The Ditch Is Back: Neil Young's Ditch Trilogy

Neil Young Week Part IV"This song put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I met more interesting people there."
- Neil Young on "Heart of Gold," from the liner notes of Decade, 1977

Following the massive commercial success of his 1972 album Harvest and his only #1 single, "Heart of Gold," our hero Neil Young could have very easily settled into a very lucrative Eagle-esque career hacking out laid-back, E-Z listening country-pop.

But Neil doesn't roll like that. Rocked to the core by the death of Crazy Horse rhythm guitarist Danny Whitten (who OD'd the night he was fired from the band) and roadie Bruce Berry (he used to load that Econoline van), Neil's muse forced him to come to musical terms with the death of the L.A. hippie dream.
Thus he followed up Harvest with the legendary "Ditch Trilogy": three dark, eccentric, introspective and absolutely brilliant LPs: Time Fades Away, Tonight's the Night and On the Beach. Together, they are the benchmark by which the phrase "artistically uncompromising" is measured.

While many in the 60s were dying to live the West Coast dream — start a band, make a movie, become a big star, make a ton of dough, move to Laurel Canyon — a lot of people were now, in the 70s, dying from it. The Ditch Trilogy caputres this dread and disillusion perfectly - Neil often sounds wasted, angry and/or out of tune. Songs drag along one minute and rock furiously the next. Allusions to Watergate, Patty Hearst, Charles Manson and the energy crisis make their way into the lyrics. Even the most beautiful tracks, like On the Beach's "Ambulance Blues," are laden with despair.

Tonight's the Night has been available on LP and CD since its release in 1975. After years of rumors and waiting, On the Beach was finally released on CD a couple years ago. The live Time Fades Away, however, is completely out of print (though you can find it online if you look around.). It's rumored to be Neil's least favorite Neil Young album. Nevertheless, all three are must-haves.

Herewith, several selections from the Ditch Trilogy, along with an illuminating lyrical couplet, plus a YouTube bonus clip. Don't be denied.

MP3: "Don't Be Denied" from Time Fades Away
(Well, all that glitters isn't gold
I know you've heard that story told.
And I'm a pauper in a naked disguise
A millionaire through a business man's eyes.)

MP3: "Borrowed Tune" from Tonight's the Night
(I'm singin' this borrowed tune
I took from the Rolling Stones,
Alone in this empty room
Too wasted to write my own.)

MP3: "Revolution Blues" from On the Beach
(Well I hear that Laurel Canyon is full of famous stars
But I hate them worse than lepers and I'll kill them in their cars)

YouTube: Neil Young, "Mellow My Mind," Live 1976