Young's Harvest
The year 1972 went down in the history books for a bunch of reasons. One event of note was that Neil Young topped the US album charts, his record Harvest going on to become the biggest selling album of the year.
Before the age of streaming and downloads, albums were best enjoyed from start to finish, as the artist intended. Long time lovers of Neil Young’s music David Hyams and Rose Parker are backed by a talented six-piece band to present The Human Highway, performing Young’s Harvest in full, from the top, and then some.
By Tierney Seccull
“Most of the music industry has really got away from the idea of a concept album or an album that has a theme and flows from beginning to end,” Hyams says.
“I guess, for people who have listened to those albums a lot, you have that expectation of what song comes next. For a lot of people, it puts them back into the mood that maybe they were in when they listened to that music and it impacted on them.
“I make albums of my own music, and I know it’s a streaming world out there with single tracks and stuff like that, but I still like the idea of songs having this link through them that makes it an overall listening experience.”
Since he can remember, Hyams was always drawn to Young’s music. “I go back a long way with Neil Young. The first songs that I learnt to play on guitar as a teenager were songs like ‘Old Man’ and ‘The Needle and the Damage Done’ … he just kept putting out great music.”
With a strong likeness to Young’s vocal capabilities, the show came about when Hyams and some mates were approached about seven years ago to put together a show for the Newport Record Club in Fremantle’s Newport Hotel.
“They were running a series where you did a classic album, from cover to cover, and we chose There Comes A Time. Myself and RoseParker … went and did that album at the Newport, and it went down really well. We hadn’t expected it to become a thing, but we were asked back the next year, and did once-yearly shows for a few years,” Hyams says.
“When the pandemic hit us, we decided to do a bit more touring around our own state, and we took that show on the road to various places in WA … it’s become more than a little sideline. We get a lot of interest from this show and we’re all loving the music.”
The band features Roy Martinez on bass and keyboards, Russell Wilson on drums, fiddler Adam Gare, and Jeremy Threlfall on pedal steel and guitar. In addition to Young’s award-winning, chart-topping album, they’ll also play songs from spanning the singer’s career, from the sixties through to the 21st century.
“We’ll be doing all of the songs on Harvest, including the big London Symphony Orchestra tracks, which we’ve managed to have a go at with only three of the band on stage, with no programming or anything like that. Without wanting to sound too self-congratulatory, it is a bit of a highlight of the show, the orchestral numbers.”
For an authentic music experience and a throwback to the seventies, with great live music from gifted vocalists and musicians, book your ticket to hit The Human Highway.
The Human Highway
WHEN SAT 19 NOV | 8PM
AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
COST $45 | $40 MEMB/CONC $35 GROUP 10+
INFO yourcentre.com.au
