A Rush of Blood to the Ears.

Sadly, music has become my consuming passion. It is spiritual, religious even, a kind of holy and innocent drug. A little distorted electric guitar is always good to give relief. For Jude it is license to get a little crazy. But then, the other day he sat peacefully on my lap while we cranked Rage Against The Machine. Maybe he is learning my art/religion.

One of my favorite car jams is Neil Young’s After The Goldrush. This album was unknown to me when I first acquired the tape. It was one of many tapes inherited from Stephen and Stephanie, a parting gift before we left Vancouver. A tape deck was the only audio medium available in our two-tone blue Vanagon (‘83, round headlights, air-cooled edition). So Stephen let us take his old tapes. After The Goldrush was in there, but we didn’t know its significance. Fortunately we bought a car (to replace the ill-fated Vanagon, bless its heart) that also had a tape deck and no CD player. So, driving around, tapes were the only option.

Neil Young’s critically-best album, made in 1970 during his CSNY days, became an instant favorite to me. I still love it about a year later. I have since - and recently - discovered his other opuses. But there is a special quality to After The Goldrush that makes it so conducive to jamming in the car. I think it will be part of heaven’s soundtrack.