Music Listening Session #3 – Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush
Details
Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush (1970) stands as one of the defining albums of the singer-songwriter era, blending folk, country, and rock into an intimate yet timeless sound. Recorded partly in Young’s basement, the album’s spare production and vulnerable tone capture a moment of cultural transition — caught between the idealism of the 1960s and the disillusionment of the new decade. With songs like “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” “Southern Man,” and the haunting title track, Young crafted a deeply personal meditation on love, loss, and ecological decay. Revered for its sparse beauty and emotional honesty, the album cemented Young’s reputation as one of rock’s most original voices and remains a touchstone for generations of artists — from folk troubadours to grunge pioneers — exploring the intersection of fragility, protest, and grace.
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New-ish series! Join the Toronto Philosophy Meetup to listen to and discuss some of the greatest and most important and influential albums of all time. After each track, we'll pause for a short discussion where we can share our thoughts and reflections or what the music has meant to us personally.
I'll have lyrics up on Zoom's screen share.
For our third session let's listen to After the Gold Rush, possibly the greatest album by the Toronto-born rocker Neil Young (he's only recorded 45 of them!)
Albums we've previously discussed:
Potential future listening sessions:
- Massive Attack
- Radiohead
- Joni Mitchell
- Bob Dylan
- Pavement
- Wilco
- David Bowie
- Sonic Youth
- Kraftwerk
- The Velvet Underground
- Lauryn Hill
- Prince
- Marvin Gaye
- Aphex Twin
- The Pixies
- Sex Pistols
- The Clash
- The Smiths
- Joy Division
- Primal Scream
- Public Enemy
- Aretha Franklin
- Talking Heads
- Arcade Fire
- Kendrick Lamar
- The Streets
- The Strokes
- ETC...
We'll be joined by many other participants from the Toronto Philosophy Meetup at this meeting — https://www.meetup.com/the-toronto-philosophy-meetup/events/311837583/
Check out other music, film, and poetry discussions in the group every Sunday and occasionally other days.