Harvest
Neil Young
1972
Album Summary
Harvest is the fourth studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released February 1, 1972 by Reprise Records, catalogue number MS 2032. It featured the London Symphony Orchestra on two tracks and vocals by noted guests David Crosby, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, Stephen Stills, and James Taylor. It topped the Billboard 200 album chart for two weeks, and spawned two hit singles, "Old Man", which peaked at No. 31 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and "Heart of Gold", which reached No. 1. It was the best-selling album of 1972 in the United States. The album has since remained Neil Young's signature album as well as his best selling.In 2015, Harvest was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
WikipediaFor Day 16 of Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, we have 1972’s best selling album in America. Harvest by Neil Young. Released ten years before my birth, it is safe to say there were never any Neil Young posters hanging on my wall next to a golden bikini clad Cindy Crawford or Snoop Doggy Dog. I do know a decent bit about him and some of his music, and these are my thoughts about Harvest. As soon as I put this record on, I instantly felt like an outcasted cowboy on the prairie. The acoustic guitars, the harmonica, the steel guitarsand piano.. they all sound so smooth, and as warm as a campfire in Wyoming in the late 1800’s. The instrumentation is worthy of any Oscar winning film. The song I know the most is Heart Of Gold, a song that got so big that Neil Young distanced himself from it and wouldn’t perform live for most of his career. It’s a classic for sure, and was my favorite of his until hearing other songs on this album. Now, before I continue, I must say.. I’ve always been pretty indifferent to Neil Young. I wouldn’t complain if a stranger in the bar spent a couple quarters on the jukebox spinning a couple Neil Young songs. Full disclosure, upon my first listening of Harvest, I wanted to completely shit on it. It’s slow, kind of depressing at times, and I don’t like Neil Young’s falsetto. I couldn’t picture myself strolling around town in my ’69 Camaro with this in my 8-Track. For God’s sake, The Eagles debut album came out in 1972. I do know myself enough, however, to know that I have to listen to certain albums a couple of times before I know for sure whether I really like them or not. On my third listening of this album it struck me that I actually really do enjoy most of it. (Especially with decent headphones on). The final song, Words, is my new favorite Neil Young song. Up until now, at least. Another stand out, Alabama, a song that struck a literal major chord with the fellas over at Lynyrd Skynyrd, is more uptempo. The guitars and piano are so good. I don’t know shit about Young’s politics in his lyrics, but it’s a sonically pleasing song. The heavy gongs and chimes that lead into There’s a World can’t be denied, and to add the cherry to the top, you get the whole symphony chiming in. Other notable songs are, Are You Ready For The Country and The Needle And The Damage Done. In closing, I started off by totally disliking most of this album. I’m still not all that keen on Neil Young’s voice, and some of the slower and somber songs, but the second half of Harvest really grew on me. The production and arrangement on Harvest is above top-notch, its top shelf. I could listen to just the instrumentation and feel like an old, weathered cow wrangler a few years past his prime, like in the song Old Man. I’m glad I got to hear this album before I died. Props to the Canadian Cowboy! Please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and memories on my likely TL;DR posts!
This is the sort of album Crosby, Stills and Nash thought they'd get when they asked Old Neil to join their super group. When David Crosby says Neil "is probably the most selfish person I know", this is what he means. Neil saves his best shit for his solo albums. He even doubles down on the background vocalists. It's not enough to have Crosby, Stills and Nash provide harmonies, so we get Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor on arguably the best songs on the album (your mileage may vary, but they're the two biggest hits). I love "Alabama" for the call and response it created with Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Harvest" easily belongs in the upper echelon of any ranking of the greatest country rock albums of all time.
Classic. Yeah, the strings on Man Maid and World are a rough go, but there are so many great songs on here that you can forgive that excess. Eminently listenable.
A friend once mentioned that they thought Neil Young’s voice sounds like Kermit the Frog. Annoyingly it’s been my first though every time I’ve listened to him since. I now imagine Neil sitting on a wall with his guitar, while his little green legs dangle over the edge, singing about the perils of heroin addiction. This is probably my favourite Neil Young album.
This story begins a little somberly: you are lying in bed in a nursing home. You've been there for a while now, for an indeterminate length of time. Sometimes it feels like you've just arrived, other times it feels you've been there an eternity. You're not really sick, but at the same time you're not very well - truth is, you're just dying. Things are slowing down, your body is as likely to betray you as cooperate, and your mind is fuzzy most of the time. You're about halfway mobile; you can usually sit down and shit on your own, but you need help wiping and getting back up. A young man brushes your teeth most days, and for the most part you manage to open your mouth wide enough for him. Similarly, you can shuffle around on a walker but it's easier to spend most of your days just lying in bed, drifting in and out of sleep and simply being prodded awake a few times a day for those mushy meals they dish out at old folks homes. Sometimes, a relative comes to visit. Is it your son? Or maybe that's a grandson? You just don't know anymore, and for some reason it doesn't really matter anyway. Each morning, the nice girl comes and wraps something around your arm then looks at a device. You used to know what it was for, and you consider asking what's going on, but before you've had a chance she's removed it and gone to the bed next door. She is a nice girl, but sometimes she stands at your bed and talks to others about you as if you aren't even there. Eventually, one day you just take a final breath. As you release, it's more of a sigh than anything. For the first time ever in your life, your body chooses not to breathe back in. But in the ensuing stillness, you can hear a slight melody. It sounds distinctly familiar: it's the vocal line to Heart of Gold. And it's at that point you realise just how uneventful this all is. There's no fanfare awaiting you in the afterlife, no final moment of resplendent, youthful glory. And to be fair, there's also minimal pain and definitely no jarring moments. So you've got that going for you, which is nice. If anything, it's all just mildly uninteresting at this point. A lot like Neil Young's Harvest. 2/5.
This is Neil Young's mainstream breakthrough, kind of like his Born in the USA, and I have similar feelings about both records. The band feels really tight on this record, and there's a great groove throughout. Songs like Alabama sound like they could have been off of Tonight's the Night and Are You Ready For the Country? sounds like it's from Everybody Knows. RE: A Man Needs A Maid discourse, I struggle with this one. Its production, like There's a World, seem wildly out of place on this record. However, for me the lyrics: "To give a love, you gotta live a love To live a love, you gotta be part of" redeem the whole song. I think it's a bit of an attempt by Neil Young to view a loving relationship as emotionless, and he has this realization partway through that it's impossible. You need to take it for the ups and the downs, not some old world patriarchal mindset. 4.5/5
Like many 14 year old Pearl Jam obsessives in 1995, I was first introduced to Neil Young’s music via their collaborative album, Mirrorball. I remember my mom driving me in our ‘87 Ford Taurus station wagon to pick it up at Border’s Books and Music on release day. While we were waiting in line to check out, my Mom noticed that the hype sticker on the album said “Neil Young” on it and was confused: “I thought you wanted to get a Pearl Jam record?”, she asked. “This is it, they made it with Neil Young.” “Oh,” she said. “In that case, we need to get something else”. We get out of line and head back to the CD section, go to Neil Young and she grabs a copy of Harvest. “I’m getting you this one, too”. Never one to turn down a free CD, I agree…Two cd’s in one day and I don’t have to pay for one of them? Hell yeah. I’ve been a Neil Young fan since that day. Something about his music has always spoke to me. My tastes have changed wildly over the last 3 decades, but Neil Young is one of the few constants. I want to give this record a 5, I really do. It’s the record that started my Neil Young fandom. The title track is one of my all time favorite Neil Young songs, Heart of Gold is amazing, Needle and the Damage Done is harrowing and heartbreaking, Old Man is a classic, Words is an amazing closer and Alabama (coupled with Southern Man) is the song that pissed off Skynyrd enough for them to write Sweet Home Alabama (not sure they really got the point, though). There’s value to be found in There’s a World and (maybe a little less) in A Man Needs a Maid, but like others have said, they drag this album down a bit. Both are kind of overwrought and ornate, sitting awkwardly beside the other more minimal, traditional folk/rock songs. Comparing Harvest to the other Neil Young records on this list, there are others that I think work better as complete albums. The songs on Harvest are undoubtedly among the best in his vast catalog and Harvest is excellent. As an album experience, I don’t find Harvest perfect, but it’s damn close.
HOW MANY FUCKING NEIL YOUNG ALBUMS ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE ME LISTEN TO? Look, I don't like the guy, okay. He's a fine musician, he writes fine songs, and the issue here is that I don't like them and don't want to listen to them. He bums me the fuck out. What I can say about this album is that it does have some of the Neil Young songs that I like. They're uniformly total bummers, but at least they're good bummers, so 3/5? I guess
I wish Neil had a manager or friend who would have just told him that the ‘man needs a maid’ song should go to the trash heap. . . Many brilliant classics rock songs on this gem. One of my favorite opening album songs of all time - you feel like your in a pick up driving down the PCH
I’m not gonna sit here and tell you it’s my favorite album, but this thing is such a classic. Feels like every folk record for 50 years has this one to thank. Neil’s voice isn’t my favorite but it’s packed with such great tunes. Ends super super strong.
He’s had so many looks over the years. This might be his most well known, and with good reason
This has always been one of my favorite albums, and Neil is the artist that has had the biggest influence on the modern music I most enjoy. Harvest is one of his best folk albums, loaded with great songs. Out on the Weekend is probably my favorite song on here. I just love that beat.
The voice and harmonica combo will just never get old on this one. It’s just so uniquely him. Lot of hits here. Instantly takes me back to when I first heard it.
I love Neil Young and this album really stands the test of time for me. Something about his haunting voice combined with his lyrics (such good writing; often haunting, too, and nicely melancholic without being self-pitying) and his unique guitar playing. All comes together just so perfectly. Great album.
This is a really classic album. I decided to give it 5 stars despite Young's singing voice and the mistake that is "Every Man Needs a Maid".
This might be my favourite Neil album. I'm kinda glad he is off Spotify since it motivated me to dig up the vinyl, which is still in quite good shape, along with the hand written lyrics sheet. Heart of Gold is a great song and may be his best selling but I think the title track with its cryptic and terribly personal lyrics is perhaps his best song ever. Harvest is also the song from this LP that I play even though Heart Of Gold is much easier. I quite like the Stray Gators so "Are You ready for the Country" is another highlight. No disrespect for the LSO but the LP's only real negatives are the two songs that feature the LSO. "A Man Needs A Maid" is easy not to like even before you hear it since the title is so outdated - it was already outdated on release. If you check out the sans LSO version on his Massey Hall album, recorded before Harvest was released, the song is much easier to enjoy as it is very simple with just Neil and his piano.
Drugi Neil na liscie, tym razem plyta ktora wystrzelila jego kariere solowa, albumik folkowy w ktorym czuc bardzo mocno korzenie country i dumnie to prezentuje trakami takimi jak alabama czy are you ready for country, wiekszosc piosenek jest okolo romantyczna i jakies watki milosne musi zawierac, ale sa une ubrane w youngowy balladowy styl opowiadania historii, ciekawy jest takze trak theres a world, ktorego instrumentale sa dosc oderwane od reszty albumiku, brzmi od jak cos co mogloby byc openingiem epickiej sagi galaktycznej, a nie kawalkiem z harvesta, tak sie rozdrabniam na pojedycznce piosenki, a materialu tylko 37 minut, wiec do przesluchania na raz, do kolekcji plejkowej dodaje the needle and the damage done, czyli traczek ktory idealnie pasuje na tonights the night, a znalazl sie tutaj i to jeszcze w wersji live nagrywanej na koncercie barowym
i feel this album is heavily carried by 2 songs, heart of gold and old man, and i think old man from a pure songwriting perspective in using words to make something special its not that good. decent songs but not outstanding as an album
Fantastic album. Some absolute classics here. Not the biggest Neil Young fan, but this is solid songwriting.
I really cant find faults in this. Several incredible, emotional, hearfelt songs.
Will never cease to amaze me that Neil somehow manages to make his voice sound so good. All-time classic album.
Really enjoyed harvest, knew that before relistening, but still held true
This album is a personal favourite. Amazing songwriting and arrangements, an artist at their peak.
One of my favorite album and singer. Saw Neil Young several times in USA and Germany. Absolute genius.
Superb. The band began quite striped back and became more integral to the songs as the album progressed, finishing with an epic performance.
July 16, 2021 This is good stuff. The juxtaposition of orchestral arrangement, choral vocals, and more acoustic tracks is a little jarring, but in an eclectic way I am really enjoying. Love the last track.
This is practically a greatest hits album on its own. One of those rare albums I immediately start over and listen to again.
The memories that this album evokes are palpable. I believe this is the first album I ever owned, the first one that I played on my own Lloyd's stereo system that I got for my 11th birthday, some 49 years ago. That original album is long gone but the memories are still here and very real. This is the album that started my life long love of music. It might be 40 years since I listened to it front to back but listening to it today the memories came flooding back. Favorite songs; Heart of Gold, Needle and the Damage Done, A Man Needs a Maid, Alabama....especially Alabama, and Words. This one's a no brainer...5 stars
Masterpiece. Loved it very much! Great great songs. Rhythm, Melody, Groove really good.
Uha det var et lækkert album. Kort og godt med en enkelt smutter, men virkeligt godt. Har faktisk aldrig hørt noget af det før
A super strong album, interesting and well written. Not only heart of gold and old man, but the last three (alabama, needle), and words are stellar. Fantastic.
First song I learned on the guitar: Heart of Gold. What a great album.
A beautiful and timeless record, one of those albums that I never get tired of. Grew up with this album so I hold it close to my heart. Easily Neils finest moment although I’d say he would disagree. From the wonderful lyrics through to the guitar and orchestration it’s just flawless.
Just a perfect album. Great run time, he maintains his unique singing and melodic approach, storytelling, showcasing himself as a super underrated acoustic and electric guitar player. Music is folk throughout but has production from various other styles. Big Neil gets a 5…a tiny bit of bias being a Canadian
One of those albums that you hear about all the time and you think “surely it can’t be that good” but then it’s better than you ever imagined
Iconic, not my usual but definitely sets a foundation for a lot of folk, rock, and progressive artists.
Heart of Gold has always been one of my favorite songs, so I'm happy about finally listening to the whole album. A Man Needs A Maid will...take some getting used to. But everything else was solid, from the instrumentation to the vocal delivery. This is more a 4.5 than a 5, but I can't NOT give it a 5.
I'm not sure there are many records that simultaneously exist as a complete thought while also representing the various sides of a musician better than this one. I love it. Every song (well, except for the sorta awkward "A Man Needs a Maid") is superb. The acoustic numbers are sentimental and instrumentally beautiful. The "rockers" are classics and show Young honing his characteristically messy-but-impressive lead playing. The electric guitar tone is vintage but still sounds modern. Neil Young's voice is sweet and what he lacks in pitch control is made up for in sincerity. I'm not sure he has ever made a solo record with as much commercial/pop appeal as this one. Walk into any record store and you can find five copies of this - four original pressings for less than $2 each and a reissue pressed on 180g vinyl for $40. that's the mark of immediate commercial success and staying power. There are other records he made after this one that I think are more interesting. And I hope they're on this list somewhere. "On the Beach" takes all the sounds here and turns them into art pieces with a much more politically-somber tone. And, his record with Crazy Horse "Zuma" is also a great one thatI hope we can listen to as part of this list. All that being said, the song "Words" puts this over the top for me. My favorite Neil Young song and what secures this as an easy 5-star record. I wish I could give it more stars.
Heart of gold, Old man, and The needle and the damage done are of course standouts, but I liked the rest of the album too.
I'm biased since I love Neil Young, and this album is full of some classics. Needle and the Damage Done is a favorite of mine. Great songwriter and some classic folk tunes here including the song that led to Lynyrd Skynyrd calling him out in a friendly way in Sweet Home Alabama. Kind of surprised Harvest Moon isn't in the album called Harvest, but great album as it is.
A beautiful and timeless record, one of those albums that I never get tired of. Grew up with this album so I hold it close to my heart. Easily Neils finest moment although I’d say he would disagree. From the wonderful lyrics through to the guitar and orchestration it’s just flawless.
This album sees Neil Young grappling with the urge to settle down into a quiet place with someone he loves. The impulse is universal and it leads to a richly textured folk country album that includes some of Young’s most enduring songs.
I love Neil Young and this is certainly among his best. The only misses on the album from my perspective are the two songs with the cheesy orchestration - A Man Needs a Maid and There's a World. Not sure what he was thinking on those two songs, but it's still a classic. 5 stars.
Harvest by Neil Young (1972) This is a great country/rock album. Neil Young has a talent for selecting the perfect tempo. The opening track “Out on the Weekend” is thoughtfully slow, preparing the listener for more slow, thoughtful tracks to follow. Listen with your feet propped up, preferably with an adult beverage within languid reach. The third track, “A Man Needs a Maid” is probably one of the most sadly misunderstood songs ever. It is not, contrary to countless shallow critiques, a misogynist manifesto. Think of it rather as a all-too-revealing want ad—a lament over lost love, expressing the self doubt and insecurity of a man who can’t seem to come to grips with his failure as a loving partner. Young accompanies himself on piano with delicacy and drama. Then, fittingly, he is assisted beginning at the first chorus by The London Symphony Orchestra, with powerful use of a solo piccolo (at 3:04) in anticipation of a heaving orchestral sob. It’s not flowery; it’s damn catastrophic. On “Heart of Gold”, harmonica and pedal steel guitar enhance the longing in the lyrics, capped off by cameo backing vocals by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt for (only!) the last four lines. This track is followed by the comic relief of “Are You Ready for the Country?”, calling on his old buddies Crosby, Stills, and Nash for vocal flavor on the choruses. The beginning of Side Two lowers the blood pressure once more with “Old Man”, bringing Taylor and Ronstadt back again for this philosophical inter generational reflection. Taylor’s banjo guitar accompaniment is uniquely apt. I loved this song when I was a young man. Now that I’m an old man, the mysterious parallels between the ages are multiplied, but the searing loneliness of isolation is more intense. Not until the third track of the second side (“Alabama”) do we get to hear Young’s dirty electric guitar. I will admit that this song amounts to ‘piling on’ the white guilt cred after “Southern Man” (After the Gold Rush [1970]). Lynard Skynard had a point when they sang “I hope Neil Young will remember: A Southern man don’t need him around, anyhow” (“Sweet Home Alabama” from Second Helping [1974]). A diplomatic kiss off to these dueling perspectives might be found in older wisdom literature: “Alabama, good-bye! I love thee well! . . . Welcome and home were mine within this State, Whose vales I leave—whose spires fade fast from me; And cold must be mine eyes, and heart, and tête, When, dear Alabama! they turn cold on thee!” (Mary Ann Harris Gay, The Pastor’s Story and Other Pieces [1871], sardonically quoted in Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer [1876]) Oh, well. They were just kids, after all. But the emotional capstone of this record is not the hits “Old Man” or “Heart of Gold”, or even the political commentary “Alabama”, but rather the doleful elegy “The Needle and the Damage Done”, recorded live in early 1971. A threnody for heroin addicts dead from overdose (some of whom Young knew personally), the song captures the heartache of the living and releases it into the soul of the listener. If there’s one song you listen to on Harvest, this should be it. Neil Young’s artistry on this album is for the ages. 5/5
In my opinion, among the best albums ever made. It’s a slow burn, but i felt that this album in particular shows off Neil Young’s versatility as an artist. Out on the Weekend - Damn, what a sad song. The loneliness and disconnect he describes sets the stage for the rest of the album in a powerful way. Harvest - Not my favorite. It’s a bit on the slower side, and he really leans in on the country influence here. Gave it a few listens and just couldn’t come around on it. A Man Needs a Maid - Love how he leans on the London Symphony Orchestra here for a unique spin on folk-rock. Interesting song, just unfortunately overshadowed by the big hits on the album. Heart of Gold - Legendary song. I’m jealous of the geezers that got to hear it on the radio ad-nauseam back in the early 70s. Are You Ready for the Country - Despite Crosby and Nash’s involvement on this one, I can never get past the fact that this song just gets in the way of me hearing my two favorites back-to-back. It’s a fine song, but i just want to hear “Old Man”. Old Man - Like “Heart of Gold”, I find this song to be completely addicting. This is one you can throw on repeat and it never gets old. Also, I’m convinced this song inspired Harry Chapin’s “Cats in the Cradle”. They just sound so dang similar. There’s a World - London Symphony Orchestra crushes it again with this song. Not the kind of thing I’d normally go for, but it works. Alabama - He teams up with Stills and Nash to follow up on “Southern Man’s” critique of southern social injustices, this song unfortunately still resonates a half-century after this album’s release. Is “tied in white ropes” alluding to the KKK? Sheeeeeesh. On top of the powerful messaging, the guitar in this song absolutely shreds. 5/7. Needle and the Damage Done - Powerful, sad song about drugs ruining the lives of people around Neil. Somehow feels out of place that he used a live version in the middle of a studio recorded album. Words - Can’t get enough of the way this song builds in the last three minutes. Awesome end to an awesome album.
Classic. A bit quiet for my normal listening, but has it's place. Love the simplicity.
I don't even need to listen to this one. I already know every song. I have seen Neil live over 25 times. Classic album. All great by one of the greatest musicians and song writers of my lifetime. I especially enjoy Alabama, Words, Old Man and Man needs a maid. (Don't we all?)
Had this one on vinyl back in the day and have always enjoyed it. It's his most popular album and it deserves to be. Though I may like some of his other albums slightly more, this is still a masterpiece. It has a little bit of everything, from the wistful folk and country flavored ballads that seem to be his forte, to the intensely arranged pieces like "A Man Needs a Maid" or "There's a World," to some genuine sing along rockers like "Are You Ready for the Country" or "Alabama." He covers alot of ground and even sneaks in some live material while he's at it. You might think it would come out as an incoherent mess but it all seems to blend together quite well. Ends up sounding like a cohesive album to my ears. The 2009 remaster sounds gorgeous.
Deux jours apres que neil young ait retire ca musique de spotify, ca fait un tres bon albums plus dure a ecoute. Quand meme une perte pour spotify. Pour l’instant… un classique. 5*
Shame to discover this just as he’s off Spotify, but nothing if not worth finding another platform for 36 minutes of perfect music for anything. I already knew a couple songs but this is a listen through that gives you everything you need. Can’t wait to sit back in the sun and let this wash over me.
First time listening to a Neil Young a album in full and this is brilliant.
Love this album. Grew up listening to it, so it holds a special place in my heart. When I think of Neil Young, this is what I hear...
Classic Neil Young album. In a Neil Young top 5 I would put Everybody Knows, After The Goldrush, On The Beach, Tonight's The Night, Comes A Time and this album (and Freedom and Harvest Moon as well, and of course Rust Never Sleeps and Zuma).