Neil Young’s ‘Tonight’s the Night’ and ‘Zuma’ Played Live by The Honey Sliders

Neil Young released two classic albums in 1975; ‘Tonight’s the Night’, and ‘Zuma’. To celebrate 50 years since their release, The Honey Sliders are bringing both albums back to life over two sets, live on stage in all their ragged glory. In 1975, Neil Young was in crisis. He was still reeling from the deaths of his friends and associates Danny Whitten and Bruce Berry. He’d just found out his wife had been unfaithful, and he was suffering from the torments of substance abuse and relentless touring to promote the success of his chart topping album ‘Harvest’. Famously, Neil was quoted saying that his chart success from ‘Harvest’ had put him “in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore, so I headed for the ditch”. Young’s subsequent albums, ‘Time Fades Away’, ’On the Beach’ and ‘Tonight’s the Night’ became known as his ‘ditch trilogy albums’.

‘Tonight’s the Night’ documents the extremity of his melancholy. The gritty black album cover mirrors this soundtrack of vulnerability and grief. There’s an atmosphere of complete recklessness and rock and roll abandon permeating from the grooves of the vinyl on this album. Although the mood is dark, the songs are inspiring - ‘World on a String’, Come on Baby Let’s Go Downtown’, Roll Another Number For the Road’, ‘Lookout Joe’, and of course the title track, plus much more. ‘Zuma’ was a fresh start for Neil, and with the addition of guitarist Frank Sampedro, Crazy Horse has developed a different sound, and Young’s songwriting was enjoying a creative peak. Where ‘Tonight’s the Night’ is more a debaucherous escape from the chaos of his life, ‘Zuma’ dealt with his issues head on, with Neil’s confident swagger returning. ‘Don’t Cry No More Tears’, ‘Dangerbird’, ‘Pardon My Heart’, and ‘Cortex the Killer’ are all songs that still stand as the best in his catalogue.

Don’t miss The Honey Sliders, paying homage to these two albums that are essential listening for any rock n roll music fan.