What Happens When a Beloved Rock Star Gets Fed Up? | Neil Young's 1974 On the Beach Album | The Atlantic
Last year, we shared the news that Neil Young is planning a 50th anniversary edition of the album On The Beach.
And here we are in 2024 -- and while no 50th anniversary edition details as of yet -- we did get news on Neil Young Archives Vol. III, a 17 CD BOX SET.
Nevertheless, the tributes to Neil Young's 1974 masterpiece continue to roll in. Here's the latest: What Happens When a Beloved Rock Star Gets Fed Up? | Neil Young was never more paranoid or pessimistic than with 1974’s On the Beach—for good reason | The Atlantic by Elizabeth Nelson. (thanks Bob G.!)
By the year of On the Beach’s release, rock and roll had become big business, and the American concert landscape was changing as a result.
Bob Dylan and the Band had reconvened on their multimillion-grossing run of dates, and CSNY, too, had begun to sell out stadiums and arenas on what came to be known, by dint of its excess, as the Doom Tour. In time, messianic pop singers would create grotesque carbon footprints in the interest of advancing their brands. Young and his band were fueled by a combination of potent fried weed and honey, called “honey slides”—and the creeping paranoia that accompanies getting too stoned matches the mood of the album’s closing songs.
Young sounds confused but resolute.
On the almost seven-minute title track,he makes suggestions, seemingly to himself: “Get out of town, think I’ll get out of town,” in a way that makes you think as a listener, He’s never going to get out of town. “Motion Pictures”—an elegy for his estranged partner, the actor Carrie Snodgress—is about Young embracing the beauty of nature, as the people around him are captivated by their television sets. “All those people, they think they’ve got it made,” he sings. “I wouldn’t buy, sell, borrow, or trade / Anything I have to be like one of them.” He sings: “I’d rather start all over again.”
Full article @ What Happens When a Beloved Rock Star Gets Fed Up? | Neil Young was never more paranoid or pessimistic than with 1974’s On the Beach—for good reason | The Atlantic by Elizabeth Nelson.
More on Neil Young's 1974 masterpiece album On The Beach ...
More on Neil Young's "Ditch Trilogy/Quadrilogy".
Also, see:
- On The Beach Album by Neil Young: A 50 Year Old Masterpiece
- Comment of the Moment: 50th Anniversary Edition of Neil Young's On The Beach Album Planned
- The Essentials: On the Beach by Neil Young | The Old Grey Cat
- "Time Fades Away", "Tonight’s the Night" & "On the Beach": The Beautiful, Enduring Gloom of Neil Young's Ditch Trilogy
- The Surrealism of Neil Young's "On The Beach" Album
- Tattoo of the Moment: "On The Beach Face" Neil Young's Album Cover
- On The Beach: 45 Years Later, Still Neil Young’s "Most Beautiful (and Most Depressing) Album")
- Nick Cave and His Favorite Neil Young "Hiding Song": "On the Beach"
Labels: album, albums, archives, boxset, cover, ditch trilogy, neil young, nya, on the beach, song
by thrasher@PermaLink: 8/12/2024 10:27:00 AM
18 comments
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18 Comments:
An interesting take on the hippie culture, although somewhat judgmental. I was fairly young in the 1960’s, and for me the dream isn’t over. I still envision a world where everyone is accepted as they are, and no one is left behind to suffer. Neil still believes that too At least that’s my opinion anyway.
Peace🙏
In the latest LTE on NYA, Neil says 50th anniversary edition is still on the way. Given that Harvest and ATGR didn't 50th didn't offer up much new music, I'm not holding my breath.
Both 50th Anniversary Editions were a Huge ripoff imho. ATGR Prob more so @ $100 for a single vinyl (& a 45). Nice packaging, but even @ $50 (Amazon) still a heavy lift. Harvest? I dunno, lost count how many times, in how many formats I’ve made THAT purchase. No diff, really, except I REALLY wanted to own a copy of “Harvest Time” after the theatrical release. Great film. Had to buy the cd box to get it though. (Maybe my eyes from 50 yrs ago would’ve been able to read the included cd sized book)? Neil knows how to cultivate that money tree in the field of opportunity. Surprised that he never offered the Harvest 50th full sized book for sale, separately. I woulda sprung fer that.
I recently, purposely, purchased a remastered vinyl of OTB from Amazon. I didn’t/don’t want an overblown anniversary box.
Kinda funny his response in LTE to the heavy lift of Ark3. “Don’t Buy it”. Classic Neil. Also made me think of the opening act we got to see twice on Love Earth tour. Rev Billy. And the STOP SHOPPING CHOIR. Mixed messages. Also classic Neil. :) But, as I get older I’m getting better at disseminating mixed messages. I think?
"I'm still living the dream we had, for me it's not over."
I was very disappointed in this article. I thought the author missed the depth of the ditch trilogy and especially On the Beach.
Innaresting comment from NY on Ark4 on NYA
This comment has been removed by the author.
Alan
@ Abner : Agreed, the article wasn’t the greatest. The Ditch Quadrilogy deserves serious analysis. The Quadrilogy background with Homegrown thrown in to mess up the count. This is key history in the life of Neil and his music is deep in my soul. These are masterpiece albums. Who cares what they were ingesting!
We have enjoyed good coverage of this topic here on TW. I have those 4 on vinyl but I don’t buy vinyl regularly due to the high cost of living etc. I agree the anniversary sets could have been a lot more expansive. But then you can only fit so much on a high quality vinyl record.
Thanks again Thrasher for continuing to post such a wide variety of “inarresting” NY topics. You come up with so much for us to enjoy. Sometimes & sometimes treasure. Kudos for the very high batting average! Morsels in the Neil Universe. . Sometimes the stories tell themselves. Aided by your regulars here at TW we love the vibe together.
TW provides quite a valuable service to us hard core Neil Young fans. We are all over Earth, and we are here on TW.
Please Help Support Thrasher by donating to PayPal as seen on TW Home Page. He spends his own money to keep the dream alive here every day for all of us. Thrasher coumd use help paying for it all from us, his avid readers. He has no profit but does have a pro free speech stance. We get “all the Neil that matters” and no advertising ( which is why TW can use $upport.pitch in what you can, it all helps. Thank you!
The NYA 3 set promises to be a great new “chapter” in the Neil vault. I can’t wait to dive in. I do love the new songs.
I also finally got the CD of Early Daze a few weeks back and I agree with Dan about the great listen this early band gives us. Early versions of songs we know from years on. Helpless. Fantastic album, I love it.
Thanks for being here. Your Brother Alanon Seattle
Missed spelling. Thrasher “Could” use the Help in paying for bandwidth.
Please $upport his labor & sacrifice. PayPal link on TW Home page
@ Dan - like Abner says, "we're still living the dream we had".
@ K. N. - ok, good to know. hopefully some treats? Maybe the famous poster will be included as a bonus??
@ h.w. - yep, mixed messages, as usual. part of the whole Neil trip. the only consistency w/ Neil is the inconsistency.
it's like someone told him long ago that consistency is boring and he took it to heart.
Also, thanks on NYA#4 tip. Posted @ http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2024/08/neil-young-archives-volume-4-creation.html
btw, it's very helpful when folks spot something on NYA of interest. many thanks!!!
@ Abner - funny you mention your disappointment w/ article.
We started getting lots of links over to The Atlantic article from various sources but it was behind a paywall. We didn't really want to mess w/ all the registration stuff and passed on it.
Finally someone sent us an excerpt which we scanned and clipped on blog here.
While yes, author missed many elements, overall fairly reasonable MSM assessment. Afterall, who could imagine such an album going mainstream after 50 years of languishing as a certifiable masterpiece amongst fans, while the world marched along and the music industry committed suicide.
Neil gets the last laugh on us as usual.
@ Brother Alan - many thanks. good to see you. always appreciate the support.
peace
I had link to our library to read the article. I was very curious as Atlantic is usually high quality. It is, however, different for us. We have lived with Neil's music and story for a long time. There is no satisfying us.
@Abner, as a librarian, I salute you. Folx, use your access to libraries to get beyond pay walls. Your taxes and tuition dollars at work.
KN- I can't function without our librarian!
I wish my Library had more access to news print online. It’s not that I can’t afford a daily/weekly subscription. It’s that I can’t read the printed paper and they don’t offer large print. Insult/injury a stand alone digital subscription is FREE w/ a print edition, but costs twice as much if only ordering a digital subscription (direct from the rag source). Also, for the amount of taxes we pay, our local library ONLY offers news print to read in house (Again, not large print). The library does offer A lot of other digital media options (streaming movies, ebooks, music) but news, not so much. In fairness they change up offerings from time to time so maybe time fer ‘nother check in. Btw, Libraries/ Librarians rock! :)
I found Harvest 50th good value for Harvest Time and the BBC concert. I didn’t go for Goldrush 50th but remember really liking the vibes version of Wondering.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the commemorative editions were Reprise’s initiative, not Neil’s. It’s a popular marketing technique that doesn’t fit the Archives model. Although he has a message and wants to get it out, NY is not necessarily keen to sell himself. He seems to work from an underlying assumption, which carries over to his core audience, that art has inherent value as an experience. (An ethos of “let the work speak for itself” may explain bland press releases.)
Incidentally, I’m currently in the library “business”. I’m not academically active, but old habits die hard. ILL (inter-library loan) is a lifeline. It’s just warming to hear from folk who appreciate this invaluable and endangered resource.
@herbsworld Sorry to hear the access is not what you'd hoped for. If you haven't already, reach out to them and let them know what you're interested in. Can't guarantee success, but we do take patron purchase requests seriously.
Nice to know (though hardly surprised) TW Readers are also dedicated library users.
@kn:
I actually “chatted” w/a librarian. The way it was explained to me is the news print gives libraries “data base access”. You can search archived records (including today’s) but it is not the same as full subscriber access. I was told I can physically visit & log on via a library desktop to access ANY full print version of ANY newspaper. That may work if I can ever afford to retire.
I’m currently retreading. :)
The chat did turn me on to another “new” service (new to me, anyway). Flipster. It is a magazine reader app. Full access to full & current editions.
I was shocked, SHOCKED, to see a print subscription mailer in RS.
$59.99/ yr! When RS was RnR I recall subscriptions were $12 / yr. I stopped reading b/c RS couldn’t decide if it was hip hop OR political. I don’t want either, from RS. That & I kinda got tired of the meaningless “best of” lists. But I digress. There are hundreds of magazines available . Very cool. Thanks all.
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