Neil Young Harvest Moon 2LP (Clear Vinyl)

Harvest Moon, Neil Young's 19th studio album, was first released in 1992 and has since become one of Young's most loved and successful albums. The album features many of Neil's most popular songs, including "From Hank to Hendrix," "Natural Beauty," "Unknown Legend," "One of These Days," and the fan-favorite title track. The band on the album had also played with Neil on Harvest: Ben Keith, Spooner Oldham, Tim Drummond, and Kenny Buttrey. Guests contributing backing vocals included Nicolette Larson, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor. This limited edition 2LP set is pressed on clear vinyl, with an etching on side D.

After 20 years, Neil Young finally decided to release the sequel to Harvest, his most commercially successful album. Harvest Moon is in some ways a better album, without the orchestral bombast that stifled some of the songs on the first album and boasting a more diverse overall selection of songs. Harvest Moon manages to be sentimental without being sappy, wistful without being nostalgic. The lovely 'Unknown Legend,' 'From Hank to Hendrix,' and the beautiful 'Harvest Moon' are among Young's best songs.

The title echoes Harvest, Young's countryish album of two decades ago, and the music recalls its gentle flavor. Harvest was a mellow bestseller, an uncharacteristic middle-of-the-road pit stop in a decade of deeply personal and sometimes highly eccentric releases, and Harvest Moon also sounds as if it was made for lazy hammock-swinging afternoons. But beneath its placid surface are the craggy scars of middle age, when holding onto and cherishing love is a lot more difficult than finding it... The Stray Gators and a bevy of singers, including Linda Ronstadt and Nicolette Larson, give these melodies just the right amount of massaging. And within these spare settings, Young's search for shelter from the storm resonates like a heartbeat.

Harvest Moon resonated. Neil appeared on television to promote the album more than he had in his entire career. The huge push from the label and the tireless press campaign seemed to work some sort of ancient magic. The album almost instantly went platinum, garnering four Grammy nominations, and peaking at #16 on the Billboard chart, and remains one of Neil Young's most beloved LPs. Bernard Shaw may have been correct in his estimation that youth is wasted on the young, but Harvest Moon counters with some equally astute wisdom: Romantic love, ageless, won't be denied.

What truly makes the album a masterpiece is the absolute masterpiece of a title song, 'Harvest Moon'. The song celebrates longevity in relationships and love affairs with a flawless melody backed by a perfect music arrangement. From the upfront acoustic riffing to the picked steel guitar, subtleties of ethereal sounds, soft brush strokes on the drums, and beautiful background vocals, this song captures the essence of beauty and romance as well any song ever.