“Zuma” represents a lifestyle change for Neil Young, coming out after the darkness of his “ditch trilogy” (“Time Fades Away”, “On the Beach” and “Tonight’s the Night”, which represented a dark, drug fueled phase and the death of a friend and a bandmate), but it also carries the weight of a failed marriage.

Crazy Horse was back together (with a new guitarist), and another failed attempt to record with Crosby, Stills, and Nash left him with a significant amount of material to draw from. All these changes rejuvenated him and inspired Young to write in a wider variety of styles, from sad love songs to sprawling, dream-like historical anthems. The diversity is refreshing, and the net result is an album as compelling as “Tonight’s the Night” but also as easily enjoyable as “After the Gold Rush.”

Featured tracks:

Don’t Cry No Tears

Danger Bird

Pardon My Heart

Lookin’ for a Love

Barstool Blues

Stupid Girl

Drive Back

Cortez the Killer

Through My Sails

November 1975 - Billboard Charted #25