Neil Young – Harvest: 50th Anniversary (Vinyl 2LP + 7″ + 2DVD + Book Box Set) * * *

A Bountiful Harvest: 50th Anniversary Box Set of 1972 Neil Young Record Features Original Album and BBC In Concert on Vinyl LPs, Outtakes 7″, BBC In Concert and Harvest Time DVDs, and Hardbound Book

“Only harvest some?” The question Neil Young asks on his third proper solo album, the best-selling LP of 1972, becomes moot on this 50th anniversary box set celebrating the record’s brilliance and the aura surrounding it. Encompassing the original Harvest album and BBC In Concert (February 23, 1971) on two vinyl LPs; a Harvest Outtakes 7″; two previously unreleased DVDs (BBC In Concert and Harvest Time) featuring a concert performance and footage recorded during the sessions, respectively; and hardbound book loaded with previously unseen photographs, this reissue is the ultimate edition of the record many consider Young’s finest.

Moored by old-time country and traditional folk, and bridged with reflections on love and commitment, Harvest spawned the classics “Heart of Gold” and “Old Man” as well as the affecting “The Needle and the Damage Done.” One of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Albums of All-Time, it also branches out beyond acoustic-based material and incorporates stabbing guitar-driven swamp rock (“Alabama”), hayride jigs (“Are You Ready for the Country?”), and orchestral pop (“There’s A World”) into its broad swath.

The music is both a release and a meditation, the stripped-down structures and economical playing conspiring to deliver maximum feeling and slow-burn impact. Steel guitarist Ben Keith, bassist Tim Drummond, pianist/arranger Jack Nitzsche, and drummer Kenny Buttrey contribute to most songs along with a series of special guests that include David Crosby, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, and James Taylor.