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Harvest (Neil Young album)

Harvest is the fourth studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released on February 1, 1972, by Reprise Records, catalogue number MS 2032. It featured the London Symphony Orchestra on two tracks and vocals by 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 No. 31 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and "Heart of Gold", which reached No. 1.[3] It was the best-selling album of 1972 in the United States.[4]

Harvest

February 1, 1972 (1972-02-01)[1]

January–September 1971

37:10

Reprise

The album has since remained Neil Young's signature album as well as his best selling.[5][6] In 2015, Harvest was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[7]

Release[edit]

The album cover was designed by art director Tom Wilkes.[25] 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.[29]


On October 15, 2002, Harvest was digitally remixed and remastered for the DVD-Audio format. The new 5.1 mix was the subject of minor controversy due to its unconventional panning, with the vocals in the centre of the room and the drums in the rear speakers. Harvest was remastered and released on HDCD-encoded CD and digital download on July 14, 2009, as part of the Neil Young Archives Original Release Series. A 180-gram remastered vinyl edition was released on December 1, 2009, along with remastered vinyl editions of Young's first four albums.[30] The remastered CD exists both as a standalone album and as Disc 4 of a 4-CD box set Official Release Series Discs 1-4, released in the US in 2009 and Europe in 2012.[31]

Neil Young – lead vocals, lead and acoustic guitar, piano, harmonica

Teddy Irwin – second acoustic guitar on "Heart of Gold"

John Harris – piano on "Harvest"

James McMahon – piano on "Old Man"

– banjo, backing vocals on "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man"

James Taylor

– backing vocals on "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man"

Linda Ronstadt

– backing vocals on "Are You Ready for the Country?" and "Alabama"

David Crosby

– backing vocals on "Alabama" and "Words"

Stephen Stills

– backing vocals on "Are You Ready for the Country?" and "Words"

Graham Nash

– orchestra on "A Man Needs a Maid" and "There's a World"

London Symphony Orchestra

David Meecham - conductor on "A Man Needs a Maid" and "There's a World"

Musicians


The Stray Gators


Production

Neil Young discography

List of best-selling albums in France

List of best-selling albums in Italy

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

Neil Young Album/CD reviews

at Myspace (streamed copy where licensed)

Harvest