Published on Apr 8, 1999
Harvest Moon saved Neil Young from popular obscurity. (I’ll
now pause so Young’s diehard fans can fire up Netscape mail to
flame me.)
There are undoubtedly fans of Young throughout the years who
could name me at least one song on every album he’s done that have
remained in the public eye… and by no means am I ripping into
Young. But
Harvest Moon did earn him significantly more airplay, and
helped to attract a new fan base to his music. (One of these days,
we’ll review
Harvest Moon here on “The Daily Vault”.)
What it also helped to do was to introduce Young to the MTV
generation – a group that, as far as I know, last saw Young in the
double-time video for “Wonderin'” back in the ’80s. His stint on
MTV Unplugged made sure that the words “Neil Young” and
“hip” could be used in the same sentence in the ’90s without
causing some people to laugh.
Unplugged, the 1993 souvenir from that TV performance, shows
Young’s strengths, as well as a few limitations.
As long as I have Young’s fans already pissed, let’s throw a
little more fuel on the fire, and get the negatives out of the way
early. Young is not the strongest singer (something he’d probably
admit cheerfully), though the emotion of his performances easily
outweighs any stylistic flaws in his voice. Likewise, Young’s
playing is occasionally erratic; you can hear him blow a chord or
two on the opening song “The Old Laughing Lady” and while playing
the pump organ on “Like A Hurricane”. (I’ll give Young credit for
not going back and overdubbing these in the studio.)
Now that we have some people hyperventilating with anger, let’s
quickly move to the positives about
Unplugged, of which there are many. If you’re not very
familiar with Young’s vast body of work, this album is a great
primer for you. From story songs like “Pocahontas” (written well
before Disney’s venture) to the stark beauty of songs like “Mr.
Soul” and “Helpless,” Young proves often that he is a songwriter
par excellence, even if some of his best work was never appreciated
in its time.
If you’re a diehard Young fan, hearing old standbys like “The
Needle And The Damage Done” (one of the most powerful anti-drug
songs ever recorded), “Like A Hurricane” and “Long May You Run”
(originally done by the Stills-Young Band) will put a smile on your
face that can’t be erased. Peppered into the mix are some of the
best tracks from
Harvest Moon (which Young was promoting at the time of his
MTV appearance). “From Hank To Hendrix,” “Unknown Legend” and
“Harvest Moon” sound incredibly crisp – though my personal favorite
rendition of “Harvest Moon” was Young’s solo guitar performance on
Saturday Night Live.
There are dozens of tracks I wish that Young had included in
this set – what about “Cinnamon Girl”? “Lotta Love”? “Heart Of
Gold”? Still,
Unplugged is a powerful set that shows the resurgence in
Young’s popularity was no fluke.