Frenchy’s Favorites: Neil Young - “Tonight’s The Night”
General Description
Artist/Band: Neil Young
Album Title: Tonight’s The Night
Year: 1975
What a way to remember the passing of a dear friend..
How I Got Into This Music
Almost ten years ago I got the CD from a colleague (Thx, Lex!). The guy was a total Neil Young fan and I almost knew squat about the artist. Just that he was in this sixties folk-rock band called Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, so what? If my dad reads this, he’ll be wishing he was here in Holland to smack me on the head for lack of Respect, heheh..
Anyway, I knew of him by way of some weird video that he made with his band, Crazy Horse, that’s it.
So this mate of mine keeps bugging me about me listening to some of Young’s work and after a while he gave up and just gave me the CD. A very distinctive and decided look on face conveyed the message: listen to this or lose a kidney.
Some threats are worth the effort!
Covers at SecondHandSongs.com
|| Album credits at ArtistsDirect.com
|| Lyrics at Seeklyrics.com
Tracks that got my attention:
(well, all of them actually, but still..)
Tonight’s the Night
The little tinkling piano softly starting the track with the incredible vocals gaining volume.. Wow! The opening track explains the motivation of this album: Bruce Berry, a roadie and dear friend of Neil Young, died of a heroin overdose
Speaking Out
I’ve been a searcher, I’ve been a fool,
But I’ve been a long time comin’ to you
I’m hopin’ for your love to carry me through
You’re holdin’ my baby, and I’m holdin’ you
Legend has it that the recording of the album was not only very emotional but also very.. well.. inebriated. And it kinda shows, I guess.. Love it!! The piano solos are beautifully flawed, the whole tempo of the track slows your sorrows.
World on a String
I guess this is what I’d would call a typical Neil Young song, one of the many ‘typical’ songs in his repertoire.
Borrowed Tune
Ooooh.. feels like a fragile heartbreak..
Come on Baby Let’s Go Downtown
This is excellent rock!!
Mellow My Mind
Baby mellow my mind,
Make me feel like a schoolboy on good time
Love that line, something I will have to say to a woman before I die.. It’s the brittleness of the voice and the lyrics that just give me goose bumps
Roll Another Number (For the Road)
If every Country&Western track had this vibe, I’d be the first to join a line dance! (Even if it’s a bit too slow for that particular type of entertainment, but who cares?)
I’m a million miles away from that helicopter day
No, I don’t believe I’ll be goin’ back that way
Albuquerque
Not always a favorite of mine, but sometimes.. Man, just the whole melancholy thing can get to me.
New Mama
Simply beautiful, beautifully simple..
Lookout Joe
And people wonder why he’s called the “Grandfather of Grunge“. Don’t care if you think you’re a great musician, but you’re zilch if you don’t listen to this track and learn from it.
Tired Eyes
Nuff said!
Tonight’s the Night, Pt. 2
Closing track, excellent!
Conclusion
Neil Young is one of the great American Legends, which is funny, since he’s Canadian.. This album is one of the reasons to really get out of bed and live a life with all its joys and sorrows.
It blew my mind to hear the emotion oozing from this album, both musically as lyrically. Obviously, one of my faves.
