Certain Songs #1284: Neil Young – “Natural Beauty”
Posted by Jim Connelly in Certain Songs on Aug 06, 2018
Album: Harvest Moon
Year: 1992
Recorded at Portland Auditorium / Broken Arrow Ranch on January 23, 1992
With the basic track recorded live in Portland during the early 1992 tour where Neil previewed the Harvest Moon songs, and overdubs — backing vocals, keyboards, marimbas, rainforest — done at his ranch, “Natural Beauty” stands at the very top of the list of Prettiest Songs Ever Recorded, Neil Young Division.
While I loved nearly all of Harvest Moon, I kept playing it to get to this last song, a long mysterious meditation on the intersection of technology, nature and Neil Young.