So Far [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Crosby Stills Nash & Young

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 20, 1994)
• Original Release Date: August 1974
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000002J0J
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,442 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's tempting to follow the post-Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young career of Neil Young and underestimate this early band as a lighter, commercial diversion. But their fourth album, a concise retrospective of highlights, remains a sweeping '60s document, full of pastoral optimism and the virtues of (even today) spectacular-sounding harmonies. These songs continue to dominate AOR radio, and the best--the searing "Ohio" (written after the Kent State massacre), the utopian "Woodstock," and the ominous, graceful "Wooden Ships," the band's best performance--have an artful, mystical sweetness. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical, July 11, 2000

By	Jeffrey Belcher "gigusa" (East Hartford, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Greatest hits compilations almost never carry the emotional weight of the album on which the original songs existed. "So Far" is a lovely exception. From the disjointed opening of "Deja Vu" to the celebratory "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", every song is a masterpiece and a classic.

CSN&Y put together some of the most sprawling contrapuntal harmonies ever committed to tape. Their vocal intonation is stunning and the interplay on "Helplessly Hoping", "Wooden Ships" and "Guinnevere" give me chills.

This record is perfect for the CSN&Y newcomer and is a perfect sampling of their career until 1974 for the completist. Buy this, you'll be more than glad you did.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CSN&Y 's Greatest Hits!, September 1, 2000

By	Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

From the very beginning of their fateful collaboration, it was clear that this was to be the first of the new super-groups, composed of discontented refugees who either quit or were bounced from monster groups like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and the Hollies. And after an initial success with a first album the group added Still's former partner in crime from the Buffalo Springfield group Neil young to the line-up, the strange witches brew of creative energy and talent that resulted exploded onto the contemporary rock scene at Woodstock to an amazed audience with such power and originality. Of course, this collection of their greatest hits was the result of their original collaboration, and it shot to the top of the charts, where it remained for years!

This album is full of smash hits and breath-taking sounds, from the opening "Déjà vu" to the elegiac "Teach Your Children" to the elegiac "Wooden Ships". They don't make a single false step here, covering all the biggest hits of their first run at it in the late sixties and early seventies. Indeed, everything is seemingly perfect, from the plaintive sounds of Young's piercing falsetto in "Helpless" to Nash's masterfully gentle ballad "Our House". Of course, their masterpiece on this album is the epic tribute to "Woodstock", a cover of Joni Mitchell's song that they rushed to include on the album after hearing her sing it to them on the phone right after the Woodstock festival, which she couldn't get to because of the traffic. To see how well they transformed her folksy dirge into a rock classic is to understand their native talents and interpretive skills. Everything here is terrific, and my own favorites of "Ohio" and "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" are here as well. This is a great collection of their work together, and one of the best "Greatest Hits" albums from the sixties, and one everyone who calls himself (or herself) a rock fan must own and have on the shelf. Enjoy!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, March 23, 2000

By A Customer

So Far is an amazing album. Each song is one of CSN&Y's best. I can listen through the entire album two or three times in a row and I just get *so* involved in it each time. If you don't own a lot of CSN&Y albums, you should get this one because each song is great. Starting with Deja Vu and ending in the soulful Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, you won't want to miss a note.