Neil Young was at a turning point in his career when he was welcomed to BBC In Concert series in 1971. Having already found notoriety and success as a member of Buffalo Springfield, Young was well on the way to confirming his own superstardom with exquisite songwriting on solo albums like 1970's After The Gold Rush. A chance to perform them live to an international audience was all he needed to cement it. 

Sitting alone in the spotlight, Young previews a number of tracks from his then-upcoming album, Harvest, including a captivating rendition of Old Man and what would inevitably become one the most highly-regarded tracks in his catalogue, Heart of Gold. Watch the now-iconic performance, live for the BBC in 1971, below. 

Neil Young | BBC [1971]

The eight songs set isn’t just packed with future classics, it also captures Young’s dry, unwavering, emotional authenticity and wit that has remained unchanged in the fifty years since it was filmed. And, considering he wrote the anthem of wisdom Old Man at just 26, perhaps it's not so surprising. 

GET NEIL YOUNG ALBUMS ON VINYL, HERE.  

Listen to Neil Young on Spotify:

Listen to Neil Young on Apple Music: