Which Neil Young albums are faked most
The targets are the early-1970s classics.
- Harvest (Reprise MS 2032 US / K 54005 UK, 1972) — the textured sleeve with lyric insert is the prime target.
- After the Gold Rush (Reprise RS 6383 US / RSLP 6383 UK, 1970) — the gatefold-style sleeve with lyric inner is reproduced.
- Tonight's the Night (Reprise R 2221, 1975) — first pressings with the correct insert are faked.
- Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and other early titles are also occasionally counterfeited.
Reprise label details to check
Early-1970s Neil Young appeared on Reprise, with specific label generations — the two-tone orange/tan 'steamboat' label and later designs — that must match the catalogue number and year. Harvest used the Reprise label appropriate to 1972; After the Gold Rush carries its own 1970 label generation. Counterfeit labels often use the wrong label design, an incorrect colour, or rim text and credits that don't belong to the pressing.
Genuine Reprise labels are sharply printed with accurate colour and correctly positioned logos. Fakes tend to look fuzzy or off-register, use the wrong shade, or carry credits from a later reissue. A mismatch between the label generation and the catalogue number, or modern credits on a supposed first pressing, is a clear warning sign. Always confirm the label matches the documented first pressing for that catalogue number and territory.
Packaging and insert tells
Harvest is famous for its textured tan sleeve and the lyric insert, both of which counterfeiters struggle to reproduce. Genuine sleeves have the correct textured board and finish, and the lyric insert is printed on specific paper. Reproductions use smoother, thinner or glossier board, miss the texture, and supply inserts on the wrong stock or omit them entirely. After the Gold Rush's lyric inner and Tonight's the Night's insert are similarly targeted.
Across all titles, check the board weight, the texture and lamination, the print registration and the completeness of inserts and inners. Cover photography on fakes often shows pixelation under a loupe and colour saturation that is slightly off. A 'first pressing' with a smooth or thin sleeve where the original is textured, missing inserts, or pixelated artwork should be treated as suspect.
Matrix formats for genuine pressings
Genuine pressings carry matrix numbers in the dead wax derived from the catalogue and pressing plant, often with mastering and cutting credits. US Harvest copies show matrix in the MS 2032 family with plant identifiers, while UK copies show K 54005 family numbers, often with cutting-engineer etchings. After the Gold Rush and Tonight's the Night carry their own catalogue-derived matrix families. The matrix should have an authentic stamped or hand-cut appearance consistent with the pressing era.
Counterfeits commonly show matrix numbers that are too uniform, in the wrong font, or that don't correspond to any documented pressing. A photographically reproduced run-out looks soft or printed rather than crisply incised. Always cross-reference the full matrix and any mastering etchings against documented examples for the exact pressing and territory you believe you have.
Current market value of genuine pressings
A clean first-pressing Harvest with the textured sleeve and lyric insert sells for around £30-£90, with early plant variants and audiophile-cut copies higher. After the Gold Rush first pressings with the lyric inner run around £30-£80, and a first-pressing Tonight's the Night with the correct insert around £25-£70. Certain early titles and variants can be considerably more valuable.
Because genuine Neil Young originals are relatively affordable, the economics of faking them rely on volume and on dressing copies up as rare first-plant or audiophile pressings. Be wary of any copy that claims a premium variant without the matrix, label, texture and insert evidence to back it up.