Comments for Neil Young, Harvest

Neil Young's most successful album and a number one smash hit album in the U.S. and the U.K., and a hit around the world. This was the most eagerly awaited LP release of 1972 - Young was arguably the biggest solo rock star in the world at that time. His After the Goldrush LP ( Aug.1970 ), was a Top Ten Album and widely acclaimed as one of the outstanding releases of a vintage year for music, and an instant classic. Harvest was the end result of various recording sessions between Jan. and Sept. 1971, although it was not released until Feb. 1972. The number one hit single Heart Of Gold, propelled the album to the top, and the second single, Old Man, made the Top Twenty, and kept Harvest in the Top Ten for months. It would have sold even more, but Young was physically unable to tour that year as he was recovering from a major back operation. Apart from the superb hit singles, Out On The Weekend and the title song Harvest were also recorded in Nashville, which gave a country feel to these cuts. Two songs, A Man Needs A Maid and There's A World were recorded live with The London Symphony Orchestra at Barking Town Hall, London. The electric guitar dominated songs, Alabama and Words, along with the piano-led Are You Ready For The Country, were recorded live in a barn at Young's ranch. The remaing song, The Needle And The Damage Done, was recorded live at a concert from UCLA. These songs made for the most varied and probably the best album Neil Young ever made, although the critics at the time almost were unanimous in dismissing Harvest as an inferior re-tread of Goldrush - this back-lash was almost inevitable after being glorified for so long. This was a break-through album for Young because it also gained him wide respect from the classical music world - when the LSO comes in after the first verse of A Man Needs A Maid, it is a truly stunning moment. Alabama has a killer guitar hook and scintillating solo - it's anti-racist message making this a companion piece to Southern Man. Words features a brilliant piano accompaniment from Jack Nieztche, the legendary arranger for Phil Spector, and a haunting, melancholic guitar hook and a slow-building and emotional solo from Young, the master of improvisational guitar soloing, who never plays the same solo twice - check out the 15 minute version of Words from his Journey Through The Past album, despised universally by the critcs, but the raw, meandering soloing is just great! If you are unfamiliar with Neil Young's music, or have dismissed him as an ageing grunge rocker, buy this album and you will be greatly surprised! Before he was called The Godfather of Grunge by the critics, he was, and still is considered primarily as one of the most important composers in contemporary music.