Neil Young is set to release one of the most sought-after recordings from his vast archives, Roxy – Tonight’s The Night Live on three-sided 2LP set exclusively on Record Store Day, April 21st. This was the first public performance of many of the songs that would make up Young’s seminal album Tonight’s The Night, which would not be released until June 1975. The album’s final track “Walk On” would not appear until the release of On The Beach, in July 1974.
The Record Store Day Limited Edition pressing will include an exclusive print of the band live on stage at The Roxy. The standard vinyl edition (without print) CD and digital editions will follow on Tuesday, April 24th. Album pre-orders begin March 5.
As Young explains below, the all-star band – in this instance, Neil Young (guitars, vocals, piano), Ben Keith (pedal steel, slide guitars, vocals), Billy Talbot (bass), Ralph Molina (drums, vocals) and Nils Lofgren (piano, vocals, guitars) – completed the line-up known as the Santa Monica Flyers. Young would be the first artist to christen the stage at what would become one of the world’s great clubs, The Roxy Theater on the riotous Sunset Strip, right next door to the already infamous Rainbow Bar & Grille. The shows took place on September 20-22, 1973.
Produced by Young and the late David Briggs, these resultant recordings were mixed by John Nowland with updated post-production and mastering by John Hanlon – along with Chris Bellman – at Bernie Grundman Mastering using the original analog master tape source. Close your eyes and you’ll be right there in that dark, smoky, 500 capacity room in West, L.A. on a hot summer night in 1973.
