Silver & Gold (2000)

“I’ve been tryin’ to cut this song for ten years, and that was the take. I was right fuckin’ on it.” (Neil Young quote related to Jimmy McDonough, Shakey)

Back at the outset of recording for Harvest Moon, engineer John Nowland neglected to follow Neil’s (or maybe it was Briggs’) cardinal rule of “always roll tape” and Neil missed out on a take of “Silver & Gold.” It would be another six years until he recorded it again for the album named after this song. So it took him 16 years to record a song he had written. This isn’t completely uncommon for Neil but it demonstrates the sheer breadth of material he writes and has at hand. Sugar Mountain lists 591 songs whereas Neil’s recent 50% publishing sale listed 1,180 songs (some of that is likely live albums, outtakes, etc). Makes sense that once he finally got the take down, he was going to name the album after it.

Silver & Gold is basically part three of a “Harvest band” trilogy, using mostly the same people as Harvest and Harvest Moon. These albums don’t particularly sound alike with both of the prior two albums being quite varied. Silver & Gold, by contrast, is very even, with a sparser feel than its predecessors. Personally, I could have done without the band. The film of the same name features many of these songs purely solo and they work better. Neil is on a particular vibe throughout this album. That vibe is out front on opener “Good to See You,” an upbeat piece that feels like a big exhale after exorcizing his grief over Briggs’ death. Interestingly, four years separate studio albums. When you look at Neil’s discography, he consistently releases a studio album every year, with few exceptions. I can only imagine the feeling of this album comes from him taking some time to himself to really think about what direction he wants to go in.

“Silver & Gold” is just a beautiful love song. It’s no wonder he had been struggling to capture it. It’s the type of song he would want to get just right. Deeply personal and completely bare of any disguise, it’s a nakedly honest statement of love. “Daddy Went Walkin’,” like “Old King,” is a down home jangle that I love. He could make a whole album of these country hymns and I’d be delighted. It’s so evocative and catchy.

I think there’s a lot to like about “Buffalo Springfield Again” but the awkwardness of the chorus throws the whole song off for me. It makes me notice all the little hokey bits in the song’s instrumentation and lyrics. Likewise, “The Great Divide” is a little half-baked despite having great verses. The chorus feels like it’s from a different song, though. Continuing a little run of misses, “Horseshoe Man” sleepwalks through a saccharine backing song that is at odds with the sad and confusing lyrics.

We get back on track with the wonderful “Red Sun.” I like the sparse contributions of the band and EmmyLou Harris’ light harmonizing. There’s something stately about this song that fits in with these country ballads. Ben Keith’s steel pedal takes on an unearthly sound here, too. A welcome change from his normal sounds, personally. I like the music of “Distant Camera” but the lyrics are kind of goofy. I mean…he’s describing what a camera does as if it’s a new invention. 55 is a bit young to be having this revelation, Neil. Cheesy lyrics combined with lovely music is a recurring trend on Silver & Gold, though.

“Razor Love” has been appearing in live sets for the last 20 years from what I can tell, so he apparently really took to this song. I can see why. It’s catchy, well-written, but it’s not particularly standout to me. I’d definitely point to different songs on this album with better staying power to my ears. He really stretches for some notes here, and that shaker…maybe a bit much. “Without Rings” is a lovely closer, though. Very intimate sounding and with a bit more of that sad wistfulness that is more in Neil’s wheelhouse (despite some awkward lyrics about software compatibility). His guitar is gorgeous on this and there’s more low end to his voice, giving it a hushed atmosphere. It’s fitting at the end here.

Top 3:

1. Daddy Went Walkin’
2. Good to See You
3. Red Sun

Cut song: Horseshoe Man

The film Silver & Gold by Larry Johnson captures a May 1999 performance in Austin, Texas at the Bass Concert Hall. It’s quite charming, full of little idiosyncratic Neil moments. He plays seven songs from the album, which he had just recorded but wouldn’t be released for another year. There are also three songs from a CSNY album he just recorded, Looking Forward. That means that the audience would have only known three songs in the entire set list. Which makes the moment before “The Great Divide” quite entertaining to watch. During a lengthy break when he is transitioning guitars and harmonicas, the audience starts shouting out songs they want to to hear. This happens in many of his performances and he never plays requests. He smiles and says he knows what he’s going to play (which is obviously nothing they would know already).

One particular highlight for me was the second a cappela half of “Daddy Went Walkin’” which is just remarkable. Don’t normally hear Neil sans instruments and he is clearly have a fun moment to himself on this. Another great twist was the pump organ rendition of “Long May You Run,” which adds a more atmospheric tone to this well-known song. Not exactly a highlight but a surprising moment was “Philadelphia,” the Oscar-nominated song that does not exactly sound like Neil to me. It sounds like a song you’d hear in a film, though. It’s pretty, but doesn’t have much to hold it together otherwise.

Top 3:

1. Daddy Went Walkin’
2. Long May You Run
3. Slowpoke

Cut song: Philadelphia