I got this album when it first came out on vinyl and thought it Neil's best album along with the harrowing Tonights the night. I read David Crosby ridiculing this album in Record collector a few years ago, and that has got to be enough of a recommenation to go out and buy it. Crosby has had a less than stellar solo career. This album, for me is somewhere between the Goldrush stuff and Crazy horse. I like the lyrics here especially, very different and memorable. The music is tasty without drowning out the lyrics as I feel is the case in some of the Crazy horse stuff. Nice album all round. It's nice to finally have a copy on CD

'On the Beach' was released by Neil Young in July of 1974, one day after the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young reunion tour hit the road in Seattle, Washington. Unfortunately, that tour would turn out to be less spectacular than their tour in support of 'Deja Vu' four years previous. Crosby, Stills and Nash suggested a reunion disc be released but Neil wasn't interested, feeling that CS&N had little to offer. Interestingly, this particular disc reveals that Young himself had limited ammunition in his own holster. He might have done quite well to join forces and mix his own best offerings with the similarly limited material CS&N seemed to have at their disposal as the best years of their careers began to wane.

'On the Beach' is perplexing. It opens with perhaps the finest quartet of songs Neil has ever produced, save the tracks that make up 'Rust Never Sleeps'. Not only are these first tracks stellar compositions, but each one hits you from a completely different angle. The disc opens with the vibrant, off-handed 'Walk On', with a chorus of "some get stoned, some get strange, but sooner or later it all gets real" announcing a divorce within the ranks of CSN&Y. One of Young's most underrated compositions follows, the absolutely captivating 'See the Sky About To Rain' with Neil performing on, of all things, a Wurlitzer piano, with harp accompaniment. The lyrics are nuanced and thoughtful, and flow perfectly within the melody. We then skip abruptly to 'Revolution Blues' (which, along with 'Ambulance Blues' and 'On the Beach' registered as staples on the '74 tour), a rough edged, gripping ode to Charles Manson, with Young sounding more like his muse, Bob Dylan, than ever before or since. This sterling quartet winds up with 'For the Turnstiles', a highly likable country-blues track finding Young on banjo along with Ben Keith on dobro. Young's vocals are a "throw-back" to his broken-voice style found on 'Tonight's the Night' (which was recorded before, but released after, 'On the Beach', in 1975).

On the original vinyl release, side one ended with 'Vampire Blues', a decent slow-blues number, but not a radical piece of art like the sonic treasures that had preceded it. For first time listeners, the diminished quality of 'Vampire Blues' would signal the worse: side two consisted of three of Young's most undistinguishable works. While none of these songs is a loser, there is a whole lot of darkness and depression going on, and each song makes you increasingly numb and weary. 'On the Beach' features some nice lead guitar and really is the best song in the bunch, and could be better appreciated were it not surrounded by so many similar sounding tracks. The weakest track is 'Motion Pictures', dedicated to Young's former wife, Carrie Snodgress, whom Neil spent much of the decade pining over.

The liner notes aren't extensive, but the players are detailed, and Young has surprises lined up on nearly every one. 'Revolution Blues' features former Band members Rick Danko and Levon Helm, while David Crosby lends a rhythm guitar. Graham Nash is behind a Wurlitzer piano on 'On the Beach'. On seperate tracks Joe Yankee is adding an electric tambourine and a harp. Young regulars such as Ralph Molina, Tim Drummond and Billy Talbot are also prominently featured.

Given the quality of the first four numbers, this disc goes beyond being essential only for fans of Neil Young. It exists as an essential componant of any comprehensive rock music collection.

um thanks for the reissue. cuz this album is so good even though it makes the beach seem like a rully sad place to be even though i usually think of it as a happy place to be. the instrumentation is a lot of what makes this so good but also the tone of voice couples just perfectly with the lyrics and it sounds so good.

As Neil Young moved into the mid 70's he had experienced commercial and critical success that would rival any other in his field. As a member of the Buffulo Springfield, CSN&Y and as a successful solo artist, one could say that he had it all. One listen to this and it's even darker twin TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT will tell all you need to know about Young's take on the spoils of success.

The sixties had turned from a hedonists world of music for the sake of music, casual highs and optimism into a nightmare of comeercial exploitation, OD's and bitter pessimism. ON THE BEACH does an especially good job of documenting the bitterness Young must have felt at becoming a public comodity as well as the death of 60's utopianism.

I held off reviewing this album for a while due to the fact it had become the forbidden fruit of the Neil Young catalog. For some reason this was unavailable on CD until 2003. Well, the novelty has worn off and it is still a great listen. Neil's spirits may have been crashed, but he was hitting on all cylinders as an artist.

WALK ON kicks things off in fine fashion, followed by the beautiful SEE THE SKY ABOUT TO RAIN, then it's into the dark soul of an angry musician. The last three songs (ON THE BEACH, MOTION PICTURES ad AMBULANCE BLUES), which comprised the second side of the LP, create a manifesto of 70's style malaise.

ON THE BEACH, in my opinion is one of the best albums that Neil Young has ever released. A true Neil Young fan would be well advised to add it to their collection without reservation, just don't expect HARVEST.

I have the same problem as another reviewer-I notice the frequency rate is 176khz which is rare. Maybe this entry level player cannot handle this output. Yet it plays on my cheapish Victor mini system (DVD-Audio) only available here in Japan. Strange.