Customer Reviews

Live

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

 

 

These guys were absolutely NOT the lighter 2/4s of CSNY that the press kept painting them as during their salad days. Crosby and Nash's first live album is a terrific showcase of everything that made them a great concert draw apart from the mothership during the Seventies. "Immigration Man" fairly leaps out at you from the opening note, "Foolish Man" has Crosby doing some of his most soulful wailing, and the ace musicians backing the duo up (Russ Kunkel on drums, Craig Doerge on keyboards, among others) give a muscle and heft to "The Lee Shore" and "Deja Vu" that is thrilling to hear. Both men are in fine voice throughout and sound like their having a great time. This not only brings back a lot of memories, it stands up quite well without the nostalgia factor as a solid live document of two master musicians at their peak.

I've always liked the sound of the band backing up Crosby and Nash in the seventees. David Lindleys slideguitar is always there. Good drumming by Russell Kunkel and also Craig Doerge piano and synthplaying is of great importance of the sound of the band. Maybe this band is the reason why in 1977 they (C+N) still function very good. At this point in time it's already an accomplishment that there were two of them (C+N)on stage.
The album is a real live album. You can hear some things are a bit rough compared to the studio-albums. The recording quality is not so good. But there are just a few bands that often visit studio's that have made live-albums work. Being there is most of the time better, probably because there's to much noise going on on a popstage to hear what's going wrong.
Here you can hear a band that can really play: not just loud, but subtle too. The choise of the songs will only be original for the younger listener, who only buy the threesomes or foursomes of CSNY. Because I was about 5 years old when the album came out, the album, for me, has something more to offer. It gives an insight of the livesound of Crosby and Nash at that time and it (together with the CN studio-albums) helps understand why the album CSN is so good. At that time they were still busy making good music. And the new songs they were making (not present on this album) were still great to. The whole musical approach was. And that you can hear on this album. One listen to the version of deja vu can prove that.

Not bad...Considering David was based out of his brain and had
to keep taking breaks to hit the pipe.Probably the sweetest Lee
Shore they've pulled off.There's a couple weak tracks but enough
good ones to balance it out.If you're a true fan you'll like it.
Foolish Man and Page 43 shine as well and also a good Dejavu

First review ever. I live in Venezuela, so it's virtually impossible to obtain these people records beside the 2005 Rhino Greatest Hits of CSN. Went to the states recently and purchased a considerable part of their lifespan catalog so far. Young too. This Record Is a Winner. It's in my opinion a better listening than the applauded Wind On The Water record, leaving aside the marvelous title track suite: To The Last Whale. It sounds like I'm praising and it is I think fair business to do so. These guys were the real deal as far as Art goes. Many writers put them down constantly, maybe because of the message (We Can Change The World!), their lifestyle (rich, drug users), or coming off as insincere in their intentions. The whole CSN Official Biography is written in self defense mode although it provides a lot of insight. Neil Young Biographer J. McDonough ditches CSN which such a lack of class the whole ride it is painful. It really takes victory out of a beautiful book.
Cros & Nash conquered the national & international music scene with their "mothership band" in 1969. The records "Crosby, Stills & Nash" & "Deja Vu". The band broke up. "Stephen Stills","After The Gold Rush", "If I Could Only Remember My Name" & "Songs For Beginners" all masterpieces, came along announcing the solo trips & deciding the fate of the organization. Graham & David teamed up on an acoustic tour captured on the "Another Stoney Evening" record. This S**t is exquisite. Their power & grace is evident. Just two guys with two guitars and a piano when required. No wonder their partnership started. By the time they hit the studio the guys resolved on the hire hands of Danny Kortchmar, Craig Doerge, Tim Drummond or Leland Sklar, Russ Kunskel & David Lindley, first called "The Section", then "The Mighty Jitters". There's very little one can do to embellish something already as beautiful as the songs and harmonies of C&N, on the records "Graham Nash David Crosby", "Wind On The Water" & "Whistling All Down The Wire" but this group of professionals surely tried, and I tell you, It really made me miss dearly the raw & soulful yet perfectionist approach of Mr. Steven Stills. The M. J. studio work does come across slick sounding. One cannot dislike something so heart felt as these songs, but you get the feeling this is a different scene and vibe: more "Cali" & less "South".
Then comes this one, our record.
The "Crosby & Nash Live" album it's just great. The Stars deliver, they gain in level song after song, connecting and connecting. Graham Nash is really an incredibly gifted singer. In this one David Crosby does sounds uptight and pushing his voice, his crippling drug addiction is well documented. The expanded Jitters not only rock but roll too. Clean sounding, the band is in tune with each other while following the singers were the muse takes them. The selection of songs is well balanced between classics and current numbers.The music kind of moves like the waves of the sea, in an out of momentum the whole set. Soothing stuff. Bob Dylan said once "You can kill them with kindness too" he he. On the sea song "Lee Shore" my country is mentioned by name. The Climax on "Deja Vu" is successful. No overdubs, just one song that broke down because of a fuse blew on an 300 watts amp and had to be patched with another performance of the tune. This is no nostalgia trip. This is a Document. Crosby describes this music as soul food. One song "King Of The Mountain" is about Stills, surely on their minds anticipating times to come for the trio.

The Cd Booklet Is tastefully done. The essay and the pictures are revelatory. It is just quality with this people. The eighties, I dont fully understand yet and don't really want to yet because it's well known Stills, Nash & Young released some horrible horrible challenging to the ears solo records. After all David took the best part by no releasing any crap in that decade, releasing nothing at all hehehe. Life's funny in retrospective.

I'm taking the liberty of commenting one thing, it's annoying to me the focus many people have on drug abuse when it comes to this history. Drugs, They do make people sick, that's fact. This tale is about Music. It's kind of hard to turn people into this music because of the drug issue. Drugs are not evil, they are sad. Sad situations for sad people in sad moments. War is evil. Economical cruelty is evil. Abuse of the natural life and natural resources of the planet is evil. Making fun of human beings or ideas is very evil. Dismissing positive change is very very evil. I may get in trouble. Some administrations including the current venezuelan one are plain evil. Sorry for abusing your space dear amazon.com, but censorship is evil too. Of course is for everyone to decide what it's indeed evil and what not, but somehow not many of us are compromising. Just a third world young hippy's opinion. dig it?

Cros & Nash made one of the most BEAUTIFUL Music ever in the Rock n' Roll Canon. Their thing just have power, grace, class, substance, God is this people aiming high as artist or what? If that is indeed being pretentious so be it. So being hippie means not having ambitions, they haven't figured out all of us yet. If you like Art, Rock n' Roll, and embrace Change and Humanity. The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young catalog is for you.
Id' like to recommend Graham Nash's "Wild Tales" & Neil Young's "On the Beach" too. Cheers & Be Lucky.

You Know what? with Crosby & Nash is about music like all the greats, but it is also about a message of progress in a better direction too.
We Can Change The World! If we are in the right we don't need to be ashamed.

very good cd am listening to it right now! is a good classic cd from an excellent band!

This title would have probably been better left in the vaults. Not one of the better live performances by this duo.