NEIL YOUNG - AFTER THE GOLDRUSH

'Southern Man'

On this day in music history: August 31, 1970 - “After The Gold Rush”, the third album by Neil Young is released. Produced by Neil Young, David Briggs and Kendall Pacios, it is recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood, CA, Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, CA and Neil Young’s Home Studio in Los Angeles, CA from August 1969 - June 1970. Having recently joined his former Buffalo Springfield bandmate Stephen Stills in Crosby, Stills & Nash, the band name is amended to add Young. CSNY release the classic “Deja Vu” album in the Spring of 1970, before the individual band members embark on solo projects. Young records a sizeable portion of his third release in his home studio in Topanga Canyon with members of his band Crazy Horse, including a then eighteen year old guitarist named Nils Lofgren. Overdubs and vocals are recorded at Sunset Sound and Sound City Studios. It spins off two singles including “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” (#33 Pop) and “When You Dance I Can Really Love” (#93 Pop), though the albums centerpiece is the track “Southern Man”, a sharp rebuke against racism. Originally released on CD in the late 80’s, it is remastered and reissued in 2009 with HDCD encoding and is reissued on vinyl. “After The Gold Rush” peaks at number eight on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified 2x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

more relevant now than it was then sadly . . . . . .and the preposterous response from Lynnurd Skinnerd was no help . . . . protest all you like but where were the black faces in your band, in your audience? No didn't think so . . . . . 

Great guitar on this one from Jimi Hendrix's favourite guitarist! Alongside a teenage Nils Lofgren now almost permanent Bruce Springsteen sideman

now your crosses are burning fast and southern man,  they are still alight on the lawns of America and who knows the Whitehouse lawn before long . . . . . .how long, how long?