The times had certainly changed since Déjà Vu's release in 1970. Nevertheless, there was a hunger in audiences for a return to the harmony-soaked idealism with which the trio had been catapulted to popularity, and CSN consequently reached number two on the charts, behind Fleetwood Mac's megasuccessful Rumours. The music here is very good, though probably not up to the hard-to-match level of Crosby, Stills & Nash or Déjà Vu.
Still, the songs showed a great deal of lyrical maturity and compositional complexity compared to those earlier albums (from a far more innocent time). "Just a Song Before I Go" was the latest of Graham Nash's radio-friendly acoustic numbers, and a Top Ten single. "See the Changes" and "Dark Star" ranked with the best of Stephen Stills' work, while David Crosby contributed three classics from his distinctive oeuvre: "Shadow Captain," "Anything at All," and the beautiful "In My Dreams."
Nash's multi-part "Cathedral," a recollection of an acid trip taken in Winchester Cathedral on his 32nd birthday, became a staple of the group's live repertoire. CSN was the trio's last fully realized album, and also the last recording on which the three principals handled all the vocal parts without the sweetening of additional voices. It has held up remarkably well, both as a memento of its time and as a thoroughly enjoyable musical work.
by Jim Newsom
1. Shadow Captain (David Crosby, Craig Doerge) - 4:33
2. See The Changes (Stephen Stills) - 2:59
3. Carried Away (Graham Nash) - 2:33
4. Fair Game (Stephen Stills) - 3:31
5. Anything At All (David Crosby) - 3:05
6. Cathedral (Graham Nash) - 5:26
7. Dark Star (Stephen Stills) - 4:45
8. Just A Song Before I Go (Graham Nash) - 2:14
9. Run from Tears (Stephen Stills) - 4:02
10.Cold Rain (Graham Nash) - 2:34
11.In My Dreams (David Crosby) - 5:11
12.I Give You Give Blind (Stephen Stills) - 3:23
Personnel
*David Crosby - Vocals, Rhythm, Acoustic Guitar, String Arrangements
*Stephen Stills - Vocals, Guitars, Electric Piano, Piano, String Arrangements
*Graham Nash - Vocals, Piano, Harmonica, String Arrangements
*Joe Vitale – Drums, Organ, Electric Piano, Percussion, Flute, Tympani, Vibraphone
*Craig Doerge – Piano, Electric Piano
*Mike Finnigan - Organ
*George "Chocolate" Perry - Bass
*Jimmy Haslip - Bass
*Tim Drummond - Bass
*Gerald Johnson - Bass
*Russ Kunkel - Drums, Congas, Percussion
*Ray Barretto - Congas
*Mike Lewis - String Arrangements
*Joel Bernstein - String Arrangements
1970 Crosby Stills Nash And Young - Deja Vu (2008 japan SHM remaster)
1971 Crosby Stills Nash And Young - 4 Way Street (2016 japan double disc remaster)
1972 Graham Nash David Crosby - Graham Nash David Crosby (2008 remaster)
1964 The Byrds - Preflyte (2012 double disc edition)
1973 Byrds (Reunion Album, 2004 issue)
1971 Graham Nash - Songs For Beginners (2008 digipak remaster)
1973 Graham Nash - Wild Tales
1968 Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, Steve Stills - The Super Sessions (2014 Hybrid Multichannel SACD 24/88)
1970 Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills (debut album, 2008 japan SHM remaster)
1972 Stephen Stills - Manassas (2006 HDCD)
1971-73 Manassas - Pieces (2009 release)
1973 Stephen Stills And Manassas - Down The Road (Japan issue)
1975-76/78 Stephen Stills - Stills / Illegal Stills / Thoroughfare Gap
1976 The Stills Young Band - Long May You Run
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