Neil Young Music:

Tonight's the Night Track Listing:
1. Tonight's the Night
2. Speakin' Out
3. World on a String
4. Borrowed Tune
5. Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown
6. Mellow My Mind
7. Roll Another Number (For the Road)
8. Albuquerque
9. New Mama
10. Lookout Joe
11. Tired Eyes
12. Tonight's the Night, Pt. 2

Editorial Review:
By 1975 Young had written some of the most enduring anthems in rock history. But from the slow, tension-building piano opening of "Tonight's the Night," he downshifts into darkness and Crazy Horse's folk-country melodies take on a guttural hum that would eventually speak to generations of punk and grunge musicians. Inspired by the overdose deaths of two of Young's friends, roadie Bruce Berry and guitarist Danny Whitten, the title track (and its closing reprise) is a hypnotic cry of "why?" Even the relative party songs, "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" and "Roll Another Number," fit the album's bus-to-nowhere resignation. --Steve Knopper

Tonight's the Night Reviews:
Ragged and great
2009-11-23 - Someone somewhere described this work as a musical Irish wake. That pretty well sums it up.

It's an album that grows on you. It's gritty and depressing and maybe even lots of fun. One of my favorite Neil Young albums.

I will review this album in one sentence:
2009-11-21 - This album features a variety of raw, heartfelt, creative, dark, and soulful songs that will all speak to your innermost human spirit.

Needled sludgefest machine breakdown
2009-11-04 - One hears talk that there are fools among us that dismiss Neil Young as a smoked-out hippie tunemeister, and to them I say "Tonight's the Night," living proof that Young is one hard rocker. Recorded in '73, after the deaths of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry, it was either rejected by the label or yanked from release by Young himself; in '75, he recorded a new album, dumped it, and decided to put out "Tonight's the Night" instead. The title song, which, split in two, bookends the record, is so full of grief on the first spin I thought Neil was about to break down crying. Interspersed throughout the rest of the album are all sorts of expressions of alienation and unhappiness with the fame he's achieved since he went solo in '69: "The world on a string/Doesn't mean a thing;" "Ain't got nothing on those feelings that I had;" in reference to Woodstock, "I'm a million miles away from that helicopter day;" "I've been starvin' to be alone/And independent from the scene I've known," and so forth. He never falls into self-pity, even acknowledges in the original insert that "This means nothing to you." Wrong: there are a few things that mean something to everybody, and pain is one of them--pain, a feeling Young knows something about, and even ventures might be better classified as an experience. Like this sludgefest.

I haven't listened to Tonight's the Night
2009-08-20 - since the early 1980s. But I had to write this review to pay tribute to Young's masterpiece. Some work transcends the genre to which it superficially belongs. This is one of those.

If Samuel Beckett had played a guitar...


Neil Young The Man The Myth The Legend
2009-03-09 - This is arguably Neil's best album. I do stress arguably due to a great assortment of albums by Young. It is not a vocally beautiful album and to be honest Neil sounds pretty drunk and or high during the process. That said it is a cd of intense emotion and lyrically very strong. From his voice cracking out in "Mellow My Mind" to the upbeat lead vocals of the deceased Danny Whitten on "Come on Baby Let's go Downtown", and the agony of "Tired Eyes", this is a superb album. May be too rough for some sole fans of Harvest or After the Goldrush. Not for the faint of heart, but for the lovers of rock and roll.
*****If you like this album, check out the actual lp, sound quality is interesting in comparison to digital.