AFTER THE GOLD RUSH - Neil Young

released 9-19-1970

AFTER THE GOLD RUSH was based on a screenplay by Herb Berman, a friend of my first wife Susan, and Dean Stockwell. After reading it, I wrote some songs loosely associated with the story and recorded them in a studio built under my first house and above the garage, high on a Topanga hillside.

Danny Whitten could not make the sessions but he did come in at the end and recorded with us, doing a lot of chorus singing on many songs and playing on one song, ‘When You Dance I Can Really Love’. Jack Nietzche was there on a wild piano. Billy Talbot on bass. What a memory that is! Ralph Molina played drums on every track.

I played piano on ‘Birds’, recorded at Sound City. There were a couple of Sunset Sound cuts that I had previously done with Crazy Horse, recorded in the mornings while rehearsing with CSNY in the afternoon at Still’s house. Those are ‘I Believe in You’ and ‘Oh Lonesome Me’. Some others from those Sunset sessions, (‘Wondering’ and ‘Helpless’) are on Crazy Horse’s ‘Early Daze’ album (still unreleased) and waiting for release in the Archive.

‘After the Gold Rush’ is one of my early high water marks as I look at it now. It could have been called ‘Topanga’. Joel Bernstein took the cover photo and the package was designed by Gary Burden. When I moved up north to the ranch, I sold the hillside house to Gary. Gary made about 50 album covers with me before he passed away. I miss him. He lives forever in this music and album.
LOVE
ny