"Old Man", recorded by Neil Young in 1972 appeared in her acclaimed album "Harvest" album with renowned Nashville session musicians in the city. It seems clear that the experience of Bob Dylan with the musicians from the Country to record his "Nashville Skyline" was crucial for Young decided to try fortune there.
After "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" (1969), his first album with Crazy Horse, the situation of Neil Young and his group was somewhat uncertain, had serious drug problems within the band they called Danny Young Whitten to record their next album saw clearly that he could not count on him and sent him home. Whitten died shortly later of an overdose.
"Old Man" was the second single from "Harvest" but did not reach anywhere near the commercial success of "Heart Of Gold", the most recognizable of this record and perhaps the entire discography of Neil Young. "Old Man" is about, or rather goes to the old guard of the ranch that Young bought by that time, a ranch that served to isolate the media environment created around them and to rethink her career after the success of Buffalo Springfield and of his first solo sorties.
"Old Man" and "Heart Of Gold" was recorded in the same weekend in an early session in which they brought together a group of Tim Drummond on bass, Kenny Buttrey on drums and Ben Keith on pedal steel , but Young also called for the first shots Linda Rondstadt and James Taylor, who was given a six-string banjo that had not ever played, with both players agreed on the agenda of Johnny Cash.
"Old Man" was recorded almost the first, with all the musicians playing live, the issue begins with a unique and characteristic acoustic intro Young, rasgéo with that rough and delicate at once, almost hitting the strings with a simple Chord progression after the first verse gives way to pedal steel and banjo providing the notes for the song just lift the flight to the entrance of the perfect chorus.
This song sums up better than any other side "kind" of Neil Young, his acoustic side, always close to folk and country, a song is extremely warm, perfect in its simplicity and the precision with which all the pieces fit together, an item that smells of grass and wood. A theme simply perfect.
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Published on Thursday 5 May 2005
