Touted as the sequel to 1972's Harvest, which was released exactly 20 years prior to Harvest Moon, this album is really the final installment in a brilliant trilogy of folk gems that began with After the Goldrush. Subtle, tolerably sentimental, melodic and austerely consistent in quality, this is an album that harkens back to 1978's Comes a Time, another release like Silver & Gold devoted almost exclusively to Neil's folkish side.

As on Comes a Time, Harvest Moon plays like a greatest hits album; each song is better than the last, and all seem spawned from a secret chamber of beauty and serenity in Neil Young's soul. Sure, the title track earned the most fame, but it is not the album's best. Note the stunning similarity between the explosive "War of Man" and "Goin' Back," from Comes a Time, proving that this is most definitely a "return to form" if there ever was one in Neil's career.

This is Neil at the apex of his songwriting prowess, opening with two instantly staggering tracks, "Unknown Legend" and "Hank To Hendrix," packed with the kind of fire-filled, multi-vocal choruses that can turn a Neil Young song into a stick of dynamite, and following up with the gorgeous "Dreamin' Man" and the great hounddog epic, "Old King." There is not a dull moment on the album, it is clearly his most acsessible, consistent and riveting effort since 1979's Live Rust. Undoubtedly an obligation for any Neil Young fan, Harvest Moon serves as a tutorial on how to write a folk song and make it stick.