I had been trying desperately to get into Neil Young, but I never seemed to understand what he was going for, sampling material from every facet of his career...then I picked this up the other day and all I have been listening to is any Neil Young I can find in my sloppy record collection...This man is...well...he's Neil...The songs are so sparse, there's really so little to it, but so much to be gained from hearing this music...and his voice...I love bad singers...Dylan, John Mayall, Tom Verlaine (not the same caliber, but I couldn't think of anyone else right now)...His voice is so melancholy and almost innocent...It really seems like the songs are built around his voice, but that's not a real valid point...I don't know the man's process, I just know the results are breathtakingly beautiful, poignantly insightful (if you are, like I'm told I am, a gloomy person, just pick up almost anything from this period in his work and you'll find something there), and they give me a feeling of great appreciation that this man has lent us his art throughout the years...Keep searchin, Neil, keep searchin... ps I hate writing reviews, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity here...don't mind me....

A must-have, eh? So what's with the four stars?
Yes, well, I'm really only a "mid-level" fan. And Neil Young is something of an acquired taste...his voice, while much different from Bob Dylan's, is almost as difficult to get used to for casual listeners, and the extremely eclectic nature of his output means that his sales has never matched that of, say, the Beatles or the Stones, even though he is second to Dylan only in terms of influence and pure talent.

I like Neil Young a lot, but I'm not a huge fan. For me, five stars is "Muddy Waters at Newport" or "Exile On Main Street". But this timeless singer/songwriter-album is a classic, no doubt about it, and it includes some of Neil Young's best songs.
Opening with the briskly rolling "Tell Me Why", "After The Gold Rush" is almost solely acoustic, consolidating the image that Young had gained through his tenure with Crosby, Stills and Nash. But one of the best songs, the harsh "Southern Man", which evokes images of burning crosses and other atrocities, is a gritty rocker with some sizzling lead guitar by Young himself, and it inspired Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd to write "Sweet Home Alabama" which includes the lines "I hope Neil Young will remember, the Southern man don't need him around anymore". And "When You Dance I Can Really Love" packs quite as punch as well, in a low-key sort of way.

The rest of these 11 songs are gentle folkish love songs, lazy shuffles, and country-flavoured ballads, like the classic "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", the mournful "Oh Lonesome Me", and the title track. "Don't Let It Break You Down" is reminicent of Bernie Leadon, and the slow "I Believe In You" is pure CSN(&Y).

As I said, this is a must-have for serious Young fans. And I have it as well, as you can see, so less serious fans won't be disappointed either. If you're into Neil Young, this is for you. "After The Gold Rush" is one of his finest albums.

This is in actuality a folk album. The quality, lyrical content and the timing of this album falls right into this genre. It must have been very draining, I would imagine, for Neil to produce this epic. I grew up listening and looking at the album cover when I was about 10 years old. Everyone probably has their favorite "soft spot" album and this is definitely mine. I played acoustic guitar to it so many times....it is like a part of my DNA.

In terms of melody and mood, this is by far Neil's best album. The tunes are haunting, and the way the rhythm and guitar work together gives you the sense that all your cares are being ironed out.
If you fault Neil's singing on this album, you aren't a true Neil Young fan. Neil isn't a pretty singer like David Cassidy. He's not a finesse artist who wants to wrap up his music in a nice shiny package. What you can hear in Neil's voice is a real person trying to convey feeling through lyrics and melody. There are plenty of singers who have a better voice, but few with Neil's depth of feeling. Another hallmark of his music is his way of letting a guitar solo take the place of a voice to convey a melody that says more than words can say.
Neil really hits his stride with "Oh Lonesome Me" and "I Believe in You." His "Birds" calls to mind "Expecting to Fly"--as if they were parts of the same meditation on loss.
This album should be a staple in your Neil Young collection.

My feeling on Neil Young is that he is quite an accomplished songwriter. Tunes like Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Cripple Creek Ferry, Don't Let It Bring You Down, and a few others are quite captivating both musically and lyrically. There are some good guitar and piano passages throughout the record as well.

However, the bringdown is Neil's voice. The title track is quite beautiful...that is except for the off tone vocals of Mr. Young. Southern Man and When You Dance are captivating rockers. However, Neil's harsh whinny vocals do annoy me rather than please me. The harmonies by Crazy horse and any guest musicians help somewhat. However, when the lead voice is a liability, the entire project suffers as a whole.

Therefore a three star rating seems fair. I would seek out Harvest instead of this as Neil's vocals on that CD are a bit more listenable.