CoronaVinyl Day 300 (Y): After the Gold Rush by Neil Young

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I'm back, and after a week of sloth in the Northwoods, it's time to get back to the vinyl.  Today's CoronaVinyl category is "Y," and I only have two Neil Young albums left, so let's go with his seminal third solo studio album, 1970's After the Gold Rush.

The album is classic Neil Young.  It features several of his Crazy Horse compadres, Danny Whitten on guitar, Billy Talbot on bass, and Ralph Molina on drums, as well as some additional help from then-19-year-old (and future E Street Band member) Nils Lofgren on guitar and pianos, Stephen Stills on backing vocals, and former Wrecking Crew member and Phil Spector collaborator Jack Nitzsche on piano.

After the Gold Rush was a success worldwide, going to #8 on the Billboard album chart and the top ten on the album charts in Canada, the UK, The Netherlands, and Spain.  It eventually went double platinum in the U.S.  The album also gave Young his first solo Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," which went to #33.  And the anti-racism "Southern Man," though not released as a single, is one of Young's most iconic songs.

Until today, I've never noticed that the album cover features an old woman walking past Young.  The image is blurred and solarized, so I always thought the woman was a backpack that Young was wearing.  

Though it was not initially a critical success, After the Gold Rush was pretty quickly considered Young's best album.  It has received numerous accolades over the years and placement on various "greatest" lists, including #71 on Rolling Stone's initial 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time List.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "After the Gold Rush"
The title track is a classic Young ballad, with his trademark high voice tearing at your heartstrings.  It's a perfect song for a poignant moment in a movie, and in fact, it was inspired by a screenplay of a movie that never got made about California being destroyed in a flood.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "When You Dance I Can Really Love"
This one was a minor hit, reaching #93 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it's one of those songs that when you listen to it, you can understand why Young is considered the Godfather of Grunge, with its distorted, minor-key guitars.