CSN&Y ‘De Javu’ (1970) [archive review from 2005]
Of Neil’s two major contributions on the album, ‘Helpless’ & ‘Country Girl’, the former has received most of the plaudits & become a NY perennial. It is certainly a beautifully played & sung evocation of the hometown of his youth. That said, I find ‘Country Girl’ far more interesting. I cannot comprehend why it is not widely held up as the glorious gem that it patently is. The lyrics are some of Neil’s most curious & enigmatic ‘winding paths through tables & glass, first fall was new’ (the first of many), the song structure one of his most brilliantly dramatic & the melody one of his most breathtakingly moving. The arrangement, from foreboding timpani & vibes aided introduction to wailing, harmonica & organ drenched apocalyptic fadeout, is masterful. Neil’s vocal is one of his very finest, from tender fragility in the early verses to pained ecstasy at the climax. From the line ‘If I could stand to see her crying’ through to the very end I get chill after chill. I want to start a harmony group every time I hear this grand work. The vocal backing from CSN is spectacular. It is my absolute favourite Neil Young song. Peerless.
‘After The Goldrush’ (1970) [archive review from 2005]
Another album generally considered among his very finest &, like 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere', represented by three cuts on his ‘Greatest Hits’. ‘Tell My Why’ has a wall of chiming acoustics & a very high childlike vocal, appropriate considering the ‘young man wondering’ bent of the lyrics. It’s adolescent psuedo-philosophical questions do grate just a little, but it still sounds lovely & earnest. The title track has some intriguing oblique & idealistic lyrics & a striking melody. I have tired of it a little though, perhaps due to its almost continual appearance in live sets and on the compilations. Over familiarity has dulled its impact. It is probably his most ‘famously’ covered song though (k.d.lang, Emmy Lou Harris/ Linda Ronstadt/ Dolly Parton etc)
‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ is a perennial heartstring plucker; resplendant with high harmonies, rich acoustics, a classic melody & another trademark high yearning vocal. The drumming bugs me a little though, for simple drumming it is a little TOO simple & the sloppy plodding thuds weigh the track down like heavy gumboots. That said, it is still one of Neil’s great ‘universal’ songs; open enough for everyone to relate to. For the record, ‘Revolution Blues’ and ‘LA’ are personal favourite examples of the polar opposite of this style; perverse, obscure and idiosyncratic. With Neil there is a vast span between these two poles.
‘Southern Man’ crackles with energy, the guitar work is spiky & thrilling. Nils Lofgren bangs out a wonderfully primal boogie-woogie on the piano as Neil gives one of his greatest, most impassioned vocal performances. When he takes on the ‘southern man’ persona mid song, he reaches an artistic zenith; ‘Lily Belle your hair is golden brown, I’ve seen your black man, coming round’. His voice cuts & claws it way out of the speakers while the ‘ooohhh’ harmonies drip with contempt & bitterness. This is the dead set classic on the album & still has shocking impact after many years & many listens. ‘Till The Morning Comes’ is not even a minute & a half long, but is a lovely rolling piano ballad with a sweet, yearning vocal. The harmonies on the outro are superb. The little trumpet solo is perfect as well. A pretty, humble end to side two after the masterful ‘Southern Man’.
‘Oh Lonesome Me’ is a dirge like take on the Don Gibson tune with a lazy, low down harmonica intro. It is pure Neil Young in its melancholy & self-absorbed self-pity despite the fact he didn’t write it. ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’ is another bona-fide classic, though strangely Neil rarely plays it live & did not include it on either ‘Decade’ or ‘Greatest Hits’, opting for lesser songs from this album at times. A chilling, acoustic wander through an urban nightscape, it has one of Neil’s highest register vocals, a finely crafted melody & some of his most sad & evocative lyrics. Absolutely superb.
‘Birds’ is a plaintive, reflective ballad but struggles to really grab me following ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’. Certainly beautiful, but perhaps not essential, it floats by. I brushed over ‘When You Dance’ for many years, the title & topic annoyed me for some odd reason. I have come around now & though I prefer the ‘Live Rust’ version, this is still sparkling, energetic pop capturing well the feeling of being bewitched while watching someone. The recurring piano note motif works well. The fuzzed out jam at the end, with the piano runs & guitar grind is suitably lusty & works a treat.
‘I Believe In You’ is a lush, melancholy piano ballad. The break into the chorus is breathtaking & the shifting melody, chords & backing vocals are very effective in showing Neil trying to break through to someone or express something in several different ways, not sure which one to choose& which one will get his message across; ‘Oh oh, oh oh, I believe in you’. ‘Cripple Creek Ferry’ is another fragment song like ‘Till The Morning Comes’, but less effective for mine. It is an inconsequential & under-whelming end to a great album. It is almost as if Neil is bashfully embarrassed by the greatness of the lion’s share of the album & doesn’t want to big note himself too much.
[Favourite to least favourite tracks - ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’, ‘Southern Man’, ‘I Believe In You’, ‘Till The Morning Comes’, ‘Tell Me Why’, ‘When You Dance’, ‘After The Goldrush’, ‘Birds’, ‘Oh Lonesome Me’, ‘Cripple Creek Ferry’]
Of Neil’s two major contributions on the album, ‘Helpless’ & ‘Country Girl’, the former has received most of the plaudits & become a NY perennial. It is certainly a beautifully played & sung evocation of the hometown of his youth. That said, I find ‘Country Girl’ far more interesting. I cannot comprehend why it is not widely held up as the glorious gem that it patently is. The lyrics are some of Neil’s most curious & enigmatic ‘winding paths through tables & glass, first fall was new’ (the first of many), the song structure one of his most brilliantly dramatic & the melody one of his most breathtakingly moving. The arrangement, from foreboding timpani & vibes aided introduction to wailing, harmonica & organ drenched apocalyptic fadeout, is masterful. Neil’s vocal is one of his very finest, from tender fragility in the early verses to pained ecstasy at the climax. From the line ‘If I could stand to see her crying’ through to the very end I get chill after chill. I want to start a harmony group every time I hear this grand work. The vocal backing from CSN is spectacular. It is my absolute favourite Neil Young song. Peerless.
‘After The Goldrush’ (1970) [archive review from 2005]
Another album generally considered among his very finest &, like 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere', represented by three cuts on his ‘Greatest Hits’. ‘Tell My Why’ has a wall of chiming acoustics & a very high childlike vocal, appropriate considering the ‘young man wondering’ bent of the lyrics. It’s adolescent psuedo-philosophical questions do grate just a little, but it still sounds lovely & earnest. The title track has some intriguing oblique & idealistic lyrics & a striking melody. I have tired of it a little though, perhaps due to its almost continual appearance in live sets and on the compilations. Over familiarity has dulled its impact. It is probably his most ‘famously’ covered song though (k.d.lang, Emmy Lou Harris/ Linda Ronstadt/ Dolly Parton etc)
‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ is a perennial heartstring plucker; resplendant with high harmonies, rich acoustics, a classic melody & another trademark high yearning vocal. The drumming bugs me a little though, for simple drumming it is a little TOO simple & the sloppy plodding thuds weigh the track down like heavy gumboots. That said, it is still one of Neil’s great ‘universal’ songs; open enough for everyone to relate to. For the record, ‘Revolution Blues’ and ‘LA’ are personal favourite examples of the polar opposite of this style; perverse, obscure and idiosyncratic. With Neil there is a vast span between these two poles.
‘Southern Man’ crackles with energy, the guitar work is spiky & thrilling. Nils Lofgren bangs out a wonderfully primal boogie-woogie on the piano as Neil gives one of his greatest, most impassioned vocal performances. When he takes on the ‘southern man’ persona mid song, he reaches an artistic zenith; ‘Lily Belle your hair is golden brown, I’ve seen your black man, coming round’. His voice cuts & claws it way out of the speakers while the ‘ooohhh’ harmonies drip with contempt & bitterness. This is the dead set classic on the album & still has shocking impact after many years & many listens. ‘Till The Morning Comes’ is not even a minute & a half long, but is a lovely rolling piano ballad with a sweet, yearning vocal. The harmonies on the outro are superb. The little trumpet solo is perfect as well. A pretty, humble end to side two after the masterful ‘Southern Man’.
‘Oh Lonesome Me’ is a dirge like take on the Don Gibson tune with a lazy, low down harmonica intro. It is pure Neil Young in its melancholy & self-absorbed self-pity despite the fact he didn’t write it. ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’ is another bona-fide classic, though strangely Neil rarely plays it live & did not include it on either ‘Decade’ or ‘Greatest Hits’, opting for lesser songs from this album at times. A chilling, acoustic wander through an urban nightscape, it has one of Neil’s highest register vocals, a finely crafted melody & some of his most sad & evocative lyrics. Absolutely superb.
‘Birds’ is a plaintive, reflective ballad but struggles to really grab me following ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’. Certainly beautiful, but perhaps not essential, it floats by. I brushed over ‘When You Dance’ for many years, the title & topic annoyed me for some odd reason. I have come around now & though I prefer the ‘Live Rust’ version, this is still sparkling, energetic pop capturing well the feeling of being bewitched while watching someone. The recurring piano note motif works well. The fuzzed out jam at the end, with the piano runs & guitar grind is suitably lusty & works a treat.
‘I Believe In You’ is a lush, melancholy piano ballad. The break into the chorus is breathtaking & the shifting melody, chords & backing vocals are very effective in showing Neil trying to break through to someone or express something in several different ways, not sure which one to choose& which one will get his message across; ‘Oh oh, oh oh, I believe in you’. ‘Cripple Creek Ferry’ is another fragment song like ‘Till The Morning Comes’, but less effective for mine. It is an inconsequential & under-whelming end to a great album. It is almost as if Neil is bashfully embarrassed by the greatness of the lion’s share of the album & doesn’t want to big note himself too much.
[Favourite to least favourite tracks - ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’, ‘Southern Man’, ‘I Believe In You’, ‘Till The Morning Comes’, ‘Tell Me Why’, ‘When You Dance’, ‘After The Goldrush’, ‘Birds’, ‘Oh Lonesome Me’, ‘Cripple Creek Ferry’]
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