Harvest (Neil Young album): Difference between revisions

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Harvest is the fourth album by Canadian musician Neil Young, released on February 1, 1972, on Reprise Records, catalogue 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^[2] for two weeks, and spawned two hit singles, "Old Man", which peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Heart of Gold", which reached #1.^[3] It was the best-selling album of 1972 in the United States.^[4]

Background

After the members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young went their separate ways in 1970, Young recruited a group of country session musicians (which he christened The Stray Gators) and recorded a country rock record, Harvest. The record was a massive hit, producing a US number one single in "Heart of Gold". Other songs returned to some usual Young themes: "Alabama" was "an unblushing rehash of 'Southern Man'";^[5] and "The Needle and the Damage Done" was a lament for great artists who had died of heroin addiction. The former song was also at least partially responsible (along with the aforementioned "Southern Man") for the creation of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1973 hit "Sweet Home Alabama" which mentions Neil by name. Young later wrote of "Alabama" in his autobiography Waging Heavy Peace, saying it "richly deserved the shot Lynyrd Skynyrd gave me with their great record. I don't like my words when I listen to it. They are accusatory and condescending, not fully thought out, and too easy to misconstrue."^[6] "Words (Between the Lines of Age)", the last song on the album, featured a lengthy guitar workout with the band. It has a typical Neil Young structure consisting of four chords during the multiple improvised solos. The song is also notable for alternating between a standard 4/4 time signature for verses and choruses and an unusual 11/8 (6/8+5/8) for interludes.

The album's success caught Young off guard and his first instinct was to back away from stardom. He would later write that the record "put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there."^[7]

Recording

"The Needle and the Damage Done" was taken from a live solo performance at UCLA on 30 January 1971.

The recording of the remainder of Harvest was notable for the spontaneous and serendipitous way it came together. The story is told in an article in

Since many of the Area Code 615 musicians were typically working on a Saturday night in Nashville, Mazer scrambled to find drummer Kenny Buttrey, bassist Tim Drummond (who was just walking down the street), and steel-guitarist Ben Keith. That night, they laid down the basic tracks for "Old Man", "Bad Fog of Loneliness", and "Dance Dance Dance". This version of "Bad Fog" was unreleased until its appearance on The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972. "Dance Dance Dance" was also left off the album but had already appeared on the debut Crazy Horse album.

According to liner notes in Archives Volume 1, "Heart of Gold" was not recorded until Monday, 8 February. However, other sources reported that after taping the Johnny Cash Show on the evening of Sunday 7 February, Young invited Ronstadt and Taylor to come back to the studio with him. The three sat on a couch and recorded the background vocals for "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man." Taylor overdubbed a part for the latter song on Young's banjo guitar (a six-string banjo tuned like a guitar).

"A Man Needs a Maid"^[10] and "There's a World" were recorded by Jack Nitzsche with the London Symphony Orchestra in early March at Barking Assembly Hall (credited as Barking Town Hall on the album notes^[11] and now the Broadway theatre,) in the wake of Young's appearance on the BBC and concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

"Out on the Weekend", "Harvest" and "Journey Through the Past", along with overdubs by the session musicians James McMahon (piano on "Old Man"), John Harris (piano on "Harvest"), and Teddy Irwin (second acoustic guitar on "Heart of Gold"), were recorded in another session at Quadrafonic in April.

The electric-based songs were recorded in a barn at Young's ranch in California in September. Using a remote recording system, Mazer set up PA speakers in the barn for monitors rather than have the players wear headphones. This resulted in a lot of "leakage" as each microphone picked up sound from other instruments, but Young and Mazer liked the resulting sound. "Are You Ready for the Country", "Alabama", and "Words" were recorded in these sessions with Buttrey, Drummond, Keith, along with Nitzsche on piano and lap steel. Young named this band, which would accompany him on his tour in the winter of 1973, The Stray Gators.

Background vocals by

Mixing was done both at Quadrafonic and at Young's house. During playback at the ranch, Mazer ran the left channel into the PA speakers still in the barn and the right channel into speakers in the house. Young sat outside With Crosby and Nash sitting beside him listening to the mix (or Nash and Young were sitting in a rowboat on the lake—see notes). When asked about the stereo balance, he called out, "More barn."^[12]

According to a Rolling Stone interview, Young had wanted the album sleeve to biodegrade after the shrink-wrap was broken, but was overruled by the record company on the basis of expense and the possible product loss due to shipping accidents. Mo Ostin mentioned this request at the 22nd annual ASCAP pop music awards.^[13]

Critical reception

Assessments by critics were not overwhelmingly favorable at the time.

Personnel

Musicians

• lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, piano, harmonica
• Ben Keith – pedal steel guitar
• arrangements, orchestration
  on "A Man Needs A Maid" and "There's A World"
• Tim Drummond – bass
• Kenny Buttrey – drums
• Teddy Irwin – second acoustic guitar on "Heart of Gold"
• John Harris – piano on "Harvest"
• James McMahon – piano on "Old Man"
• James Taylor – banjo guitar, backing vocals on "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man"
• Linda Ronstadt – backing vocals on "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man"
• David Crosby – backing vocals on "Are You Ready for the Country?" and "Alabama"
• Stephen Stills – backing vocals on "Alabama" and "Words"
• Graham Nash – backing vocals on "Are You Ready for the Country?" and "Words"
• London Symphony Orchestra – orchestra on "A Man Needs A Maid" and "There's A World"

Production

• Neil Young, Elliot Mazer – producers
• Henry Lewy – producer on "Needle and the Damage Done"
• Jack Nitzsche – producer on "There's a World" and "A Man Needs a Maid"^[22]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Certifications

See also

• List of best-selling albums in France
• List of number-one albums of 1972 (Australia)
• List of number-one albums of 1972 (U.S.)
• List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 1970s

References