A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece. It is often used to describe a composition involving two singers. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo section rather than performing simultaneously.
Bob Dylan has done a lot of duets, we have collected some of our favourites and will present them in batches of three. Today we have really dug deep and come up with some seldom heard treasures. Continue reading Bob Dylan – Great Duets part 7: Hidden Gems→
“The record chronicles the post-hippie, post-Vietnam demise of counterculture idealism, and a generation’s long, slow trickle down the drain through drugs, violence, and twisted sexuality. This is Young’s only conceptually cohesive record, and it’s a great one.”
~Dave Marsh (The New Rolling Stone Record Guide)
—
“Tonight’s the Night is that one rare record I will never tire of.”
~Chris Fallon (PopMatters)
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician and the leader, lead vocalist, bassist and chief songwriter of the Beach Boys. Besides being their primary composer, he also functioned as the band’s main producer and arranger. After signing with Capitol Records in mid-1962, Wilson wrote or co-wrote more than two dozen Top 40 hits for the Beach Boys.
Eric Allan Dolphy, Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet, piccolo, and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s. He was also the first important bass clarinet soloist in jazz, and among the earliest significant flute soloists.
Chester Burton “Chet” Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001) was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country’s appeal to adult pop music fans as well.
De Stijl is the second studio album by the American garage rock band The White Stripes, released on June 20, 2000 on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album reached number thirty-eight on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart in 2002, when The White Stripes’ popularity began to grow. It has since become a cult favorite among White Stripes fans, due to the simplicity of the band’s blues/punk fusion.
“The record chronicles the post-hippie, post-Vietnam demise of counterculture idealism, and a generation’s long, slow trickle down the drain through drugs, violence, and twisted sexuality. This is Young’s only conceptually cohesive record, and it’s a great one.”
~Dave Marsh (The New Rolling Stone Record Guide)
“Tonight’s the Night is that one rare record I will never tire of.”
~Chris Fallon (PopMatters)
The title cut:
Wikipedia:
Released
June 20, 1975
Recorded
August–September 1973 at Studio Instrument Rentals, Hollywood, CA (except “Come On Baby”: Fillmore East, NYC, March 1970; “Lookout Joe”: Broken Arrow Ranch, December 1972 and “Borrowed Tune”: Broken Arrow Ranch, December 1973)
Genre
Rock
Length
44:52
Label
Reprise
Producer
David Briggs, Tim Mulligan, Neil Young, Elliot Mazer (track 10 only)
Tonight’s the Night is the sixth studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young, released in 1975 on Reprise Records, catalogue MS 2221. It was recorded in 1973 (most of it on a single day, August 26), its release delayed for two years. It peaked at #25 on theBillboard 200. In 2003, the album was ranked number 331 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Roll Another Number (For the road):
Content:
Tonight’s the Night is a direct expression of grief. Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and Young’s friend and roadie Bruce Berry had both died of drug overdoses in the months before the songs were written. The title track mentions Berry by name, while Whitten’s guitar and vocal work highlight “Come on Baby Let’s Go Downtown”; the latter was recorded live in 1970. The song would later appear, unedited, on a live album from the same concerts, Live at the Fillmore East, with Whitten credited as the sole author.
Fans have long speculated that an alternate version of Tonight’s the Night exists. Neil Young’s father, Scott Young, wrote of it in his memoir, Neil and Me:
Ten years after the original recording, David Briggs and I talked about Tonight’s the Night, on which he had shared the producer credit with Neil. At home a couple of weeks earlier he had come across the original tape, the one that wasn’t put out. “I want to tell you, it is a handful. It is unrelenting. There is no relief in it at all. It does not release you for one second. It’s like some guy having you by the throat from the first note, and all the way to the end.” After all the real smooth stuff Neil had been doing, David felt most critics and others simply failed to read what they should have into Tonight’s the Night — that it was an artist making a giant growth step. Neil came in during this conversation, which was in his living room. When David stopped Neil said, “You’ve got that original? I thought it was lost. I’ve never been able to find it. We’ll bring it out someday, that original.”
Here is “Roll Another Number” (unreleased from the Acetate tape):
Tonight’s the Night (unreleased – from the acetate tape):
This should end any lingering doubts as to whether the real Neil Young is the desperate recluse who released two albums in the late ’60s or the sweet eccentric who became a superstar shortly thereafter. Better carpentered than Time Fades Away and less cranky than On the Beach, it extends their basic weirdness into a howling facedown with heroin and death itself. It’s far from metal machine music–just simple, powerful rock and roll. But there’s lots of pain with the pleasure, as after all is only “natural.” In Boulder, it reportedly gets angry phone calls whenever it’s played on the radio. What better recommendation could you ask? A ~Robert Christgau (robertchristgau.com)
Track listing:
All songs written and composed by Neil Young, except when noted.
Side one
“Tonight’s the Night” – 4:39
“Speakin’ Out” – 4:56
“World on a String” – 2:27
“Borrowed Tune” – 3:26 (based on “Lady Jane” by The Rolling Stones)
“Come on Baby Let’s Go Downtown” (Live) – 3:35 (Whitten/Young)
“Mellow My Mind” – 3:07
Side two
“Roll Another Number (for the Road)” – 3:02
“Albuquerque” – 4:02
“New Mama” – 2:11
“Lookout Joe” – 3:57
“Tired Eyes” – 4:38
“Tonight’s the Night—Part II” – 4:52
Musicians:
Neil Young – vocals, piano, guitar, harmonica, vibes
Ben Keith – pedal steel guitar, vocals, slide guitar
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. On stage, Wilson provided many of the lead vocals, and often harmonized with the group in falsetto. Early during his on-stage career, Wilson primarily played bass on stage, but gradually transitioned to primarily playing piano/keyboards. Besides being the primary composer in The Beach Boys, he also functioned as the band’s main producer and arranger.
Some Awards and recognitions
Wilson and the Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in January 1988.
In 2000, Wilson was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Paul McCartney introduced Brian, referring to him as “one of the great American geniuses.”
Pet Sounds has been ranked as one of the most influential records in popular music, and has been ranked #1 on several music magazines’ lists of the greatest albums of all time. It is ranked #2 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
On May 10, 2004, Wilson was honored as a BMI Icon at the 52nd annual BMI Pop Awards. He was saluted for his “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.”
In 2005, Wilson won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow.
In November 2006, Wilson was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. Wilson performed “God Only Knows” and “Good Vibrations” at the ceremony.
On December 2, 2007, the Kennedy Center Honors committee recognized Wilson for a lifetime of contributions to American culture through the performing arts in music.
In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine published a list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time”, and ranked Wilson number 52.
