Can We Agree That Neil Young's ' On The Beach' Is One Of His Best , If Not The Best, Albums?

Playing 'On The Beach' on this drizzling rainy overcast day and it's fitting my mood perfectly.

This is a great album. Bought it on release ( was it really 47 years ago? Good God!) and liked it immediately.
Almost didn't get as I thought it might have been ' Harvest Volume 2' and I certainly didn't want that.
But it wasn't ' Son Of Harvest' thankfully.

What it was though was Neil at his cranky and barbed best.
What a treat!

For the longest time ' Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' was my fave Young and that's understandable. With songs like 'Cowgirl In The Sand', ' Down By The River' and ' Cinammon Girl ' how could it not have been? Classic.

But 'On The Beach' surpasses it in many ways.

 

Love this album, in my Neil top 10

 

It's my 2nd favorite Neil Young record (behind Rust Never Sleeps). Love it.

 

It’s definitely a top 5, maybe top 3 Neil LP for me. It’s actually the first one I ever bought. It was right after it finally came out on CD. I was with a friend in a store and had gotten curious about Neil so I asked him which one I should get. He suggested OTB and I was in for life once I heard it.

 

Certainly top 10 Neil and several of the songs are staggeringly good, but people tend to overrate it ever so slightly. I think part of that is it was out of print for so long and NY wouldn't allow it on CD, along with Time Fades Away.

 

One of his best for certain, but there are ones I prefer. I used to play On The Beach a lot back in my student days, less so now. It was only the second Neil Young album I ever heard after After The Gold Rush, even possibly the first. I loved it straightaway and starting buying almost all the Neil Young albums over the next couple of years.

I heard it first because I got the vinyl and knew it was unavailable on CD then, so I had to buy it there and then.

 

Yes, yes we can.

 

Yeah,no, can't agree with that. I found it too dark and depressing when I first heard it upon release. I did like Walk On,See The Sky, and For The Turnstiles right off but those long Blues songs went to a pretty dark place. I liked it better as the years rolled by but not near a favotrite. Great cover though and I have a giant record store OTB promo poster that I hear is worth a good bit.

 

Wasn't aware Neil had initially put the kibosh on ' On The Beach ' for CD release.
Why was that?

 

I definitely agree. The only thing I don't listen to is "See the Sky About to Rain", the rest I have yet to tire of hearing.

 

It's the Neil young album I play the most.

 

It's my favorite of his.

 

Agreed.
My favorite changes from time to time but it’s always in the top three.

Every one of his first seven albums (plus others) are required for any serious music collection.

A lot of us here bought them as they were released and that run of LP’s was incredible.

 

Peak Neil is this and After the Goldrush

 

Yes! I'm not a huge Neil fan, but I'm a huge OTB fan. -E

 

“On the Beach” has ever been my fav NY album though I have always thought “Walk On” sounds just out of place. Being the album opener only makes matters worse IMO.
The rest of the album is sheer sadness, loneliness and beauty.

 

My friend that recommended it to me warned me that it was pretty dark. When “Walk On” started, I was very confused

 

Agreed. Listened to that record a lot in the summer of 1974. I was working about 70 hours a week on a farm.

 

Your guess is as good as anyone’s.

He seems to have had a downer on this period of his life (73-74). He held off an official CD release of (the less highly rated)Time Fades Away as well.

 

I guess you had the opportunity to listen to 'more barn!'

 

Including Journey Through The Past? I ask as it's the only one I don't have and I don't think I've ever heard it. With the exception of Comes a Time, which is a fine album but not incredible, I rate Neil Young's music from Buffalo Springfield to half way through Hawks and Doves as one of the finest in all rock music.

 

His guitar playing on the "eponymous" track is absolutely sublime. No fat on this album--eight flawless songs, and I really adore the hazy, honeyslide-laden vibe of Side Two.

It's a Ditch album too, so yes--we agree, @Wildest cat from montana!

- siyt

 

It and TFA wasn't available on CD throughout the 90's. My friend had found the b*ootlegge*d tracks online.

Not sure why other than Neil is a curmudgeon and fusses over his back catalog.

He seemed intent on confounding his newfound audience after Harvest with the trifecta of Journey, TFA and On The Beach.

Add in Tonight's The Night. Uneasy listening for casuals, to say the least.

 

Well like I said, I didn't know about this.
I bought it on CD after having to dispose of my records some years ago.
Saw 'On The Beach' at the store and remembered how good it was so I got it.

 

Love this album so much but man … his 70s albums are tough to rank. It’s my favorite of his but it’s tied with 3 others for the top spot ha