Tragedy and Triumph: the album Neil Young called his “OD letter”
Immense swings in fortune are a common feature of popular music, particularly that of the classic rock era. One man who experienced more personal obstacles than most during this period was Neil Young, and they’re a key part of his story.
A candid songwriter, the Canadian has crafted many moments of intense introspection that analyse the hardships he has faced. Arguably, his career’s darkest and most hard-hitting release is Tonight’s The Night. It’s the concluding opus in the ‘Ditch Trilogy’, a run of albums comprised of Time Fades Away and the following year’s On the Beach. The tag for this collection of music plainly outlines the personal mire the former Buffalo Springfield man found himself in during this period.
While the previous duo of albums in the ‘Ditch Trilogy’ are also profound expressions of grief, Tonight’s The Night is undoubtedly the most full-frontal. While it was released in 1975, it was actually recorded two years prior. That was only months after Young’s close friend and Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten passed away from a combination of diazepam and alcohol in November 1972. This period of immense hardship was then supplemented in June of the following year when another of Young’s close friends, roadie Bruce Berry, died of a heroin overdose.
When reflecting on the making of Tonight’s The Night in 1975 for Rolling Stone, Young characterised the dark opus as “an OD letter”. He said: “Tonight’s The Night is like an OD letter. The whole thing is about life, dope and death. When we played that music, we were all thinking of Danny Whitten and Bruce Berry, two close members of our unit lost to junk overdoses.”
While Berry was a close friend of Young’s and was a vital part of his touring package, in an artistic sense, Whitten was the killer blow, leaving a hole that has never been filled. He died only the night after Young fired him during the rehearsals for Time Fades Away due to his addiction impacting his ability to play.
Without Whitten, it’s safe to say that Young’s most critical early releases would not have been as significant for him or general popular culture. These included Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, with Crazy Horse, and After the Gold Rush, the latter brought to life with members of his backing band as well as some of his former group CSNY.
The cacophonous, dovetailing guitars found on the 1969 release, typified by ‘Cinnamon Girl’ and the title track, would become staples of his oeuvre and the defining feature of his pioneering sound. On top of these songs, he would build the rest of his career and become known as the ‘Godfather of Grunge’. Therefore, Whitten was much more than just a guitarist or even a close friend; he was an artistic pathfinder in his own right and perhaps the most significant facilitator of Young’s journey, of which there have been numerous.
During the recording of After the Gold Rush, Whitten’s problems became apparent. The initial sessions took place with Crazy Horse at Sunset Sound following the tour for Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, but progress was hindered by their guitarist’s deteriorating health. However, they produced two album tracks, ‘I Believe in You’ and ‘Oh, Lonesome Me’.
After these sessions, Young left to tour with CSNY, culminating in their iconic appearance at Woodstock. Shortly after, he resumed work on his new album and recorded the Whitten track ‘Look at All the Things’ and a pair of original compositions, all of which went unused. Later, in another session for the song ‘When You Dance, I Can Really Love’ at Young’s Topanga home studio would be the last time Crazy Horse played with Whitten. Although the final time they worked together, according to Young in his memoir Shakey, it represented Whitten momentarily getting himself together, which included the overdubs on the vocals. Alas, he recalls, “He wasn’t lookin’ too good at that point.”
Unfortunately for Whitten, things got increasingly worse, and by the time it came to record Tonight’s The Night, Young and his immediate circle were still reeling from his death. Speaking to Rolling Stone, the Canadian musician continued: “The Tonight’s The Night sessions were the first time what was left of Crazy Horse had gotten together since Danny died. It was up to us to get the strength together among us to fill the hole he left. The other OD, Bruce Berry, was CSNY’s roadie for a long time. His brother Ken runs Studio Instrument Rentals, where we recorded the album.”
“There was a lot of spirit in the music we made,” he added. “I probably feel this album more than anything else I’ve ever done.”
It might have been forged out of tragedy, but Tonight’s The Night is a spirited album from start to finish and a vivid journey into the psyches of Young and Crazy Horse at the time. While it might be the most hard-hitting body of work they have produced, it demonstrates the power of closing ranks in a time of need and the resonance that Young is able to conjure out of misfortune. Of course, it’s a challenging listen, but it’s one that gives back significantly.
Listen to ‘Tonight’s the Night’ below.
