Neil Young Harvest Moon CD

Both artistically and stylistically HARVEST MOON is the successor to HARVEST, Neil Young's landmark acoustic album from 1971, which featured the No. 1 single, "Heart Of Gold."

The song "Harvest Moon" was nominated for a 1994 Grammy Award as "Record Of The Year."

The song "Harvest Moon" was nominated for a 1994 Grammy Award as "Song Of The Year."

Neil Young's sequel to 1972's HARVEST found him reuniting with the Stray Gators and inviting along a few other famous friends. Unlike Crazy Horse's sonic bludgeoning, the Gators' light playing featured ethereal-sounding pedal steel and harmonies that caressed like a gentle lover. This was the perfect compliment for Young's songwriting, which was fueled by romantic notions of courtship and deep thought. Young and Nicolette Larson harmonized and became the lovers of "You and Me," whereas Jack Nitzsche's string arrangements made for a nice contrast in "Such a Woman," a bold-faced declaration of love. Other insights into the normally cranky iconoclast's sentimental side include the delicate touch of the title track, which leaves an image of slow-dancing in a dark corner.

Fast approaching 50, Neil Young also used HARVEST MOON to reflect back on his life, particularly in the biographical "One of These Days," and "From Hank to Hendrix," a twangy sequel to "My My, Hey Hey (Out of The Blue)." Young also continued his commitment to the environment by including both a protest against man's destruction of nature ("War of Man") and a live tribute to the forest and jungles recorded at a Portland, Oregon performance that included sounds of the Brazilian rainforest ("Natural Beauty.")

Certified platinum 1992 album arranged by Jack Nitzsche and featuring background singers Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor. 10 tracks. Reprise.

Recorded at Redwood Digital, Woodside, California.

Personnel: Neil Young (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Kenny Buttrey, Tim Drummond, Ben Keith, Spooner Oldham, Astrid Young, Larry Cragg.

Rolling Stone (11/26/92, p.71) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...sounds like the calm after the storm, with a hushed musical landscape at times populated only by a ghostly harmonica, a few spooky bass lines and Young's cracked tenor...within these spare settings, Young's search for shelter from the storm resonates like a heartbeat..."
Spin (12/92, p.89) - Highly Recommended - "...HARVEST MOON is all strummed acoustic chords, scenic choral overdubs, melodies cruising smooth as an air-conditioned limo on a two-lane blacktop. Underneath the tranquility and cosmic platitudes, there's a human highway..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/13/92, p.78) - "...In both music and tone, HARVEST MOON is wistful and elegiac....it's the classic-rock equivalent of a late-period Sinatra saloon-song album....comfortable, reassuring, and proudly old wave..." - Rating: B+
Q (12/99, p.74) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s."
Q (1/93, p.69) - Included in Q's list of the 50 Best Albums Of 1992.
Q (12/92, p.141) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...he has surrounded his meditations in some of his simplest, most gorgeous melodies in years..."
Musician (12/92, p.93) - "...this unadorned folk music exudes real weight....Young at his best..."
Village Voice (3/2/93, p.5) - Ranked #17 in the Village Voice's list of the 40 Best Albums Of 1992.
Audio Magazine (2/93, p.92) - Sound: B / Performance: A- - "...simple and subtle..."
Vox (12/92, p.62) - 10 - Classic - "...Though essentially a warm, emotional album, it doesn't flinch from a realization that innocent idealism is no longer a viable commodity on mankind's futures market...HARVEST MOON may be the best work he's ever done..."
(3/93, p.52) - "...HARVEST MOON has the same haunted sound as its predecessor....vintage Neil Young..."
Mojo (Publisher) (11/01, p.151) - "...It's a more mature, contented record, with a good deal of gentle nostalgia..."