Customer Reviews

CSN

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that 1977's _CSN_ represents the best work Crosby, Stills, and Nash have ever done together.

I don't mean to take anything away from their earlier albums. Their debut LP was deservedly a landmark in modern music history, and _Deja Vu_ -- with Neil Young in on the act -- was _another_ landmark. You have to go some way to beat _two_ landmarks.

But I think CSN do so on this deceptively laid-back album. They've always described their work as being about the changes that they (and other people) go through, and every song here is a little gem about exactly that. (Including Nash's brooding "Cathedral," which, one assumes, is about his own rejection of historical Christianity.)

In only one or two other album reviews have I been able to say, about the work under review, that there are _no_ weak tracks. This is another. _CSN_ is the only album by any of these guys, alone or in combination, that I can listen through without ever skipping _any_ songs. (Actually I can't say that about too many albums by anyone at all.) But just the other day I listened through this one _twice_.

This is one of the very few times that CSN have actually managed to be more than the separate sum of their parts. Stills is at his best here; he contributes five tunes, all winners, with "See The Changes" at the top of my own list for his best lyrics ever. Nash writes four, all of them gentle without being either sappy or mournful. Crosby writes two and a half (the brilliant "Shadow Captain" is a joint effort with keyboardist Craig Doerge), and "In My Dreams" is one of my longtime favorites of his. (It's also the song that probably best states the nature of CSN+/-Y itself: "Two or three people fading in and out / Like a radio station I'm thinking about / But I can't hear / Who gets breakfast? Who gets the lunch? / Who gets to be the boss of this bunch? / Who will steer?")

The musicianship is breathtaking as well. For one thing, Stills _doesn't_ play every instrument on the album; Craig Doerge and Joe Vitale handle most of the keyboard work, with Stills sitting down at the piano only for "I Give You Give Blind". And when he _does_ play, he does it well: I've long thought that his acoustic guitar solo on "Fair Game" is one of his best, and he restrains himself admirably on Crosby's "In My Dreams." The percussion work is particularly noteworthy (credit Russ Kunkel and Joe Vitale). And George Perry handles most of the bass-guitar duties.

For another, all of the three are at their vocal peak. The harmonies here are delicately arranged and extremely well performed (and produced). Crosby hasn't gone very far down his long decline into drugs, and Stills's voice, though gravelly as always, can still carry a tune even into the upper register. And Nash is just _always_ reliable; no special comment required here.

There are some albums that these three have done, separately and together, that come mighty close to this. I've already mentioned their debut album and _Deja Vu_; I'll add Crosby's _If I Could Only Remember My Name_, his work with CPR, Stills's first solo LP and _Manassas_, Nash's _Songs for Beginners_, and a couple of Crosby/Nash efforts. But to my own mind (though of course there's room for both disagreement and differences in taste), this one is the cream of a very large crop.

Some people prefer the youthful flash of this trio's first album, some the rocknroll flash of the first one where "Y" was part of the mix, but I've always found CSN to be the most satisfying of Crosby, Stills and Nash' efforts in that particular formation. The main reason is that it sounds like three ADULTS really giving their all together; in the songwriting, in the harmonies, in every respect. Particular high points are Still's "See The Changes," a sort-of cousin musically to his earlier "Helplessly Hoping," but whose world-weary lyrics are some of the most penetrating the man ever wrote; Nash's "Cold Rain," about returning to where you originally came from and remembering why you left in the first place, with some wonderful close harmonies; Nash again with "Cathedral," a dramatic high point in the group's arrangements; and Crosby's "Shadow Captain," as potently evocative of sailing on the open seas as a song can get. This album doesn't have the "gosh-wow" factor of CSN's 1969 debut, but it's just as rewarding an album---maybe more.

CSN's 1977 album is a classic. Harmony vocals may be out of fashion these days, but if you don't know this record, man you had better catch up. Both intimate and powerful, sad and hopeful, this record has no flaws. If you want to escape from a world that is moving faster by the minute, this record is sure to help. Some of the very best of Crosby Stills and Nash is here on one CD. Get it.

I have had their debut and Deja-vu with neil young and 4way street all on vinyl since they were first released. In the past couple of years I replaced the vinyl with remastered cd's, it was only 'till today that I obtained a copy of CSN. Man this is so great and new to my ears needlessly for the past 25 yrs! Shame on me. If you have made the same mistake and passed this cd by than don't delay, it is fantastic. The vocals are so unbelievably strong and the music, dare I say it, the best they ever did or have done since. It is one very strong cd and it is a CSN essential.

Many of today's pop artists release albums that have one or two "surefire hits" (i.e., the songs sound just like all the other tunes on the radio), while the rest of the tracks can most charitably be described as "filler" (same stuff school cafeterias use in "mystery meatloaf"). There isn't any "filler" on "CSN"; every song here is exquisitely crafted to showcase the vocal harmonies that have made Crosby, Stills, and Nash a perennial favorite. The most popular song on the album is the rather lightweight "Just A Song Before I Go", but what really distinguishes this album from many of its late-1970s contemporaries is that all of the songs are heartfelt meditations on love. On songs such as "See the Changes" and "Dark Star", these mature pop artists write about real relationships, not about adolescent infatuation; they are fighting a battle against the erosion of their love over time. The sequence of the songs is, well, perfect--this is one of the albums in my extensive '70s collection that I do NOT remix, because there is a masterfully-crafted progression of feeling. The metaphor for this album (and one intended by CSN themselves) is that of a voyage (hence the cover photo of the three guys hanging out on a sailboat at sea): the songs move us through space and time in an almost physical way, building to the only "rock" song on the album, the "pounding piano" crescendo of "I Give You Give Blind". The only song that seems an anomaly here is "Cathedral", in which CSN express their alientation from God in general and Christianity in particular, but the song actually fits in with the theme of the album of love as the one true faith, the redemptive force that is the only thing that invests life with meaning (whew). "CSN" stands alongside Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" and Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town" as one of the few bright spots of the mid- to ! late 1970s pop music scene. (O.K., "Hotel California" gets a mention, too.) All of these albums work as a whole, each song intertwined with the other, because they share a common theme, a common feeling of sadness that was the yin to disco music's mindless "feel good" yang.

So, because Yahoo! Music merged with Rhapsody, I finally have a chance to hear all of these out-of-print records I've searched countless bargain bins for, but never found! This makes me quite happy. Because for some reason, despite the fact that this was a very big seller that produced a couple hit singles, CSN is out-of-print in the U.S. Why? It's good! Maybe not as good as its two predecessors, but good nonetheless. I pretty much enjoy every song here: the hit single "Fair Game" is a Latin-jazz shuffle that provided the basis for Beck's hit "Tropicala" - it also has a really, really good acoustic guitar solo and is tremendously catchy. Oh, oh, and the harmonies! Can't forget the harmonies. "Shadow Captain" is a gentle, magnificent country-folk song; "See the Changes" is fun Latin-folk; the slow, ominous religion protest/acid trip recollection "Cathedral" is a fine tune, and unloads an unexpected tempo shift or two, and is one of the few Graham Nash songs that's honestly threatening; "Dark Star"(not the Dead tune) is the funkiest any soft-rock group has ever gotten by quite a long shot, and it's really good. And then there's the big hit, "Just a Song Before I Go." It is a bit dated, but it's a soothing, well-written song with some fine harmonies. A few of these songs aren't all that good (Stills' downbeat rocker "Run from Tears," redeemed only by the well-harmonized choruses; the underdeveloped tearjerker "Cold Rain;" "Anything at All;" "Carried Away," two ballads that don't go anywhere), but they're just mediocre fillers, rather than awful insults to the world of music. There isn't a bad song on this album, in fact! And whatever's weak, it's made up for by Stills' blaring, menacing rocker "I Give You Give Blind" - that's a cool song! So this comes highly recommended, despite not being as good as its two predecessors.

THE BAND: David Crosby (vocals, guitar), Stephen Stills (vocals, guitar, timbales), Graham Nash (vocals, piano), and several studio musicians including - George Perry (bass), Tim Drummond (bass), Gerald Johnson (bass), Jimmy Haslip (bass), Joe Vitale (organ, flute, drums), Russ Kunkel (drums).

THE DISC: (1977) 12 tracks clocking in at just over 44 minutes. Digitally remastered and re-released in 1994. Included with the disc is a 6-page booklet containing song titles/times/credits, song lyrics, and thank you's. Label - Atlantic.

COMMENTS: I found this CSN disc from 1977 somewhat hard to find in the local stores. This crisply remastered disc replaces my old vinyl album with all its snaps/crackles/pops. The acoustic guitars and drums/hi-hat/cymbols sound like they were recorded yesterday. CSN's harmony remains legendary. The drug induced folk/pop/lite-FM masters of layed back rock achieve gold on this reunion album. "Deja Vu" was my first album of CSN(Y)'s back in the early 1970's and it's still my sentimental favorite. 1972 found the band all but together. Solo projects followed their break up - but, never achieved (in my opinion) the success or craftmanship that CSN could produce as a whole. Neil Young was briefly part of the group, but as good as some of his songs were with Crosby/Stills/Nash, I still felt like he was on the outside looking in. Not a bad thing - I think some of Neil Young's work with (his) Crazy Horse is brilliant. "CSN" spawned 4 worthy hits with "Fair Game", "Cathedral", "Just A Song Before I Go", and my all-time favorite song of theirs "Dark Star". "CSN" also had 3 beautiful piano ballads in "Carried Away", "Anything At All", and "Cold Rain". The acoustic numbers "See The Changes" and "In My Dreams" (about Crosby's drug addiction) are both top notch. Lastly, there are 2 deeper tracks - both in the rock mode that are hidden gems... "Run From Tears" and the last track on the disc "I Give You Give Blind" (my favorite non-hit song here). Not a weak track to be found (5 stars).

Back when "CSN" was originally released in June of 1977, it was something of a long-awaited reunion. Crosby, Stills & Nash's debut LP came out in 1969, and they added Neil Young to the mix for 1970's "Deja Vu" and 1971's double live album "4 Way Street", but neither CSN or CSNY were able to get it together for another album until here.

Of course, the guys were hardly idle in the meantime. CSNY did tour in 1974. Stephen Stills seems to have barely slept, making brilliant music as a solo artist in addition to putting together the band Manassas for live concerts and two albums; plus, he teamed up with Neil for the 1976 Stills-Young album "Long May You Run". David Crosby & Graham Nash continued to record and tour together, making fantastic music as a duo.

So, although "CSN" was only the second bonafide Crosby, Stills & Nash album up to this point, there was no doubt at all of the brilliance of each individual member. And this album, deservedly a huge hit, just proves it even further.

The album opener "Shadow Captain" has a suitably epic feel with spellbinding harmonies. "Anything At All" has Crosby's characteristic dreamy resignation to it, and in typical Crosby fashion, it really gets under your skin and moves you. The supremely tender "In My Dreams" is wonderful, with a brilliantly-realized punchy coda that Crosby claims was "a gift from Graham".

Speaking of Graham, he wrote the album's big hit with the short-and-sweet "Just A Song Before I Go" (which does feature some laughably aimless soloing from Stephen, as if he picked up the electric and did it all in one take having never heard the song before). Graham also offers the very pretty and yearning "Carried Away"; the eerily reflective "Cold Rain"; and a brilliant epic of his own with "Cathedral", a cautionary tale about the perils of organized religion.

Stills is consistently at his best here, which is saying a lot. "See The Changes" had been previously recorded in a CSNY version which would later appear on the CSN box set, but the version here is easily superior and more fully-realized. "Fair Game" is a deviously laidback Latin-flavored folk-rocker with lyrics that are a real riot, and Stephen rips out a hot acoustic solo toward the end. "Dark Star" is a tour-de-force, grooving along infectiously with a catchy opening riff, jazzy chord changes and electric piano work, more superb lyrics and vocal harmonies, and another great acoustic guitar solo from Stills. The orchestrated rocker "I Give You Give Blind", with its anthemic pleading choruses, brings the album to a rousing, soul-stirring conclusion.

I could go on and on, but really, the greatness of this album speaks for itself. Each member is demonstrated at their peak on this beautiful, must-have masterpiece.

This is my personal favourite CSN album. The musicians CSN used before on other albums sound real good together, technically much more than allright; the album has been very good recorded; the songs have good lyrics (but maybe you've noticed already I'm not a native speaker, so maybe I should not be the judge of this); the balance between ballads and up-tempo songs is also very good. Like other albums from the seventees (this one is from 1977) the album is very easy to listen to. In some cases that will get boring, but that's certainly not the case with this album.

The song Cathedral on it's own is reason enough to buy this album. It's a critical quest for religion in Winchester cathedral almost logically turning into a dissapointment. The song starts of very quiet and than changes a few times from slow to fast. It's really good! But so are Sadow captain, Dark star, Anything at all. David Crosby is responsable for a lot of good stuff on the album. He's made made 2 of the songs I've mentioned and I forgot to mention the very beautiful song In my dreams. The point of this song and of Cathedral you won't get by listening to the beginning of the song. There's only one thing you can do about that...

OTHER CLASSICS:
CSN: Crosby, Stills and Nash
CSNY: Deja Vu and 4 way street
Listen closely to material from 1980 and later before you buy it: they've made some pretty boring albums.
The CSNY box is a pretty good alternatie, if you don't want to buy all the CSN/CN/solo-albums.
There also are some good duo- or solo-albums from the seventees.
Best new material comes from CPR!

About 3 or so months ago I asked a good friend of mine any recommendations he had for me before I was heading to the used CD store. He simply said, "If they have Crosby, Stills and Nash - CSN, get it immediately." Well the store didn't have it, but he was so adamant about the recommendation, I went to Best Buy and bought it new anyway.

And for the last 3 months, this has rarely, and I mean VERY rarely left my CD player. I've seen CSNY live, heard many of their other efforts, and while they are all outstanding, none of it is on the same level as this work. It seems that this album is criminally underrated, as I've only seen "See the Changes" talked about as anything noteworthy off this album.

The harmonizing on CSN represents their best and there is no finer example than the stunning and nicely paced "Shadow Captain". How this isn't a staple of classic rock radio is beyond me, but what do they know anyway? You can immediately feel that mid-70's California laid back vibe once this song starts, and it's maintained well throughout the record.

Graham Nash contributes a few tunes that add some somber moments. The gorgeous "Carried Away" is right up there with "Our House" as one of my most favorite piano led tunes the band has recorded. And of course the absolutely epic "Cathedral" starts off slow and brooding only to climax in a fury of anti-religious lyrics that are just mesmerizing.

"Dark Star" remains one of the grooviest tunes from the album. Featuring some great keyboards in the background, this song never fails to get me bobbing my head. The closer "I Give You Blind" is similar to this, and is the song that packs the most punch instrumentally.

It's hard to pick favorites from an album that is so strong start to finish, but if I only have time to play one track from this album I find myself just drawn to "In My Dreams" every time. The restrained, yet still gorgeous acoustic guitar work coupled with perfect harmonies and outstanding lyrics makes this a winner every time.

An unfortunately underrated album that I cannot stop playing. I can't stress enough how necessary this record is. 'Deja Vu' is great, and the other CSN works are worth your time, but this... this is a masterpiece.