174 of 180 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almost everything that should be here is, January 14, 2000
This review is from: Crosby Stills & Nash (Audio CD)
Crosby, Stills, and Nash are one of the best-loved bands in the world. They've done some great stuff. Unfortunately, as a group and as solo artists, they've also done a lot of very mediocre work. Over time, each new album has typically had less and less music worth buying.
After you've bought their first 2 albums ("Crosby, Stills, and Nash", and "Deja Vu"), it gets pretty difficult to decide whether to buy anything else. I like about half of the album Daylight Again (released in 1982), and maybe half of CSN (1977). The rest of their albums just aren't worth buying, even though there are a few excellent songs sprinkled among them.
This 4-disc collection is superb. Assuming that you already own the first 2 albums, you can buy this collection and own almost everything they've done as a group (and most or all of what they've done as solo artists) that's worth owning.
Almost the only song missing that I'd REALLY like to see on here is one David Crosby song ("Compass", if I remember correctly) from the album American Dream (the rest of which is dispensable). This set is also missing a few other good songs from the album Daylight Again (e.g. "Might As Well Have A Good Time", which has superb vocals), but the best ones ("Southern Cross" and "Delta") from that album are here.
This album contains several fine songs from Crosby-Nash collaborations ("To The Last Whale"), and a few of Stephen Stills better solo works ("Change Partners", "So Begins The Task"). Among the David Crosby solo numbers are "All Along The Lee Shore" and a wordless vocal performance that is beautiful and haunting.
There are a few songs on here that I don't care for, but not many.
Graham Nash deserves great credit for putting this set together. He has done an excellent job of selecting the best material. Frankly, this set is so good, and much of their other material is so mediocre, that this set and and their first 2 albums are about all that even ardent fans need to own. Nash probably risked killing sales of other albums when he put together this set. He deserves applause and great thanks for choosing this collection.
The set also comes with a booklet that contains interesting short anecdotes and explanations of the songs. Fans will enjoy it a lot.
RECOMMENDATION: If you like this band, I'd buy the following albums: Crosby, Stills, and Nash (first album); Deja Vu (with Neil Young); and this 4-CD set. This will give you almost everything these musicians have done that's worth owning, and will give you very little stuff that isn't worth owning. Yes, you'll have paid twice for several songs from the first 2 albums, but even that's not a complete waste because some of the versions on this 4-disc set are alternative takes.
If I could take only 20-30 discs to a "desert island" with me, each of these 4 discs would be among them. Great stuff.
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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best box set...hands down!, December 10, 2000
This review is from: Crosby Stills & Nash (Audio CD)
There's a box set out for just about every classic rock artist. But, many of them are simply not worth the money (the new Eagles set comes to mind). However, the CSN Box truly delivers the goods.
There are basically 3 functions of a good box set: 1. To provide a career retrospective, gathering material from an artist's entire catalog of music 2. To offer the music in remastered form, in better quality sound 3. To unearth unreleased material
The CSN box set matches all the criteria. This collection shows how good they were together and apart, offering solo material from all three members, plus side projects like Manassas (Stills band with Chris Hillman of the Byrds).
Some box sets boast "unreleased material" that really should've been left UNRELEASED. Not true with this set, "Homeward Through the Haze" is far superior to the released Crosby-Nash version, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" including drums is staggering, and the unearthed CSN&Y recordings show us what could've been, had they not bickered among themselves so much.
The only unfortunate ommisions are from Neil Young, who is saving his goodies for his own box set, coming soon. Also, "War Games" from the now-deleted ALLIES album would've been nice.
All in all a fine collection for a true fan or casual listener.
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended, November 11, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Crosby Stills & Nash (Audio CD)
I've had this box for about 5 years and I STILL play it to death. No collection of CSN(Y) is satisfactory without it; it's a wonderful career summary (up to 1991) of all the various foursome/threesome/duo/solo configurations. True, it does skimp on Neil Young stuff (Pushed It Over The End or Through My Sails would have been welcome) but Neil's forthcoming Archives multi-CD set should take care of all that. More surprising omissions include all the rumoured Deja Vu out-takes not to mention more recent gems such as Crosby's Compass, but what you do get can't really be faulted (excepting variances of personal taste). Highlights include a CSNY version of The Leeshore (1969 with 1991 extra vocal harmonies); alternates of Helplessly Hoping and Suite: Judy Blue Eyes; a CNY live take of Man In The Mirror; Crosby & Hash's version of Joni Mitchell's Urge For Going; a stripped down live take on Got It Made; both sides of the Ohio single and an unedited Almost Cut My Hair plus many, many others. This could well be the best boxed set of them all.
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