To be more than just the most talented name in CSN&Y, Neil Young needs Crazy Horse. They show his rock & roll guts. "Downtown" fits the dark human corner of Tonight's The Night, a shining bummer of an album whose battle stripes are funny, earned, and therefore quite sad. The song is simple, a raw ditty about scoring dope, and without Neil's line about getting busted it could not be true. Finally, it puts junkie life in near-miniature: The excitement and the dread -- and the void in between.

2010-04-03 - Joe Cormack