Neil Young – Before and After – Album Review
by Killian Laher

Neil Young albums arrive with such regularity that they have ceased to have much impact to all but the truly hardcore fan.  For this album he has performed solo, stripped-down versions of 13 of his songs.  Of course Neil being Neil he has recorded them as one continuous 48 minute piece!  Present and correct are his acoustic guitar, piano, organ and of course the harmonica.  Avoiding his more obvious, popular songs, he has drawn from right across his back catalogue, stretching back as far as Burned from his Buffalo Springfield days.  Most interesting is I’m The Ocean, played on acoustic guitar.  In 1995, the line “people my age, they don’t do the things I do” resonated, but it has even more meaning 28 years on.  Much of the album focuses on so-called lesser corners of his discography with tracks from Mirror Ball, Are You Passionate and Barn.

The piano tunes are a mixed bag, a so-so version of A Dream That Can Last and an over-embellished Birds.  On the other hand, My Heart feels like he has grown into the song, with a sweeter, less tossed-off feel than the original.  Perhaps the most successful is a sombre reading of When I Hold You In My Arms, which features a gorgeous electric guitar solo midway through.  Doomy organ propels Mother Earth and Mr Soul, while later an amiable strum through Comes A Time stands out because of the strong songwriting.

Most of us will give this a few polite listens before filing it away on the creaking Neil Young shelf.

I’m The Ocean