On The Beach (1974) is a rock album by Neil Young and produced by Neil Young, David Briggs , Mark Harman and Al Schmitt. The title track and front cover imply a post-apocalyptic vision of the world with could well be inspired by the novel and movie On the Beach.

Recorded after but released before the harrowing Tonight's the Night, On the Beach shared some of that album’s bleakness and crude production –- which came as a shock to fans and critics alike as this was the long-awaited studio follow-up to the commercially-oriented Harvest album -- but also included hints pointing towards a more subtle outlook, particularly with the bouncy yet cynical opener “Walk On”. While the original Rolling Stone review described it as “one of the most despairing albums of the decade”, later critics such as AMG’s William Ruhulmann used the benefit of hindsight to conclude that “[Young] was saying goodbye to despair, not being overwhelmed by it”.

For nearly two decades, On the Beach notably headed the list of most-desired albums not released on CD. Along with three other mid-period Young albums, it had been withheld from re-release until 2003; the reasons remain murky but there is some evidence that Young himself didn’t want the albums out on CD, variously citing “fidelity problems” and legal issues. Beginning in 2000, Over 5000 fans signed an on-line petition calling for the release of the album on CD; this wish was finally granted in 2003.

Track Listing

1. "Walk On" - 2:40
2. "See The Sky About To Rain" - 5:03
3. "Revolution Blues" - 4:02
4. "For The Turnstiles" - 3:13
5. "Vampire Blues" - 4:11
6. "On The Beach" - 6:59
7. "Motion Pictures (For Carrie)" - 4:20
8. "Ambulance Blues" - 8:57

External links

• Analysis of the album On The Beach lyrics