As prolific as Neil Young continues to be, much of the veteran singer-songwriter’s contemporary output has consisted of repackaged old material in the form of live albums and studio outtakes. His latest, Before and After, continues in this vein, as every track has appeared, in one form or another, on a previous release.
None of that is to say that Before and After is inessential. Young is a conceptual thinker, a fact that his strict adherence to live recording and spartan production techniques has often disguised. On Before and After, however, the concept is front and center, and the intimacy of the recordings emphasizes what Young was trying to achieve rather than obscures it. Barring some keys provided by Bob Rice, these recordings feature Young singing and playing alone in a room, including some awkward fumbling around on a pump organ.
Opener “I’m the Ocean” in particular is served well by this approach.
None of that is to say that Before and After is inessential. Young is a conceptual thinker, a fact that his strict adherence to live recording and spartan production techniques has often disguised. On Before and After, however, the concept is front and center, and the intimacy of the recordings emphasizes what Young was trying to achieve rather than obscures it. Barring some keys provided by Bob Rice, these recordings feature Young singing and playing alone in a room, including some awkward fumbling around on a pump organ.
Opener “I’m the Ocean” in particular is served well by this approach.
- 12/5/2023
- by Lewie Parkinson-Jones
- Slant Magazine
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