Harvest

Performer: Neil Young
Engineer: Tim Mulligan
Producer: Tim Mulligan
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: James Taylor (guitar, banjo); Teddy Irwin (guitar); Jack Nitzsche (lap steel guitar, piano); Ben Keith (dobro); James McMahon, John Harris (piano); Kenneth A. Buttrey (drums). Photographer: Joel Bernstein. Unknown Contributor Role: John Nowland. Recognized as one of Young's (and hence one of rock & roll's) finest albums, HARVEST put the singer on the mainstream map with the mega-hit "Heart of Gold," which defined a soft folk-rock style frequently revisited by lesser artists throughout the 1970s. It also features some of his darker compositions, like the entropy-obsessed "Old Man" and the junkie eulogy, "The Needle and the Damage Done," one of Young's most haunting and compelling songs. Deceptively laid-back-sounding country-rock plaints like "Out on the Weekend" and the title cut caress the ear unassumingly, pulling you into the more ominous subtext that is present even in the rollicking "Are You Ready for the Country." As always, Young has an ear for contrasts, laying down heavy rock ("Alabama") beside his balladry, and even employing the London Symphony Orchestra on the excellent confessional "A Man Needs a Maid." Due to back troubles, Young recorded much of this material while wearing a brace, a fact that seems audible in the tension and unease that underlies the friendly, acoustic surface of this superb release.

Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.114) - Ranked #78 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...Americana - steel, guitar, slide guitar, banjo - stripped down and rebuilt with every jagged edge exposed..." Q (7/00, p.141) - Included in Q's "The Best Male Angst Albums Of All Time" - "...The showcase for [his] most affecting artistic devices..." Mojo (Publisher) (11/01, p.150) - "...If he was laid-back at this time it was simply because spinal surgery had made him literally so..." NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #60 in NME's list of the 'Greatest Albums Of All Time.' NME (Magazine) (9/18/93, p.19) - Ranked #22 in NME's list of the 'Greatest Albums Of The '70s.'

Like the Band, Neil Young eschewed his Canadian roots to create a sound rooted in American folk and country, which he mixed with visionary, poetic rock in Buffalo Springfield and on his solo albums. He played the crucial fourth wheel role in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, but ultimately proved too individualistic to participate in a democracy. The gritty, electric assault of his work with Crazy Horse is the alter ego of Young's more folk/country-based work, and also proved a key influence on the grunge sound of Seattle (Young even recorded a live album with Pearl Jam as his backing band). Over the years, he's followed his mercurial muse through everything from rockabilly to synth-pop to big-band blues, always remaining uniquely Neil.

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