Neil Young – Harvest Review

What should have been a monumental tour de force after the release of After the Gold Rush turned into an immediate nightmare. Neil Young, struggling to stand and continually failing to reach his studio located just a brisk walk from his home in less than a half hour, was in the trenches. His time in and out of hospital between After the Gold Rush and this, Harvest, is crucial to the impact it has. A series of soft, well-worded and intricate country-like arrangements from a man who was struggling to so much as get out the door. Artists like Young manipulate their pain and everyday anguish into beautiful portals into their world – such is the case for Harvest. Young, with no choice but to invite listeners into the fears and low points, creates a shocking call to arms, a soft flourish of instrumental brilliance that shows his fight is far from up. Lush tremors from a powerful, unique voice go a long way in selling a hopeful album.  

Doubt runs rampant on Harvest; ironic given it is likely the most considered and nimble work Young had written at this point. But escapism was on the mind, especially at a time of isolation and containment to just his home and his studio, the brace holding him together more a brutal part of his reality than anything he could use for leverage in his work. And yet it brings out the best of him, a hopeful flutter of work which hears Young consider the future when his health is restored. Out on the Weekend booms through, a truly perfect song from Young and an excellent way to introduce yourself to his music. Soft percussion, harmonica thrills and lyrical volume of an eclectic variety keep it fresh. That fine balance between grounded experience and the dream-like notions of having your head in the clouds to escape the horrors of the ground below. 

Those visualisations of an endearing future are more a play on the romance with Carrie Snodgrass or the hopes of a future where electric material would flow back. Harvest is an opportunity for reflection but not at the right time. And yet, Young pours his heart into it because what else is he to do when recovering? A beautiful title track and one of many which hears Young assess his immediate surroundings. Not just the love and beauty of his life but the harsh realities of the time which appeared to inflict themselves on so many. This is not just a one-man and his guitar album. Young is dependent, a little too much at times, on string sections which overwhelm the likes of A Man Needs a Maid. For every song that lingers near to being a dud, Young pulls out an all-timer. Heart of Gold will go on to define him, and rightly so.  

Its mellow appeal and country roots are found not in some desire to break from his cemented sound but from the physical limitations Young was dealing with. Where Harvest thrives is in the acoustic beauty, often supplemented by saloon-like piano on Are You Ready for the Country?. Ultimately it is the simplicity of this work which makes it such a bright and lively experience. A wonderful country experience which is based more on the immediate mental and physical presence Young was dealing with than anything else. He may speak outwards, looking to the great lands around him for support, but he could not be further from those spots if he tried when recording Harvest. It is rather bittersweet in that way, and the notes of horror are heard throughout – most of all on The Needle and the Damage Done. It may feel like a series of sweet and loving nods, but Harvest is a brutal piece of brilliant work.