Rating: 9/10

Track Amount: 8

Running Time: 39 minutes and 31 seconds

Genre: Folk Rock, Country Rock

Personnel: Neil Young plus guests

Producer: Neil Young, David Briggs and Al Schmitt

Record Label: Reprise Records

Recording Location: Sunset Sound & Broken Arrow Ranch, California, USA

Art Direction: Gary Burden with Bob Seidemann

Best Tracks: On The Beach, Ambulance Blues

Quick Verdict: A perfect listen for those of you struggling with success

Never before had an album been such a drastic change in a musician’s outlook on life after a breakthrough. Neil Young had achieved some considerable commercial music success after the release of the 1972 album Harvest. This album marked the beginning of the so-called “Ditch Trilogy” after Neil Young felt down after receiving so much exposure and success that he didn’t feel right about things, and “headed for the ditch” instead, in his own words. In any case, this album warrants exploration for this reason, as fame and commercial success often have their dark side. Nonetheless, this album, along with many other albums of this era by Neil Young, is now regarded as a classic, even though fans were expecting something completely different. Let’s go to the beach and find out what Neil Young has in store for us today.

1. Walk On begins with some very 1970s guitars and instrumentation. Neil Young sings in a pseudo-country music style, and he sounds really great as a singer and songwriter. This song is a good Rock Music interpretation of the isolation and loneliness that he was in. Nonetheless, this is a simple and interesting listen throughout. This is not a million miles away from the music of the likes of the Eagles. There is an excellent and wonderful-sounding music quality to all of this. This still sounds upbeat, despite the misery lyrically of Neil Young. A slide guitar solo is present as well, which sounds really sweet. Neil Young pines for earlier times in life by wanting to take drugs and stay up all night, working hard at what one does. A really good tune that has a magnificent quality and impact on the listener. A seriously good song. Towards the end are more slide guitar solos and tasty electric guitar licks. Nice.

2. See The Sky About To Rain begins with some sweet chorus treated organ playing that sounds awesome. Neil Young sings deeply and emotionally in a very upbeat sort of way. This continues the awesome consistency and quality of the music at hand. Clearly, Neil Young was not a happy chappy. This launches into a Southern Rock fried sort of tune with slide guitar that sounds really cool. Just like what came before it, this does sound really quite awesome. All the same, this is an introspective and reflective listen that is highly rewarding. Fame and riches aren’t for everyone, and Neil Young articulates all that very nicely. This is very much Country Music for those of you who don’t think that sunshine and beaches are what they are cracked up to be. The midsection has the organ playing by itself for a bit before the band quickly returns into action. This is a decent and interesting tune that is autobiographical and wonderful in nature throughout. By this stage, one can hear instantly how much of a classic album that this is. The consistency and quality of the music are brilliant. The slide guitar soloing is also a very nice addition throughout. A really great song, especially if you feel down and out. Wonderful music by Neil Young. This does sound extraordinary. There is a harmonica at the end as well.

3. Revolution Blues begins with some minor key guitar strumming, before the rest of the band kicks in to solidify the groove. Neil Young sings a brilliant song about what happens after society’s revolutions. This album is a masterclass of dark cynicism, and Neil Young was great enough to pull this all off. This is excellent music for the 1970s, when Richard Nixon was the USA President and the traditional post-war consensus was dissolving politically between the major political democratic parties of the left and right. All the same, this is fiery, furious and fantastic music that is worth multiple repeat listens. The guitars and drums throughout sound absolutely brilliantly listenable as well. This is definitely one of the better cuts from this album so far. Neil Young articulates the music and sounds perfectly. This album is also one of the most overlooked and underrated albums of all time. Period. This has a nice and moving guitar solo section at the end of it all. Great song.

4. For The Turnstiles begins with a banjo that sounds warped and different. Neil Young sings a song about seamen out to sea alongside minimal and simple music. The singing in the chorus is fantastic and borderline raspy, in a good way, of course. Slide guitar enters on this tune as well. This is pseudo-Country Music for those of you who value minimalism and stripped back music that is weary of the world. This is, nonetheless, a really great listen for what it is. This is definitely a bittersweet sort of listening experience. Nonetheless, this minimal and song-based tune is another winner. The music is simply magical, although quite bleak. Another great song at hand.

5. Vampire Blues is an interesting song title. It begins, true to its name, with some awesome neck pickup Blues guitar and launches into a slow-burning but excellent tune that is about vampires in the world. This is an excellent song that is very different to much of the Popular Music out there now, although it sounds a lot like a dreary version of Eric Clapton’s 1970s offerings. This song still sounds pure and fresh, to this day. The Blues is nicely explored by Neil Young on this track, and some neat rhythm-based guitar soloing is present. No shred or pedals, just some genuinely good guitar playing. A really fine and fantastic tune. This music will fascinate both older listeners and new listeners as well. This is the sort of music that one can fire up a joint and kick back to. Towards the end is a rather odd single-note guitar solo, which is very weird, followed by another guitar solo section. An excellent song.

6. On The Beach is a seven-minute-long piece which begins with some minor key melodic guitars, bongos and multitracked instrumentation at hand. This is a downtempo tune that follows a sort of Blues based pattern of music, but sounds really nice to listen to and is very original in its own way. This is a deeply melodic and fantastic track that has power, beauty and finesse about it all. Neil Young reflects on his recent experiences of fame and success and how he is unable to deal with that on a personal level. In any case, this centrepiece tune is a masterwork in how being a person of fame can eat one up alive. There is a simple and subdued guitar solo on this tune as well, which sounds really great. Neil Young made music for those who didn’t get life at the time, and even in today’s world as well. The simple yet effective guitar soloing is different. This has Neil Young further reflecting on some seemingly real-life issues in his lyrics, and he sings about the choices that he made, which made him unhappy. In any case, this tune is a magnificent listen, although in line with the times, it is fairly lengthy. Neil Young sings about getting out of town over some simply effective and listenable music throughout. A really pretty song in its own way, although the lyrical matter is somewhat selfish. Not to worry, the guitar soloing on what sounds like a Fender Stratocaster is really excellent. A very, very good song to listen to. Worth it from start to finish. It sounds remarkably different at the end of it all.

7. Motion Pictures (For Carrie) begins with some sweet acoustic guitar strumming, and sounds excellent in the process of it all. Some Fender Telecaster enters with lovely slide guitar playing. Neil Young sings very nicely indeed on this song. This is another really great song that sounds quite a lot less bleak and very much happier in its own way. A really excellent and forward-thinking tune. This is a lovely acoustic guitar-based ballad with bongos thrown in for good measure as well. Neil Young sings about desiring to hit the reset button on life, with no way of turning back. Harmonica soloing is present in the midsection, which is really quite different. This music is great, all the same. It’s far from positive-sounding, but it is definitely magical and musically consistent throughout. Obviously, Neil Young regretted becoming rich and famous on this album. In any case, this is a sweet and pretty tune. The harmonica returns for another crack at it towards the end. Another solid cut from Neil Young. Everything sounds great here.

8. Ambulance Blues is a longer piece at nearly nine minutes in length. It sounds absolutely fantastic from the start, and Neil Young sings and plays with an acoustic guitar, reflecting on past times. Again, just like the rest of this album, this is fantastic listening. There is a fiddle and other instrumentation, such as bongos, to support this wonderful song as well. This is a masterpiece for those of you who value Southern fried Classic Rock with a melancholy feel. This is a seriously great listen that is beautiful, tragic and essential listening for many different music fans out there. Nonetheless, this gorgeous tune has some really fantastic and pretty music throughout. It’s about death itself. Sadly, it arrives at some point for all of us, no matter how good or bad we are. Towards the midsection is a pretty set of harmonica and fiddle solos, which adds some flavour to the tune at hand. This music is quality-sounding and is no doubt very influential for young men and women to pick up guitars to this very day. Neil Young returns, singing about the tragedy and evolution of his life as a famous Rock Music star and comparing it to events gone by in his life. This does have a very Bob Dylan flavour to it all as well, sounding absolutely magnificent throughout. The music and sounds are simple, yet enjoyable. Neil Young proved that, in the chaos of fame, he still had a musical vision, even if he had indeed headed to the ditch. In the second half are some further great singing and pretty instrumentation at hand. This is a sad reflection on times at hand for Neil Young, and he sounds far from happy. Towards the end is more soloing on the harmonica and fiddle, giving this a relatively Country Music feel to it all. A really awesome tune that sounds emotional as well as beautiful. A tragic tune with top-notch 1970s Rock Music sounds and production to match it all. It eventually ends with the instrumental track playing along nicely. A great finish to a great album.

This is one of the most underrated albums out there. It may not be a very happy or upbeat listen, to be fair. However, it is consistently great and points out that Neil Young is not just a great musician, but also had a vision, even as he struggled to cope with the pressures of fame and riches at hand. On The Beach was recorded just after Harvest (1972), but was recorded after the next release, Tonight’s The Night (1975). Even so, Classic Rock fans will love this release, in particular. Should you listen to this album? If you are feeling down about life and want something to reflect that, look no further. Fans of more optimistic music styles will not enjoy the bleakness of this at all, however.

If you like this article, please like, share, comment and follow me on The Ultimate Music Library. Thank you, Chris Airey.