Neil Young: Harvest Time [6/10]

I’ve always heard that Neil Young has an enormous archive of sound and film data from throughout his career, so I assume that “Neil Young: Harvest Time,” an hour and a half of rag-bag footage from the making of his classic album Harvest, is the first output from that treasure trove. A beaming, slightly chubby Neil Young in 2022 introduces the video and then we journey through the recording of different Harvest tunes at his sun-baked ranch, in various studios. in London with a symphony orchestra, and in a radio station. We see and hear long jams repeated in rehearsal, brief fascinating interviews with the man himself about his creative process, and some concert footage. Some sections seem indulgent, and frequent band/recording scenes are interesting but not vital, yet the patchiness is more than made up for by a chiming sense of the hippy era and a peek into a genius singer/songwriter at work. I would say Neil Young: Harvest Time is primarily for longtime fans but students of that golden age of music should also check it out.