After the Gold Rush – Neil Young (1970)

“Neil Young is one of those artists whose sound defies generalization. Never one to be boxed in, he has often followed up the success of one album with a left turn into different sounds or themes on the next. But for the most part, when we think of Young, two strong images come to mind: the troubadour with an acoustic guitar, affecting falsetto, plaid shirt and fedora; or the incendiary rocker with a screaming electric guitar and a political message — and a plaid shirt and fedora. Much of that duelling image can be attributed to Young’s third album, After the Gold Rush, which was released on Sept. 19, 1970. At first, it felt like an album that didn’t know what it was, a mix of electric songs with his band Crazy Horse mixed with plaintive, acoustic songs, piano, and even some French horn. In a way, it set the template for his career, allowing Young to shift back and forth between soft and hard, folk and rock, one foot firmly in the coffee shop scene of the ’60s, the other in the rock arenas of the ’70s. It also includes some of Young’s best songs to this day, from the title track to the iconic ‘Southern Man,’ and became his first solo album to crack the top 10 in the U.S. … To mark the 50th anniversary, here are five interesting facts about Young’s groundbreaking album. … 4. Young’s pianist had never played before. While most of the band was made up of seasoned musicians from CSNY and Crazy Horse, there was also newcomer Nils Lofgren, who was 19 at the time. Young met him at the Washington, D.C., club the Cellar Door and invited him to play piano for the After the Gold Rush sessions. There was only one problem — Lofgren had never played before. … Despite his accordion background, Lofgren was still nervous, and ended up practising ’24/7′ at the house of John Locke, from the band Spirit, who lived up the road. …It worked out, with Lofgren playing on every track except ‘When You Dance I Can Really Love,’ which featured Jack Nitzsche, and the title track, which featured Young himself playing on an upright piano. …”
After the Gold Rush: 5 facts about Neil Young’s breakthrough solo album on its 50th anniversary (Video)
W – After the Gold Rush
The Story Of Neil Young ‘After The Gold Rush’
YouTube: After the Gold Rush (full album)