Search - Crosby Stills & Nash :: Crosby Stills & Nash

Minstrals to innocent dawn, daylight again, a long time gone

09/21/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"David, Stephen and Graham were (are) one of those 20 year "...overnight successes...". This collection contains their twilight musical renderings from the 60's and early 70's. As with Woodstock, the magic cannot be duplicated, even by these three. However, even though they've moved on, this collection will make you think, make you remember and make you smile. Crosby's haunting oft opened tuned 12-string, Stills' with his freestyle Delta blues, which he has made his own, and Nash's unique vocals and balance, whether on keyboards or guitar, blends a passion that will never age. This collection captures the music that spoke thru them of turbulent times and enormous change. They were caught up as were you and I...no matter if you were 12 years or 50 ...their music documented a time that no historical record of facts will ever be able to convey,... ever. As they say, if you remember the sixties, then you probably were not there. This Gold set is a must for any acoustic blues vocally open tune challenged person that desires a true collection of musical history. Robin in Miami"

You can start a music collection right here

running_man | Chesterfield Twp., MI | 07/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"`Crosby, Stills and Nash' is a classic case of the sum of the parts being greater than the whole. When this album was released in May of 1969, all of the main players had achieved a degree of notoriety. What they brought to this project was a talent matured and seasoned by Stephen Stills in `Buffalo Springfield', David Crosby in `The Byrds', and Graham Nash in `The Hollies'. While it may be tempting (and presumptuous)to contend that what CS&N wrought was something completely different, never before had such a mix of divergent styles blended together so effortlessly, and with such a distinctive and savory result. Couple this with the great cultural significance of the album, and the sheer quality of the compositions and performances, and you have one of the epic albums in rock history.

`Crosby, Stills and Nash' defined a generation. More than any other single work, this album defined the ethos of the Baby Boomers, The New Left, the counter-culture. While their 1970 release `Deja vu' played on the `hippie mystique', `Crosby, Stills and Nash' elucidated it. No longer tied to established values, this generation would live to emulate lyrics such as "Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now", "Listen not to what's been said to you", "Seagulls circle endlessly, I sing in silent harmony, we shall be free", "You are living a reality I left years ago, it quite nearly killed me. In the long run it will make you cry, make you crazy and old before your time", "and then I will lend you my will and your days will be filled with love", and "Speak out, you got to speak out against the madness". To what degree were these artists mirroring society as opposed to creating a mindset? Certainly a bit of both.



`Crosby, Stills and Nash' offered an eclectic mix of sounds. While the performances in this debut album are certainly categorized in the folk or soft-rock category, subsequent interpretations of numbers such as `Wooden Ships', `Pre-Road Downs', and `Long Time Gone' divulged their heavy-rock potential (check out Stills' version of `Wooden Ships' on his 1974 `Live' album). Virtually every song is a conservatory of vocal harmonies. While Dallas Taylor (seen peering out the window on the album cover) contributes percussion and David Crosby rhythm guitar, the lion's share of the instrumental work is single-handedly Stephen Stills'. Stills' lead guitar solo's, both electric and acoustic, are imaginative, inspired, and at times, such as on `Pre-Road Downs', rabidly innovative and unparalleled.



`Crosby, Stills and Nash' harbors a wealth of creative genius, from the bold alliterations of `Suite: Judy Blue Eyes' ("Lacy lilting lady, losing love lamenting") and `Helplessly Hoping' ("Wordlessly watching he waits by the window and worries'), to the dynamic,desperate exchange between warring soldiers introducing `Wooden Ships' ("If you smile at me I will understand, because that is something everyone does in the same language"), so pertinent to the Vietnam era. Stills offers five compositions, including a co-credit with Crosby on `Wooden Ships', and there isn't a loser in the bunch, though `49 Bye-Byes' gets a save from Crosby and Nash's steep and ascendant harmonies. Crosby is in his prime, cataloging the beautiful `Guinnevere' and the ominous `Long Time Gone', this album's complement to `Deja vu's `Almost Cut My Hair'. `Lady of the Island' is Nash's `Guinnevere', and `Pre-Road Downs' and `Marrakesh Express' give the body of work a much-needed buoyant lilt.



`Crosby, Stills and Nash' is a close to perfect as the men, the times, and their resources could impart. It is nothing if not an essential componant of any comprehensive modern music collection.





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