On the Beach

by Neil Young

Type: Album
Released: July 19, 1974
Label: Reprise
Country: Canada
Length: 39:29
Community rating: 4.47/5 from 19 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

As the second installment of the so-called 'Ditch Trilogy', 'On the Beach' is a conscious departure from the commercial success of 'Harvest', favouring a raw, under-produced sound that complements its bleak and melancholic themes. The album's creation was marked by haphazard recording sessions and the use of 'honey slides,' a concoction of marijuana and honey that contributed to the music's slow, hazy, and dream-like quality. Its songs grapple with alienation, the downside of fame, and political cynicism, featuring stark lyrical portraits in tracks like the Charles Manson-inspired 'Revolution Blues' and the sprawling, introspective 'Ambulance Blues'.

Genres

Descriptors: bleak, confessional, minimal, honest, folk, acoustic, bluesy, storytelling, guitars

Tracklist

Credits

Neil Young - primary artist, written-by, guitar, vocals, producer, electric piano [wurlitzer piano], vocals, lead guitar, vocals, banjo, vocals, guitar, harmonica, vocals
Gary Burden - art direction, design
Rick Griffin - lettering
Bob Seidemann - photography by
Rusty Kershaw - sleeve notes, slide guitar, fiddle
Billy Talbot - bass
Ralph Molina - drums, vocals, drums [hand drums]
David Briggs - producer
Ben Keith - slide guitar, vocals, steel guitar, electric piano [wurlitzer piano], dobro, vocals, organ, vocals, drum [hair drum], drum [hand drum], bass
Tim Drummond - bass, bass, percussion
Levon Helm - drums
Joe Yankee - harmonica [harp], tambourine [electric tambourine]
Mark Harman - producer
Rick Danko - bass
David Crosby - rhythm guitar
George Whitsell - guitar
Graham Nash - electric piano [wurlitzer piano]
Al Schmitt - producer