Neil Young-Harvest “I want to live, I want to give
I’ve been a miner for a heart of gold
It’s these expressions I never give
That keep me searching for a heart of gold
And I’m getting old…”

Forty years ago, in February of 1972, Neil Young’s fourth album, Harvest, was released.  His previous outing, After The Gold Rush, had made it into the Top Ten on Billboard’s album charts, so many were eager to see what Young had in store for them.  Ever ecelctic, he did not disappoint.

The album starts with “Out On The Weekend”.  If you had never heard the song, you could probably safely guess it was on this album, given the guitar style, the harmonica, the tone, the beat, and the laid back country feel of it in general. It’s almost “Heart Of Gold” - Lite, without the philosophical leanings. The country atmosphere is not accidental, most of the album having been recorded in Nashville.

The title track is uninspiring, musically… a very old-sounding, traditional country melody.  But a closer listen reveals the lyrics to be its strong point: “Did she wake you up to tell you that / It was only a change of plan? / Dream up, dream up, let me fill your cup / With the promise of a man…”

“A Man Needs A Maid” did not really speak to me, to be honest. Though I must admit, I was intrigued by the lush orchestration in the song, deftly provided by the London Symphony Orchestra; quite unlike most of what I’d heard from Neil Young. (“There’s A World” was also recorded with the LSO.)

The most well-known track on the album is “Heart Of Gold” (quoted above).  Backing vocals by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt served to provide a lush contrast to the sometimes stark voice of Young. This song would eventually make it all the way to Number One;  in fact, it’s still the only # 1 single he’s ever had.

“Are You Ready For The Country?”  Apparently I wasn’t!  This isn’t a bad time, although I confess, I prefer Waylon Jennings’ cover that came out a few years later.

“Old Man”, with its distinctive banjo and steel guitar riffs, was the other single from the album, and actually made it to # 32 on the singles charts. This was news to me, I hadn’t even realized it had been released as a single.

“Alabama” continues Young’s documentation of his personal discovery of the American South, a theme also explored in the previous album’s “Southern Man”. And although he does reflect on the run-down nature of the place, Young is not quite so pessimistic as he was on that song.

“The Needle And The Damage Done” happens to be my personal favorite on the album (maybe because I’m an aspiring acoustic guitarist myself).  As it turns out, the song was inspired by the real-life overdose death of guitarist Danny Whitten from Young’s band Crazy Horse.  This tune was recorded live at UCLA in early 1971.

The last track on the album is “Words (Between The Lines Of Age)”.  Being unfamiliar with the song, it caught me off-guard. It features backing vocals from David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash, and could have just as easily fit in on a CSNY album.

Harvest went on to become the best-selling album of 1972, with good reason.  It’s defintely earned a place in the annals of classic rock history, as well as your music collection.  So if you don’t already own this gem, why not swing by Amazon (CLICK HERE) and rectify that omission?  Your ears will thank you.

Yours,

Classic Rock Jimmy

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