I’d like to start this piece by stating that I’m scared to do it. As somebody who came along 9 years after the original vinyl was pressed, printed and released, and has spent his formative years in times not nearly as progressive or turbulent, my capacity to do justice to an album such as this seems incredibly overwhelmed.
In an age where students hardly even protest anymore and the biggest news is not political or societal injustice, but Paris Hilton’s latest legal or social debacle, my self admitted competency to review this album does seem questionable… A faultless limitation maybe, but still true nonetheless. That being said, On the Beach is my favorite album of all time (along with Zeppelin II), and in my mind is the greatest album ever released by the quintessential singer/songwriter. Bold statement yes, considering Young has probably half a dozen other works that could all share that title… and all of it is still greater than the best work of 99% of the genre… (And this is rock and roll we’re talking about here)... Here’s why..
My younger brother recently showed me a short video clip he took of himself and his friends sitting on a hostel balcony while backpacking in Greece. Nobody’s posing or smiling, there’s just a strange city, a couple cigars, a transient frame of mind, and a late day sun pouring down... all while “Revolution Blues” plays on in the background… I can think of no more appropriate visual description to give you for this record. This album comes from a place as honest and authentic as they come, from an artist who (along with the Bob Dylan’s and Tom Waits’ of the world), gives meaning to those 2 words. As the linear notes attest and the songs prove, this record was written through the escape of a dark place. Young is cynical and depressed here… and he just doesn’t give a fuck! All there is is the music, and everything else is appropriately deemed insignificant in its shadow. The result is the most uncontrived musical creation I have ever heard on record. The songs within are moody, diverse, and magnificent.
Side One… The record begins with a poppy opener in Walk on. To be honest I usually skip it… not because it’s a bad song by any stretch of the imagination, but because to me it doesn’t connect with what I love so much about the rest of the album. That being said, it does provide a hopeful introduction to what is essentially a somber and thoughtful record… don’t ignore it. From here on in the record progresses from song to song in an erratic pattern, becoming more beautiful and profound as each number passes.
See the Sky About to Rain begins the album’s accent (or descent, however you want to look at it...) with a country flavored ballad based around the unique sound of a Wurlitzer Piano. This is the last attempt Young makes at keeping this musically breezy on this album as the songs become far less about melody and far more esoteric. Track number 3 is the first song of “the Blues” trilogy featured on the album in Revolution Blues, a driving minor key lament featuring Young’s signature vocals and lead guitar backed up by David Crosby’s rhythm guitar playing. Next up is “For the Turnstiles,” a laid back minimalist blues number which is essentially Young singing and picking a banjo with vocal backing and Dobro highlights (whatever the hell that is?) from Ben Keith. Musically effective and probably the most unique track on the album… Side one rounds out with “Vampire Blues,” another laid back blues number which features Young crooning “I’m a Vampire baby… sucking Blood from the Earth” and a groove I could probably sit on for an hour. Put together it’s a potent combination… and not often you catch musicians this in the pocket on a studio album.
Side Two… when I say I love this album, this is where I’m coming from. Musically different completely… as good as the first side is, the second just gets better. I could go on and on about how great these last 3 songs are and make some half baked, ill advised attempt at why… But I won’t. There is something sacred here that need not be frivolously talked about... These are for you to discover… if you so choose… and I hope you do.
Released after the mega success of Harvest, On the Beach doesn’t have the same hits that Harvest did but it does contain the truth. There is a genuineness here that cannot be faked, and is rarely if ever replicated. Listen to this album in solitude, with a close friend, in slower times, and in a place such as the title suggests… There is magic here, if you take the time to find it.
