NEIL YOUNG - 1975 - "Tonights The Night" (Rare Reprise Black Label)

$

57

SYNOPSIS

Written and recorded in 1973 shortly after the death of roadie Bruce Berry, Neil Young's second close associate to die of a heroin overdose in six months (the first was Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten), Tonight's the Night wasYoung's musical expression of grief, combined with his rejection of the stardom he had achieved in the late '60s and early '70s. The title track, performed twice, was a direct narrative about Berry: "Bruce Berry was a working man/He used to load that Econoline van." Whitten was heard singing "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown," a live track recorded years earlier. Elsewhere, Young frequently referred to drug use and used phrases that might have described his friends, such as the chorus of "Tired Eyes," "He tried to do his best, but he could not." Performing with the remains of Crazy Horse, bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina, along with Nils Lofgren (guitar and piano) and Ben Keith (steel guitar), Young performed in the ragged manner familiar from Time Fades Away -- his voice was often hoarse and he strained to reach high notes, while the playing was loose, with mistakes and shifting tempos. But the style worked perfectly for the material, emphasizing the emotional tone of Young's mourning and contrasting with the polished sound of CSNY and Harvest that Young also disparaged. He remained unimpressed with his commercial success, noting in "World on a String," "The world on a string/Doesn't mean anything." In "Roll Another Number," he said he was "a million miles away/From that helicopter day" when he and CSN had played Woodstock. And in "Albuquerque," he said he had been "starvin' to be alone/Independent from the scene that I've known" and spoke of his desire to "find somewhere where they don't care who I am." Songs like "Speakin' Out" and "New Mama" seemed to find some hope in family life, but Tonight's the Night did not offer solutions to the personal and professional problems it posed. It was the work of a man trying to turn his torment into art and doing so unflinchingly. Depending on which story you believe, Reprise Records rejected it or Young withdrew it from its scheduled release at the start of 1974 after touring with the material in the U.S. and Europe. In 1975, after a massive CSNY tour, Young at the last minute dumped a newly recorded album and finally put Tonight's the Night out instead. Though it did not become one of his bigger commercial successes, the album immediately was recognized as a unique masterpiece by critics, and it has continued to be ranked as one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever made.. *

* per AllMusic.com, or other applicable music website

PAYMENTS

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PAYMENT DEADLINE: Seller has thoughtfully committed to sours from receipt of invoice.hipping within one day following payment. It would be appreciated if the buyer would reciprocate with payment by one day after receipt of invoice. with a deadline of 72 hours from receipt of invoice.

SHIPPING

Shipping & Handling (S&H) Fee Disclosure: A transaction fee of $1.40 is applied for the safe delivery of your purchase. It is sole a cost reimbursement for (1) specialized mailers, (2) polyurethane jacket sleeve, inner sleeve if needed and delivery confirmation. No other costs are requested for reimbursement. PLEASE keep this in mind when considering the total shipping costs.  

Postal Calculation: I use the eBay/USPS postage calculation tool to determine postage costs. This tool determines postage based on destination, shipping type, weight, options, and S&H fee.

Packing Procedure & Precautions: Many buyers inquire about product packaging which is understandable. My process is as follows: (1) Remove vinyl with inner sleeve from jacket, (2) Insert jacket into polyurethane sleeve, (3) Insert inner sleeve with vinyl into the polyurethane sleeve outside of the jacket in order to seam splits caused by transit, (4) protected item is then packed & shipped in a 200 lb. test "bend resistant" corrugated cardboard mailer along with any material necessary to ensure item does not shift in the mailer. 

Shipping options: Buyer decides which shipping method he wishes which for domestic shipping boils down to using the less expensive media mail or the more dependable, quicker and trackable Priority Mail. For international shipments factors are still the same but the choices are the less expensive First Class International or the more dependable, quicker and trackable Priority International Mail. 

RETURNS

Buyers have fourteen (14) days, from delivery date, to exercise return option. Vinyl collectors & enthusiasts are well aware that grading is an extremely subjective determination and in the end is simply just one persons opinion. A difference of opinion on a vinyl's "Proper" or "Correct" grade (e.g. a listed VG++ item thought to be a VG+ by the buyer) is a something that is difficult to agree on. I do make a concerted effort to avoid this situation, and grade conservatively in order to avoid this situation. I grade with absolutely NO intention of misleading or taking advantage of any person. 

That being the case, I normally accept returns due to objective reasons such as items listed as being sealed (and discovered opened), original release (when it may not be), These are provable claims and not subjective for which I gladly accept returns. In a situation where the buyer believes that there was a grave error in the grading of the item, I will still try to resolve those issues when they are brought to me.  

For any of these situations the buyer will be responsible for the cost to return item to seller as is posted in my/ebay "Returns Policy". After return receipt is completed I will initiated product refunds. 

If an item is not recieved, please check with your post office. In a majority of cases these items can be found at the post office as they have been keeping for some reason. If the item is delivered damaged, it is imperative that you address this issue with YOUR local postal service.

GRADING SCALE

Vinyl is visually graded primarily due to time constraints and the sheer volume (thousands) of records being graded. I use very bright lights & magnifiers to search for flaws ensuring that no over-grading occurs. The grading scale is as follow:

Mint (M): Still Sealed, if opened the grading should NOT reflect Mint.

Near Mint (NM):  Looks as though it just came from the retail store and was opened for the very first time (i.e. nearly perfect). Shiny vinyl with NO visible defects such as writing, stickers, markings on either jacket or vinyl. Near Mint records do not have to be "unplayed" as used records can also be in this condition providing it has been given proper care for its life.

Excellent (EX) Looks like a Near Mint at first glance but upon thorough exam a minimal blemish or mark may be noted. As a Near Mint is in perfect condition, this grade is just a small step down in the grading scale. An jacket saw cut. corner cut or punch hole will result in the nicest looking jacket having to be downgraded to Excellent due to these flaws.

Very Good Plus (VG+): Shows slight signs of wear, including scuffs or light scratches that do not affect the listening experience. Slight warps that do not affect the sound and minor signs of handling will fall into this category. Telltale marks around the center hole, from repeated playing may have enlarged or damaged the hole and may be visible. Light ring wear or discoloration, can be noted but should not be overwhelming. Very Good + jackets should have minor wear such as a very minor seam wear or split (less than 1"long) at one of the seams (normally the bottom seam which is most vulnerable. A Very Good + may have some jacket defacing such as cut-out markings which can be either a circular hole punch, a cut corner or a saw cut. 

Very Good (VG):  Shows more obvious flaws than the above. They may lack the original gloss found on factory fresh records, groove wear is evident as are light scratches that may be deep enough to feel with a fingernail. The Very Good record could have minor surface noise and some scratches may be audible most likely in the intros and the empty space between songs but not at a level that would overpower the music. Minor writing, tape or sticker may exist on the jacket and/or label. These records will still remain a fine listening experience.