Billy Talbot And Ralph Molina Look Back On Neil Young’s ‘Tonight’s The Night’ 1973 Gig At The Roxy | UPROXX

Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot - 2017
Photo by Ellen Goffin
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With the big news that Neil Young & Crazy Horse will perform two concerts in Fresno, CA in May and Nils Lofgren confirming the gig, here is a timely interview with Crazy Horse's Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina.

From Billy Talbot And Ralph Molina Look Back On Neil Young’s ‘Tonight’s The Night’ 1973 Gig At The Roxy | UPROXX by Corbin Reiff:

“Tonight’s The Night was special,” bassist Billy Talbot told me about those recording sessions. “It was real life. He was just rapping out shit that happened,” he explained. “We’re with Neil and Danny’s passed away… it was kinda like a wake. An Irish wake. We were aware of the situation and trying not to be too heavy about it. We were playing music after all and music is a joyful thing. You don’t get that vibe every day.”

“We all just played pool and stood around,” Molina remembered. “We would look at each other, and we all knew. The mood was where we wanted it to be [and so we] walked into the rehearsal room, went to our instruments — this was about midnight, 1 AM — and just started playing. The passion, feel, heart, all came together. That’s how it was through the sessions; wait until the right moment came.”
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“That night at the Roxy, we did just what we did when we were recording, except there was an audience there,” Talbot explained. The feeling in the room was loose. Maybe too loose. Neil is half singer, half-comedian, cracking wise about strippers and Perry Como, mocking Geffen out amongst the crowd. Onstage is that fake palm tree they swiped from S.I.R., as well as a cigar store Indian, and about $900 worth of glittery boots arranged around Neil’s grand piano. For most of the performance, the band acted as if no one else was even there. “When you’re tuned-in as one, we forget there’s a room,” Molina explained. “Could’ve been the garage, living room…etc.”
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“As a fan, I’d want to hear classics, as a player, you can’t just live on your laurels,” Molina said. “The big guy likes to move on.” Talbot agreed, “Each performance was a trip unto itself,” he said. “We were doing Tonight’s The Night after all. Because they weren’t expecting it, it put a little stain on the whole performance, but we made use of it. Just not doing what they expected and going to the edge with these different songs was really cool for us. It was artistic. I was glad to be a part of it.”

Full interview at Billy Talbot And Ralph Molina Look Back On Neil Young’s ‘Tonight’s The Night’ 1973 Gig At The Roxy | UPROXX by Corbin Reiff.

Also, see Neil Young & Crazy Horse will perform two concerts in Fresno, CA in May.

Crazy Horse - Unrehearsed
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