Neil Young
Harvest

THE REVIEW

“Out On The Weekend”, steady pace, dreamy melody, and a delicate harmonica. The beginning of “Harvest” is among the most relaxing and balanced moments of rock. Simply perfect.
With the title track, it shifts to more country sounds; a mild cadence and Young's enchanting meow are the peculiar characteristics of the track. “A Man Needs A Maid” instead accentuates the intensity of the album, with the piano and horns in a magnificent crescendo. The entire track is then embroidered with strings and numerous sounds that converge into a tempestuous ballad, although never threatening.
The following song transcends these slight distinctions. It is simply beautiful, a tableau of the sun setting behind the hill, while a gentle wind tousles our hair. “Heart Of Gold”.
“Are you ready for the Country”, while staying at good levels, dispels the magic that permeated the first 4 tracks, splendidly linked by a consistent and coherent melodic interpretation.
A folk-flavored acoustic guitar opens “Old Man”, a sweet rural ballad, characterized by an engaging chorus.

With “There's A World”, another balance is broken; the orchestrations sound really out of place and diminish the value of yet another masterful ballad by Neil. With “Alabama” comes the political invective, supported by an unusual electric guitar and an epic choral singing. And the result is excellent. “The Needle And The Damage Done” is a short dirge played with the colors of dawn and embroidered with the first rays of the sun. A pleasure to listen to.
“Words” is one of the most rock pieces on the album. A simple theme, enlivened by the aggressive grip of the guitar and expanded by the fascinating instrumental digression. But honestly, in this work, I find Mr. Young more suited to gentle ballads and lunar melodies rather than hard rock songs.

“Harvest” is the best-selling album of 1972; besides definitively breaking ground for country music, and in particular country-rock (or perhaps pop), it has lessons to teach everyone in terms of songwriting. It is a very catchy record, in which Neil Young seeks (and continuously loses) an absolute musical balance. Perhaps what makes the album eternal is precisely this. It is a constant yearning for perfection, a search for ecstasy, which is often captured with depth by Mr. Young's magical singing, gathering our emotions like picking wildflowers.