gentle, rolling acoutic numbers are here - Tell Me Why, When You Dance I Can Really Love - are here, complete with splendid rolling acoustic guitars and beautiful vocal harmonies. The beautiful, spirited title track is also a standout, with its gentle piano work, and perhaps Neil's finest vocal. The only real rocker here is Southern Man, one of Neil's most famous songs, and a fine little rocking protest - sparking Lynyrd Skynyrd's famous comeback in Sweet Home Alabama - with a spirited jam at the end of the song. Another highlight is the inspired run through the country standard Oh, Lonesome Me. Although, aside from Southern Man, the longish guitar jams that made Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere so great are completely absent from this album, we get instead Neil's masterful folk ditties, which are just as satisfying. Another major revelation - indeed, perhaps the highlight of the album, and certainly it's distinction - is the uniformly excellent piano work. Nils Lofgren - along with Neil himself and others - turn in fine performances on the instrument, lending such songs as the title track and Southern Man a distinctive air. Overall, one of the man's best efforts.