Neil Young has explored lots of musical territory and taken some interesting chances, but in my own view as a longtime fan, he's at his strongest when he's at his most acoustic and mellow. The "godfather of grunge" was also the guy who invented "unplugged."

For those whose tastes match my own, _Harvest_ is likely to rank as a favorite among Young's many albums. (And longtime listeners will recall that at one time Young had planned a follow-up to _Harvest_ to be entitled _Homegrown_. Two cuts intended for this album -- "Star of Bethlehem" and "The Deep Forbidden Lake" -- appeared on _Decade_.)

_Harvest Moon_ is a conscious attempt to recall, celebrate, and go beyond that earlier album, and it reassembles all of the key personnel: the beloved Stray Gators, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, even arranger Jack Nitzche. (Even one or two songs from the old LP are deliberately invoked: "You and Me," a spare and lovely duet with the late and sorely missed Nicolette Larson, makes explicit reference to "Old Man.")

But Young didn't exactly stand still during the two decades between the two releases. _Harvest Moon_ is a much more mature and satisfying collection -- better written, better performed, better produced. Young's lyrics are wistfully evocative; his voice and guitar are clear, solid, and strong.

I could carry on at length about my favorites ("Unknown Legend," "War of Man," and "You and Me,") but I won't try to describe them. I'll just say that anyone who loved _Harvest_ will probably love this one even more.

...I think of American Recordings by Johnny Cash, The Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen, A Liturgy, A Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band by Rich Mullins and the Ragamuffin Band, and this one--Neil Young's Harvest Moon. These are the four CD's (of popular music, as Amazon calls it) in my entire collection that do not have a weak song on the disc. Harvest Moon is the most laid back of the four (it is aptly named: it is the perfect CD for a lonely Autumn evening).

This CD joins the symphonies of Robert Simpson, Harvest Home by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, and the two Appalachian albums put out by Yo-Yo Ma and his crew as some of my top listening material for the Fall.

Songs like Harvest Moon and You and Me are the perfect songs for reflecting about what Poe would call the "days of yore." I know this is a personal interpretation, but these songs bring to mind the seemingly endless Autumns of my teenage years. With this music on, I can picture clearly riding a ferris wheel or a tilt-a-whirl with the numerous ghosts of girlfriends past.

Old King brings to mind my own great dog--Jake--now dead and gone for more than a decade.

Natural Beauty is the one Great song on the disc. Its haunting melancholy beauty tinged with just the slightest bit of hope exemplifies the whole effect of this album. Too bad this song is scratched on my copy. (I may pony up the cash just to get this song back someday--it is that good.)

Well...so ends my reflection, my midrash on Harvest Moon. Convinced? You should at least give this album a chance--you won't be sorry.

I give Harvest Moon my highest recommendation.

It's autumn, and the greatness of this album compels me to comment on it. Yes, this is a mellow, folky, almost country-ish offering-and I'm convinced that's what Neil does best. As good of an album as Harvest was, Harvest Moon is decidedly better, even though it was made years after Harvest. The concept album shows great maturity, not to mention some of the most beautiful folk ballads I've ever heard. There is also a lot of great harmony, featuring James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt. Neil is in your living room reflecting on past friends and lovers, and the beauty in this life. A great album to snuggle up to with your loved one on a crisp, late autumn evening. This is timeless music that will endure through the ages. For anyone who has ever loved anything Neil has done or folk music, you owe it to yourself to add this to your collection.
P.S.- Nov. 2007: I just wanted to comment on a couple of people who said this album was too slick and overproduced. I just don't see it. One person commented on how the harmonies seemed too obviously overdubbed. First of all, I don't think it's uncommon for harmonies to be overdubbed. That's really only apparent on "One of These Days"- I know what he's talking about. It was an intended effect- and it worked. Superbly.

When in 1992 Neil Young declared his intention to revisit HARVEST,critics waited with sharpened pens to deride the end product as a mere carbon copy of the original masterpiece.How dissapointed they were!HARVEST MOON takes the same country boy from HARVEST;making him older and wiser but still astonished by love of a woman and of nature.Old friends participate:James Taylor,Jack Nitzche, Nicolette Larson,Linda Ronstadt and the Stray Gators.There is classic Young on this release: UNKNOWN LEGEND,DREAMIN' MAN,OLD KING,HARVEST MOON and FROM HANK TO HENDRIX.Young paints a vivid picture of rural America in HARVEST MOON;many images can also apply to my territory,Australia. There is a cost to living free,but it is not unpayable.Do not look to HARVEST MOON as simply a HARVEST sequel;it is an equal;a version for the 90s and beyond.

To me, Neil Young is two artists; one is the hard rockin' rock-god backed by Crazy Horse. The guy Pearl Jam cite as the "Godfather of Grunge".

The other is a gentle, introspective and philosophical poet.

This album is probably the latters masterpiece.

Sure, the name was obviously used as a way of enticing old fans of the massivly successful "Harvest" into buying this, but "Harvest Moon" is no cheap rip-off sequel. Instead, we have a charming collection of accousticly flavoured songs that you find yourself singing along to.

These are songs about times past, old friends lost, past glories and the dreams of youth. These are melancholy testaments to days gone by, and there's a quiet sadness flowing throughout the album. Fear of getting old? Memories of the past getting you down? Sure, it's here. But also a certain careful optimism about the future.

More than a collection of songs, this is also a poetic masterpiece and a modern American classic. One you really ought to have in your collection.