Neil Young’s ‘On the Beach’ still haunts the American Dream half a century later

First, a quick word about what this column is all about. The big idea here at Common Chords is simple: all music is connected. And over the course of this series, we’re going to try to prove it—not with charts or genre tags, but with vibes, guitar tones, and emotional through-lines that make sense if you’ve ever cried at a Replacements song or accidentally fell in love while listening to a bootleg Dead show.

We’re starting with Neil Young, because frankly, where else can you start? The man’s been on an eternal genre walkabout for six decades: folk, garage rock, country, noise experiments, protest ballads, proto-grunge, synth-pop, whatever Trans was, and—yes—Everybody’s Rockin’, which is either the worst album ever made or the most elaborate prank ever pulled on Geffen Records. Probably bo