Neil Young’s sequel to 1972’s HARVEST found him reuniting with the Stray Gators and inviting along a few other famous friends. Unlike Crazy Horse’s sonic bludgeoning, the Gators’ light playing featured ethereal-sounding pedal steel and harmonies that caressed like a gentle lover. This was the perfect compliment for Young’s songwriting, which was fueled by romantic notions of courtship and deep thought. Young and Nicolette Larson harmonized and became the lovers of “You and Me,” whereas Jack Nitzsche’s string arrangements made for a nice contrast in “Such a Woman,” a bold-faced declaration of love. Other insights into the normally cranky iconoclast’s sentimental side include the delicate touch of the title track, which leaves an image of slow-dancing in a dark corner. Fast approaching 50, Neil Young also used HARVEST MOON to reflect back on his life, particularly in the biographical “One of These Days,” and “From Hank to Hendrix,” a twangy sequel to “My My, Hey Hey (Out of The Blue).” Young also continued his commitment to the environment by including both a protest against man’s destruction of nature (”War of Man”) and a live tribute to the forest and jungles recorded at a Portland, Oregon performance that included sounds of the Brazilian rainforest (”Natural Beauty.”)

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.

Tracklisting
1. Out On The Weekend
2. Harvest
3. A Man Needs A Maid
4. Heart Of Gold
5. Are You Ready For The Country
6. Old Man
7. There’s A World
8. Alabama
9. The Needle & The Damage Done
10. Words (Between The Lines Of Age)

Professional Reviews
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.’

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Neil Young – Harvest

AFTER THE GOLDRUSH mixes up the hard rock of EVERYONE KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE and the folk and country leanings Young pursued with Crosby, Stills And Nash in one of his most eclectic and satisfying releases. The acoustic picking on the opener, “Tell Me Why,” frames Young’s vulnerable warble beautifully, signaling the softer aspect of the album. But the electric crunch of “Southern Man,” a raging tour de force protest song that captures the special chemistry between Young and backing group Crazy Horse, balances Young’s sensitivity with aggression and amplification.

The album continues its collage of styles, from the wistfulness of “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” to song fragments like “Til the Morning Comes” to the transformation of Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me” from canter to ballad. But the crowning achievements are the album’s magnificent title track, a vividly drawn portrait of post-’60s melancholy, and the gorgeous, aching “Birds,” a swan song heralding emotional departure. Both songs are graced by Nils Lofgren’s delicate piano, and stand as two of Young’s finest compositions. In a catalogue filled with rock classics, AFTER THE GOLDRUSH still ranks among the best.

Tracklisting
1. Tell Me Why
2. After The Gold Rush
3. Only Love Can Break Your Heart
4. Southern Man
5. Till The Morning Comes
6. Oh Lonesome Me
7. Don’t Let It Bring You Down
8. Birds
9. When You Dance, I Can Really Love
10. I Believe In You
11. Cripple Creek Ferry

Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.114) – Ranked #71 in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums Of All Time” – “…An album of heartbreaking ballads….The music is gentle…”

Spin (p.101) – “His most plaintively pretty and mournfully pissed-off folk album.”

Q (4/02, p.141) – “…Subdued, intimate, largely acoustic: the sound of the post-’60s comedown pressed into vinyl. Packed with fine songs…”

Mojo (Publisher) (11/01, p.150) – “…With the singular exception of ‘Southern Man’, the songs here sound gentler but are still about confusion and disillusion…”

NME (Magazine) (9/18/93, p.19) – Ranked #19 among The Greatest Albums Of The ’70s.

NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.29) – Ranked #66 in NME’s list of the ‘Greatest Albums Of All Time.’