But the album does have an overall mood and an overall lyric content, and they conflict with each other: The mood is melancholic, but the songs mostly describe the longing for and fulfillment of new love. Much of it is country-tinged, with Young backed by a new group dubbed the Stray Gators who prominently feature steel guitarist Ben Keith, though there is also an acoustic track, a couple of electric guitar-drenched rock performances, and two songs on which Young is accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra. Certainly, Harvest employs a number of jarringly different styles. But successful as Harvest was (and it was the best-selling album of 1972), it has suffered critically from reviewers who see it as an uneven album on which Young repeats himself. It's fair to say, too, that Young simply was all-pervasive by this time: "Heart of Gold" was succeeded at number one by "A Horse with No Name" by America, which was a Young soundalike record. "Heart of Gold," released a month before Harvest, was already in the Top 40 when the LP hit the stores, and it soon topped the charts. It was unbelievable.Neil Young's most popular album, Harvest benefited from the delay in its release (it took 18 months to complete due to Young's back injury), which whetted his audience's appetite, the disintegration of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Young's three erstwhile partners sang on the album, along with Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor), and most of all, a hit single. Instead Young told him to get into the rowboat and once they were in the middle of the lake, Nash thought they would listen on headphones amidst the peaceful surroundings.īut that is not what Young had in mind as Nash recalled, “He had his entire house as the left speaker and his entire barn as the right speaker and I heard ‘Harvest’ coming out of these two incredibly large loud speakers, louder than hell. Producer Elliot Mazer and Young were still trying to get the balance of the recording correct and Nash thought they would head into the studio for a listen. In an interview with NPR’s Fresh Air, Graham Nash revealed a funny story of listening to Neil Young’s ‘Harvest’ before its release on Young’s ranch. Listen: Colleen with Joe Boyd and Mike Heron of Incredible String Band Interview Hence, most of his instrumental contribution was acoustic. Due to a crippling back condition, Young was unable to pick up an electric guitar and recorded most of the album while in a back brace. There is another reason behind the record’s overall mellow mood. He recorded on his Californian ranch (‘Old Man’ is about the caretaker), a setting that helped lend a pastoral feel to the album. This skyrocket to success left the notably introverted Young with a sense of disillusionment and a yearning for privacy. One of the many subjects dealt with on ‘Harvest’ is Young’s need to retreat from the public eye as his previous effort, ‘After the Gold Rush’, along with his work with Crosby, Stills & Nash, catapulted him to fame. The album’s pastoral tones are broken only once, on the upbeat and generally uplifting ‘Are You Ready for the Country’ which also happens to be one of only a few electric guitar driven tracks on the album. Whereas large portions of the albums offerings are subdued and relatively simplistic in composition, the anthemic piano based ‘A Man Needs A Maid’ and the orchestral ‘There’s A World’ (recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra in the humble Barking Town Hall) are bold and striking minor key folk ballads. Listen: Neil Young ‘Harvest’ Musical Lead-Up Playlist
Most of the remaining songs were built upon this earthy folk sound including the heart wrenching ‘Needle And The Damage Done’ which chronicles Young coming to terms with the loss of a dear friend to heroin addiction. They quickly recorded several new songs that Young had written on the road including his soon-to-be biggest hit ‘Heart Of Gold’. Young and company did not know it at the time, but these impromptu recordings were the seeds of what would become one of the most highly regarded albums of all time. A favourite of Joan Baez and Jimmy Buffet, the studio occupied a former private house and Young found it easier to work in the informal, homey atmosphere. After the recording he spontaneously enlisted fellow guest performers James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt along with session musicians Kenny Buttrey, Tim Drummond and Ben Keith (later dubbed The Stray Gators) and settled into Elliot Mazer’s Quadrophonic Sound Studios. In 1971 Young appeared on The Johnny Cash Show which was recorded in Nashville. I couldn’t physically play an electric guitar.” – Neil Young in Rolling Stone 1975 That’s a lot of the reason it’s such a mellow album. “I recorded most of Harvest in the brace.
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