Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "So Far"

This is the first ever CSN(Y) related album I ever bought and I immediately wanted the rest of their music. I picked it up at Tower Records in 2001 or 2.

As with many of my albums and posts there is a history behind the release of this compilation. After the "Deja Vu" album and tour, CSNY disbanded in 1970. For the next several years all four members released a number of solo albums. In 1974 CSNY reunited with the intention of recording a new album and then setting out on an ambitious stadium tour (the first ever Rock stadium tour). Due to clashing egos and fights in the recording studio the new album was never made but CSNY did go on a large hugely successful stadium tour. However, their record label, Atlantic Records, wanted and possibly needed a CSNY record in the stores to accompany the tour thus they released this odd compilation.

"So Far" collects eleven songs from "Crosby, Stills and Nash (debut album)" and "Deja Vu" as well as the two excellent singles "Ohio" and "Find the Cost of Freedom" which were recorded in response to the Kent State shootings and are not included on any regular album. That was the original selling point for this compilation "Ohio/Find the Cost of Freedom" were only available on this one CD/Record. But since then the excellent box set "CSN" has been released which contains both those songs and with the invention of song downloads you can just go to Amazon and buy those two songs (iTunes strangely does not have this album). The eleven songs collected here are excellent but you are better off buying the first two albums, all the songs are on those two albums you get more for your money. There are no liner notes and other than the really cool cover painting by Joni Mitchell(!) the rest of this compilation can be found elsewhere for a better buy and with little overlap. I'm hanging on to mine simply because I am a CSNY fanatic and this is the first taste I ever had of their music.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "4 Way Street"

I previously wrote a post about this album back when I first started my blog which may have a little more review.

This is a double disc live album that I picked up a Tower Records after I bought the group's first two albums. Like a real CSNY concert the album is split into two section an acoustic set (disc 1) and an electric set (disc 2). The album has moments of brilliance but is slightly uneven. On disc 1 thegroup only works as a whole on "Teach your Children" and "Love the One You're With." Other than that it seems each member performs solo or with the others acting simply as back up. Young gets a little more time than the others and just as Stills gets featured disc one ends.

Disc 2 features them working as a band through the entire disc and there are some good long jams between Stills and Young on the 15 minute renditions of "Southern Man" and "Carry On." The CD reissue adds four track to disc 1 all solo acoustic performances, there are no liner notes aside from the song lyrics.

One thing I did find interesting is that though the album was released in 1971 these performances were recorded in the Summer of 1970 on the "Deja Vu" tour and yet much of the material performed is from albums that were not released until Winter of '70 or well into '71. So the audience does not react when songs like "Chicago" or "Don't Let it Bring you Down" are preformed because this is probably the first time anyone heard any of these songs.

This is a fine addition to any CSN(Y) fans catalog, several songs "Right Between the Eyes," "The Lee Shore" and "Triad" only appear on this album unless you want to buy several different box sets. There has been talk that CSNY are going to release a new live album in 2011 from their excellent 1974 reunion tour here's hoping but until then "4 Way Street" is their best live album and great continuation of their debut album and "Deja Vu."

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "Deja Vu"

"Flawless harmonies, thoughtful lyrics, accomplished playing: this is state-of-the-art '70s rock music and continues to be the best explanation of CSN&Y's enormous stature and enduring legacy." Willian Ruhlmann All Music Guide

That pretty much sums up this album. "Deja Vu" usually turns up on greatest album lists and with good reason. It not only equals Crosby, Stills and Nash's (CSN) self titled debut, in several respects "Deja Vu" surpassed that album.

A little history first, after the success of CSN's debut album the trio went out on tour but Stills, who played the majority of the instruments on the album, felt they needed one more guitarist for their in order to perform some of the intricate guitar work live. But instead of simply finding a back-up guitarist Stills called on his old friend and Buffalo Springfield band mate Neil Young. Since Young was as well known as the other three they added his name to the group name. They went out on a tour that included performances at Woodstock and Altamont. The quartet then decided to record an album together.

While CSN's debut was largely acoustic based "Deja Vu" expands their formats with equal amounts of electric and acoustic, Rock and Country, Folk and Pop for a seamless whole. The recording sessions for this album were not pleasant and though they spent over 500 hours in the studio, all four members were hardly ever present at the same time.

Nonetheless every song on the album is spectacular and only Crosby's "Almost Cut My Hair" seems a little below the other tracks but it became a counter culture anthem of the era. While Nash's two songs "Teach Your Children" and "Our House" were the big hits every track is a show stopper. All ten songs are powerful statements of the American music scene in 1970. The closer "Everybody I Love You" by Stills and Young is often considered the greatest Buffalo Springfield song that Buffalo Springfield never recorded.

I really love this album and it is on my top ten list of favorite albums. This and the CSN debut album were a powerful one two punch that showed CSN(with and without Y) to be one of the finest American bands of their era.

Buffalo Springfield - "Last Time Around"

The group's final album. By the time it was released they had already broken up and the whole band was not present for most of the tracks. In fact the cover picture is very telling, the first four members (Stephen Stills leading the group) are in perfect line all looking in one direction and then Neil Young is turned away looking in a different direction. This is very telling considering he left the group after performing on only two and a half songs.

This is actually my favorite of Buffalo Springfield's three albums. Stephen Stills' songs in particular are quite excellent "Pretty Girl Why," "Four Days Gone" and "Special Care." He also has "Questions" which sounds slightly unfinished but would eventually turn into the hit song "Carry On" for CSNY. "Uno Mundo" is one of Stills' catchiest songs and is the beginning of the latin rock that he would later explore with Manassas. Young's two contributions as songwriter "On the Way Home" and "I am a Child" would become more popular in solo versions but they are two of his best songs. Jim Messina provides "Carefree Country Day" which is in the same country/pop that would later popularize Loggins and Messina's work. Richie Furay provides several darkly textured songs, the best of which being "Kind Woman."

I like this album the best because all the members have grown into their own. They have found the musical ground that they want to cover. I also think Messina, who also produced the album, is an excellent producer and his talents bring out the best in each song which makes the album sound better than the other two records. This is an often over looked album that is actually quite a gem.

Buffalo Springfield - "Again"

For the group's second album, which I picked up recently with their other two albums, they have lessened the number of songs and made a more concise and more rewarding album. The album does not have an instant classic like "For What its Worth" but almost every track here is very good, "Mr. Soul," "Bluebird," "Hung Upside Down" and "Broken Arrow" to name a few. The group continues with the same rock/country sound that was on their debut album but they are refining and growing as musicians. All the songs feel like album tracks, though they are all equally good but none are a smash classic. Most consider this to be the best of their three albums, I personally like "Last Time Around" the best, but this is a good Buffalo Springfield album not really essential to a listeners music collection but still a good listen.

Buffalo Springfield - "Buffalo Springfield"

I bought this album a few months ago. I was considering getting the single disc retrospective for $13 but I found I could get all three of Buffalo Springfield's albums for $20, so I did that instead. This short lived group that spawned a number of far better groups (CSN, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Loggins & Messina to name a few) were never big hit makers but they did write a number of very good songs.

This album does contain their one and only hit in Stephen Stills' now classic "For What its Worth." But the majority of the album is quite good and written entirely by Stills and Neil Young. The album is strongly influenced by country music but is definitely is the beginnings of country/rock, with a greater focus on rock and pop. The music here is not as great as the individual members would later record but these are the seeds of a great musical tree that was beginning to grow. Other stand out songs include "Go and Say Goodbye," "Sit Down I think I Love you" and "Out of my Mind."

4 Way Street

"4 Way Street" excellent if uneven Live album.

This live album captures Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on stage during their 1970s heyday and like their actually shows the album is split into two halves featuring acoustic music (disc one) and the other being all electric (disc 2).

Disc one of the album does not really showcase the four members working as a whole as they do on their albums. The four only perform together on "Love the One You're With," "Teach Your Children" and the brief excerpt from "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes." As the liner note pictures indicate all four were on stage, but on most of the songs one member takes the spotlight and the rest either sit quietly or are simply back up. In this set up Young actually is given the most time and the album sadly ends just as Stills takes the spotlight with only two songs. There are four bonus tracks that again showcase each member individually, I personally wish they had given the full live version of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" but I guess it was not to be. Of the bonus tracks Young's is the longest containing three of his biggest hits.

Disc two sparkles with electric guitar jams and CSNY playing together, "Ohio" is spectacular, and while "Southern Man" and "Carry On" go on a bit long, both are nearly 15 minutes, they are still great performances. It would have been interesting if the liner notes gave information about the tour and individual shows, since this album is compiled from several concerts during a two year long tour, but all it gives are lyrics and a few archival pictures. Overall though this is a very good album and a fine showcase of the group live, far better than their other three live albums, a must for fans of the group as it contains two Graham Nash songs that do not appear on other albums and many of the live version differ from the studio ones. Recommended.