Monday, October 31, 2011

#5: Neil Young - On The Beach

Release Year: 1974

The first time I heard On The Beach, I thought the first half was brilliant.  "Walk On" is a great rock song, "For The Turnstiles" is a nice little banjo tune, and "Revolution Blues" is like an even better "Southern Man."

But this album really achieved greatness for me when I heard it while driving down the freeway in Phoenix late one night, while in a mellow state of mind, and "Motion Pictures (For Carrie)" came on.  A feeling of peaceful satisfaction came over me that lasted through the end of "Ambulance Blues."

The back side of this album was recorded while the band were consuming a marijuana-laced honey concoction, and the result is three mellow tracks with an abstract and tender quality not achieved anywhere else in his repertoire.

This record is a portrait of a man on his way out of the ditch.  This is an album about finding resolution in your toughest battles.

Standout tracks:
  • Revolution Blues
  • Ambulance Blues
  • Walk On

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