Neil Young's Harvest (Thirty Three and a Third series)
by Sam Inglis
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sam InglisEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-10
ISBN: 0826414958
Number of pages: 127
Publisher: Continuum
Book Reviews of Neil Young's Harvest (Thirty Three and a Third series)
Book Review: Made me listen one more time
Summary: 4 Stars
As Neil Inglis points out in his book, most Neil Young fans would not count Harvest among their favorite albums, even though it is by far Young's best-selling album (and the best-selling album of 1972!). I fall into this camp -- I considered Harvest pleasant enough, but much less interesting than Young's more rock-oriented work. It is a tribute to Inglis' book that it inspired me to listen to Harvest again with greater appreciation.
"Harvest" is part of the "thirty-three and a third" series of short books (more like long essays) written by critics and musicians about selected rock and jazz albums. Inglis, who is editor of "Sound on Sound" magazine, does a good job of placing "Harvest" in the larger context of Neil Young's career and in the various musical trends in play as the seventies were opening. In his view, "Harvest" was the first manifestation of "Country Neil" -- and an influential album at a time when most rockers still associated country as sell-out music for conservative Middle Americans. He is most informative showing how the Nashville style of recording (as opposed to the Los Angeles style on previous albums) created the sound of Harvest. He has good critical style -- he is a great admirer of both Neil Young as an artist of high integrity and of the album itself, but the book is mercifully free of "fan boy" hyperbole and Inglis doesn't hesitate to be harsh when he feels it is due. I don't always agree with him -- for example, I think he underrates "The Needle and the Damage Done". And he misses the point of "Are you Ready for the Country?" which was Neil Young's raucous, pre-emptive strike at the rock critics of the time who dismissed country music as bland and predictable. But, the point of reading criticism is not to find someone who always agree with you but to find someone who makes you think -- and Inglis certainly does that.
On the down side, even though it is quite short, the book is a bit repetitive and even feels a bit padded. Critical comments on the songs are repeated almost verbatim in different chapters. In addition, the book would have benefitted from a listing of all the tracks and the musicians and engineers involved in each one. But, all-in-all a worthwhile, short read for anyone with interest in Neil Young, or the music of the seventies.
Summary of Neil Young's Harvest (Thirty Three and a Third series)
Neil Young?s Harvest is one of those strange albums that has achieved lasting success without ever winning the full approval of rock critics or hardcore fans. Even Young himself has been equivocal, describing it in one breath as his ?finest? album, dismissing it in the next as an MOR aberration. Here, Sam Inglis explores the circumstances of the album?s creation and asks who got it right: the critics, or the millions who have bought Harvest in the 30 years since its release? Excerpt The White Falcon?s split pickup might have been just a gimmick from the early days of stereo, but the way Neil Young uses it on ?Alabama? is remarkable. His muted picking brings stabbing notes first from one speaker, then the other, as though we were hearing not one but two guitarists, playing with an unnatural empathy. The electric guitar has seldom sounded so menacing, and Young?s growling rhythm and piercing lead notes are tracked perfectly by Kenny Buttrey?s bare-bones drumming. The build to the chorus is beautifully judged, and when Young and his celebrity backing singers let rip, there?s an almost physical sense of release.Music Books
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