Manassas [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Stephen Stills

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 12, 1995)
• Original Release Date: 1972
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000002J6F
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,745 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stills' Most Fully Realized Work, April 21, 2003

By	C. F. Kemp (Pacific Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Time gives us perspective and over 30 years after I bought it on vinyl, the album Manassas holds up well, gaining poignancy in that Stills would probably never again reach similar heights as an artist. Here he is at the pinnacle of his powers, writing a ton of quality songs and managing a large, talented, TIGHT band (probably with the considerable help of ex-Byrd Chris Hillman--one of the things that attracted me to the album in the first place).

The results are impressive. This is a solid album that spans a number of musical genres, and hearing it re-mastered on CD is a treat. There are few weak songs and as a fan of bands with three guitars, Stills, Hillman, and Perkins (often, but not always, on Steel) mesh very well. Stills is firmly in the spotlight, but seems secure enough (in contrast to his musical endeavors with Neil Young) to let the band function as an integrated whole. I remember this album getting lukewarm reviews at the time, which seems ludicrous. If only more CDs contained over 20 solid tracks.

I saw this band twice, and the first time--a three hour show at Maples Pavillion at Stanford University--they blew me away, opening with "So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star?" and following with "Rock and Roll Woman." They then went into the suite on Side One, and things got even better.

Stills appeared to be a little wobbly, a foreshadowing of the kinds of things would later work against him as an artist, but it never interfered with the quality musicianship of the evening. At one time during the night he said "This is the best band I've ever played with," and truthfully it was. CSNY may have had the star power and the hits, but could never be mistaken as a full functioning band, especially in concert. Manassas impresses today because they are a BAND that brought the best out of Stephen Stills. The best evidence of this is "The Treasure", a studio recording essentially played live in one take. It's awesome and shows the ability of the group to work with one mind toward a common goal. Wish it would have happened more often in Stills (and for that matter, Hillman's) career.

66 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Worth Having, November 9, 2003

By	AntiochAndy "antiochandy" (Antioch, CA USA) - See all my reviews

After the Beatles' "White Album" and The Who's TOMMY, it became fashionable for artists to record a "double album". The unfortunate consequence was that, under the necessity of filling two vinyl discs, material was included that might otherwise have been left on the "cutting room floor", so to speak. Double albums were a stretch and, as a result, tended to be somewhat uneven.

MANASSAS was, at once, a band put together by Stephen Stills, the name of the album released by that band, and Stephen Stills' double album. Despite the presence of other well-known musicians, the album is very much a Steve Stills project from beginning to end. The band is very good and the musicianship is tight, but Stills is out in front throughout. He plays the leads, he's the lead singer, and he wrote almost all of the material.

MANASSAS is organized into four sections, corresponding to the four sides of the original two discs, and each has its own sub-title. The first, titled "The Raven", prominently displays latin, jazz and blues influences. It includes "Jet Set (Sigh)", a blues-based rocker that is my favorite song on the album. The second section, "The Wilderness", has a strong country-western flavor. It's a bit too twangy for my taste, and is my least favorite part of the album, but has some nice moments. Third is "Consider", a section of essentially folk-rock tunes. "How Far", another favorite of mine, is found here. The last section, "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay", is basicaaly straight-up rock although it has a short, bluesy finale.

I've always regarded Stills as a pretty significant rock artist. His credentials are impressive, beginning with Buffalo Springfield and continuing through the various permutations of CSN and CSN&Y, Manassas and solo efforts that were, in some instances, quite good. Though he has been referred to as "not the most accomplished" member of CSN, I think that point could be argued. He's probably the most prolific, has probably penned the most hits, and is probably the most versatile. In my mind, he's the lynchpin of CSN (&Y perhaps, given Neil Young's erratic level of participation). Crosby and Nash certainly never got far commercially without him. He can be criticized for sometimes releasing music that was over-produced, perfunctory and/or self-indulgent, but he has been responsible for some inarguably great music, as well. MANASSAS is one of his better moments.

MANASSAS is not, in my opinion, an essential rock album. It isn't one of my ten all-time favorites, either. The material is stretched a little thin and is a bit uneven, overall. Those statements alone will probably make me unpopular amidst all of the five-star ratings here. The other side of the coin, however, is that this IS a very good album. There's lots of good, listenable music, and the band is excellent. Moreover, what was once a "double album" at a "double album" price is now a single CD at a single CD price. A bargain. Enough so that I bought the CD, even though I bought MANASSAS in LP format when it was originally released. It's not quite a five-star classic in my book, but definitely worth having. You'll especially want it if you like Stills' performances with either Buffalo Springfield or CSN (&Y).

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely essential to demonstrate how rock music evolved., June 19, 1999

By A Customer

I bought "Manassas" when it was first released. I own at least 2,000 albums and this one ranks among my all time top ten favorites. Along with "Pet Sounds" and "Sargent Pepper", this collection clearly shows how rock music in general and Stephen Stills in particluar was influenced by many other styles and formats. Blues, country, soul, pop, acoustic, electric, short, long, happy, sad, intellectual, clueless, sparse instrumentation, lush instrumentation. You name it, Stephen Stills applied it in this showcase/masterpiece. To me it shows what a versatile musician and artist this guy really is. It has always disgusted me that this record didn't get a LOT more airplay. I was lucky enough to see Manassas at the Hollywood Bowl and I'll never forget it. Stills and company opened the show by performing the entire first side of the record - nonstop - and perfect to the last note. This was a format later successfully employed by the Eagles, among others. Stills has certainly had his ups and downs, but, believe me, no matter how old you are, you will love this recording.