In the course of rock history every so often has come along an album so attuned with the times it strikes a resounding chord with the record buying public – becoming so defined with a specific era it feels impossible to imagine the music being made at any other time.
One naturally thinks of The Beatles ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band‘ (1967), ‘Tapestry‘ (Carole King 1972), the film soundtrack of ‘Saturday Night Fever‘ (1977) and perhaps ‘Brothers In Arms‘ (Dire Straits 1984).
While not necessarily the best album around at the time or even the most important made by that particularly artist – although in the instance of ‘Tapestry‘ a strong case could be argued for both – these are not merely huge-selling records, they are, for one reason or another, defining recordings of the period.
Another to fit the bill as a landmark, if not their most lauded work – it would take recruitment of Neil Young to achieve that with ‘Deja Vu‘ the following year – is the self-titled 1969 debut album of Crosby, Stills and Nash.
As former members of successful bands, David Crosby (The Byrds), Stephen Stills (Buffalo Springfield) and Graham Nash (The Hollies) – in the case of Crosby and Stills two highly-acclaimed ones as well – the trio came together as a three-part harmony ensemble.
Specialising for the most part in sensitive lyrics, delivered over a soft rock acoustic guitar format, for many this became the ideal antidote to the hard rock bombast being pedaled by the emerging heavy metal hordes.
The huge success of their first album not only elevated Crosby, Stills and Nash to the forefront of the burgeoning late-60s counter-culture movement, but also spawned a host of imitators – as in their wake came many keen to reproduce the meticulously arranged vocal harmonies and countrified rock, particularly evident in the songs of Stephen Stills.
‘Crosby, Stills & Nash‘ created the template that dozens of Los Angeles-based acts would attempt to emulate in the years ahead – which is not to say they were pioneers in the sense of trails previously blazed by say Gene Clark or Gram Parsons. Indeed, before CSN had even recorded a note, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Poco were already off the country-pop starting grid – but with their distinctive vocals, introspective lyrics, mellow melodies and denim-clad look, Crosby, Stills and Nash were the aggregation those who came next aspired to be.
The paths of Crosby and Stills began crossing while members of their former groups in the City of Angels nearly four years before – although by the time they joined forces neither were referred to in angelic terms by their former colleagues.
Crosby (born L.A. August 1941) had been fired from The Byrds for an antagonistic attitude (refusal to include more of his songs on their albums had not helped relations within the band, who had a point with ‘Triad‘ but omitting ‘Lady Friend‘ from ‘Younger Than Yesterday‘ was folly).
Meanwhile, the controlling tendencies of Stills (born Dallas January 1945) had been a factor in the collapse of Buffalo Springfield – the departure of Neil Young from a group who were fundamental in shaping the course of folk-rock, a blow from which they could not fully recover.
Both groups had appeared at the seminal Monterey Pop Festival of June 1967, Crosby in fact taking the stage with each. The diminishing patience of his fellow Byrds was pushed further when he aired to the audience his misgivings at the lone-gun findings of the Warren Commission set up to investigate the 1963 assassination of US President John F. Kennedy.
Crosby then prompted more antagonism from his band-mates by augmenting the Springfield line-up, deputising for Young who was taking a temporary leave of absence that would become permanent less than a year later.
By 1968 Englishman Nash (born Blackpool February 1942), had begun to tire of the catchy, if formulaic hits The Hollies were continuing to notch-up (in terms of chart positions he had been by far the most successful of the fledgling trio), believing the songs he was beginning to compose – received indifferently by the other Hollies – would elevate them above the pop hits they had become renowned for.
Ironically ‘Marrakesh Express,’ one of the songs he contributes to the ten track debut of CSN, would have been better suited to The Hollies – sounding something of a lightweight novelty amidst the more high-brow intentions of Crosby and Stills.
When the upshot for Nash of a chance 1968 Los Angeles meeting with Crosby was ‘leave The Hollies, come out here with your new songs and join up with me and Stephen,’ Nash took the advice and decamped to L.A.
When the necessary horse-trading over recording contracts was completed, the newly-formed triumvirate were soon generating interest – an early indication of their potential entering rock folklore due mainly to its disputed origins.
For the past fifty years Nash has maintained their first public rehearsal took place at the home of Joni Mitchell – only to be contradicted the entire time by Stills (both accounts, given separately, are included in the excellent 2014 ‘Legends of the Canyon‘ documentary), who claims the performance of his song ‘You Don’t Have To Cry‘ took place before Cass Elliot in her living room.
Stills goes on to back his assertion by saying at the time he would have been too inhibited to sing in front of Ms Mitchell.
Irrespective of whose memory serves them best, there seems little doubt those present were captivated. ‘You Don’t Have To Cry‘ along with ‘Helplessly Hoping‘ (another superb Stills cut) are signature pieces on their debut record – two songs that perfectly embody their intuitive three-part harmony, sang on top of a delicate folk melody played mainly by Stills on acoustic guitar.
Although there is a near even split in writing contributions (Stills four, Crosby and Nash three apiece), Stills does the heavy-lifting in terms of instrumentation.
Aside from occasional acoustic guitar by the others and drumming by Dallas Taylor, who would be retained by CSN&Y for the subsequent ‘Deja Vu‘ album, the remaining bass, guitar and keyboard work is down to ‘Captain Manyhands‘ – a title bestowed on Stills by his cohorts.
While the differing approaches of Crosby, Stills and Nash as composers provides little in the way of a unified perspective, it at least allows identity of the individuals to be established. Aside from the incongruous ‘Marrakesh Express‘ Nash weighs in with the engaging ‘Pre-Road Downs‘ and earnest ‘Lady of the Island,’ which depending on your ear is either intricate or inconspicuous.
In fairness to Nash he would write two good songs (‘Teach Your Children‘ ‘Our House‘) for ‘Deja Vu‘ and showcase his talent as a songwriter on a fine solo album ‘Songs For Beginners‘ in 1971.
Given his reputation for song-writing eccentricity it is no surprise Crosby comes up with the most abstract material. ‘Guinnevere,’ in part an ode to girlfriend Christine Hilton (who would tragically die in a traffic accident only days after the record was released), is a brooding, atmospheric piece, reminiscent of how Van Morrison sounded on ‘Astral Weeks‘ the previous year, while ‘Wooden Ships‘ and ‘Long Time Gone‘ are admirable, if somewhat contradictory pieces.
On ‘Wooden Ships‘ (for which Stills and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane receive a song-writing credit), Crosby, in a superbly constructed song full of light and shade, explores the notion of sailing off into the distance – thus leaving behind everyday turmoil brought on by assassinations and the war in Vietnam.
(In the title track of his brilliant 1973 ‘For Everyman‘ album, Jackson Browne asks the entirely valid question: ‘What happens to those left behind?’)
His political convictions are also evident in ‘Long Time Gone‘ – Crosby encouraging people to ‘speak out against the madness‘ in the hardest rocking song of the set, Stills producing some wonderfully expressive (electric) guitar work to emphasise the message.
Becoming a political mouthpiece among the rock community, Crosby uses broad terms to state his case and although at the time John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival was writing songs even more politically honed, few would begrudge Crosby marks for effort or doubt his radical convictions.
The album is bookended by two previously unmentioned Stills songs. The closing ‘49 Bye-Byes‘ is a country rock number that sounds a touch contrived, although the ‘maybe‘, ‘baby‘ and ‘crazy‘ couplets (along with the mesh of acoustic/electric guitars) were obviously noted – the Eagles basing their breakthrough hit ‘Take It Easy‘ on much the same three years later.
On the other hand the opening ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes‘ is a masterpiece and stands tall as a great rock song of the period.
Based on a series of verses written around his recent break-up with folk singer Judy Collins, Stills conjures a mix of Dylan, Latino rhythms and pop, weaving delicious harmonies around superb acoustic guitar flourishes played by the composer. Stills also delivers an excellent primary vocal – which serves as reminder to how much his voice would deteriorate in the coming years.
Neither can its bearing on ‘Hotel California‘ be overlooked. Of roughly the same length the themes may be different, but where Don Felder and Joe Walsh bring the Eagles hit to a close with instantly recognisable guitar solos, Crosby, Stills and Nash end their extended piece with the most distinct vocal break in rock.
After taking Young on board for ‘Deja Vu‘ (soon afterward drug habits and personality clashes would prove a barrier to further collective work) Crosby, Stills and Nash would not record again as a trio for another eight years – reforming in 1977, the summer of punk strangely enough, for the mixed bag that is ‘CSN.’
In the meantime they had made solo and dual (in the case of Crosby and Nash) albums that varied in quality – Stills beginning the 70s in tremendous form which peaked with the exceptional double-album ‘Manassas‘ (1972), where he leads a band, including former-Byrd Chris Hillman, down a fascinating path that incorporates rock, country, bluegrass and blues.
As a quartet CSN&Y reformed for the lucrative ‘Tour 74’ outdoor stadium junket, when more often than not Young took centre stage. For the most part it drew positive reviews, but unsurprisingly hopes for a proposed studio album in the same year were dashed among acrimony and clashing egos, leaving Stills to reflect ruefully:
‘As a group we lacked leadership, but at the first sign of someone giving it the rest would rebel.’
Crosby, Stills and Nash (with or without Young) may not have had the sense of purpose and direction the Stones or The Who always managed to find – but to criticise them for such is maybe to miss the point, for as Crosby once said:
‘We’re not a group – more an aggregate of friends.’
But their influence – and particularly that of the ‘Crosby, Stills & Nash‘ debut album – was deep and lasting.
In ‘The History of the Eagles‘ documentary the late Glenn Frey smiles at recalling a conversation he once held with Stephen Stills, who told the Eagle:
‘You just wanted to be us.’
CROSBY, STILLS & NASH (Released August 1969):
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes/Marrakesh Express/Guinnevere/You Don’t Have to Cry/Pre-Road Dows/Wooden Ships/Lady of the Island/Helplessly Hoping/Long Time Gone/49 Bye-Byes;
This article was first published on 3/5/2019.
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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.