In The Groove Ep.3: Neil Young - Harvest
Hi folks, welcome back to In The Groove, thanks to our friends over at On Vinyl. For the best listening experience, curated vinyl range, all in pristine condition, be sure to head to www.onvinyl.co.nz
Our theme this month is Classic Singer/Songwriters and the album that we’ve been listening to a lot this week is already one of my favourites, it’s Harvest by Neil Young.
The cover image is typeface heavy and all about texture. It’s designed to look old and even when you buy a fresh copy, it’ll still have the worn look - just like the songs on the record. Harvest is Young’s fourth record and having incorporated his likeness on the covers of the previous albums, something tells me he wanted the music to speak for itself on this one. Note that he even puts the album title above his name. Inside you’ll find a pull out with hand written lyrics so do yourself a kindness at the end of a long day by playing this record and reading along. You won’t regret it. Neiler is a true mystic.
The music set to wax came from various recording sessions during 1971 and is a collection of forlorn acoustic soft rock, barn raising thump jams and poignant orchestral piano balladry. Not all artists can work with that broad of a palette and still create a classic album that stands the test of time. The instrumental parts are tethered so tightly to the lyrics, squeezing every ounce of feeling out of the songs. The plod of ‘Out on the Weekend’ with it’s tearful pedal steel and yearning harmonica solos, perfectly match the forlorn words that droop from Young's lips. “The woman I’m thinking of, she loved me all up but I’m so down today” that line is flawlessly backed by a simple kick and snare pattern on the drums, a sparse bass part, acouie, pedal steel and Young’s distinctive voice. Less is indeed more on Harvest.
Heart of Gold, which is probably his most well known song, was recorded at Quadrafonic Sound in Nashville at a hastily arranged session with producer Elliot Mazer and a band that Young had never met before who would later be dubbed Stray Gators. Apparently this wasn’t unusual for the singer/songwriter and even though the song sounds meticulously arranged, the story goes that Young liked to work fast and often musicians had barely found their feet before he called a take of a song done and dusted. Maybe this fast way of working was a technique to get talented session musicians to underplay and get the sound he was looking for. Once again, I barely notice the lack of hi hat cymbal until it appears in the verses (which is a gorgeous part btw) along with the pedal steel. That steel man… I can only imagine that’s what sunrise on the prairie sounds like. Also appearing on the song are Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor, who offer BVs in the outro. The song would give Young his only US #1 hit and would help Harvest to become the biggest selling album of 1972.
Elsewhere on the album Young is accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra. On both ‘A Man Needs a Maid’ and “There’s a World” the cinematic wonder of the orchestral arrangements take these songs stratospheric, bringing added drama to lines like “it’s hard to make that change, when life and love turn strange and old”. “A Man Needs a Maid” is a divisive song, and an often misunderstood lyric. To me it comes from a place of being ultra bummed on love - even reticent on love. The character eloquently voices that they understand how to love and are perhaps teetering on the edge of putting themselves bravely in its way once again.
You’ve definitely heard a bunch of these songs right? ‘Needle and the Damage Done”? “Old Man”??.. Pairing songs like these with his waifish demeanour, patched jeans and worn flannel shirts made him the perfect 70s troubadour and with Harvest he swooned his way into the hearts and minds of the masses.