Greatest Hits

A much-maligned previous reviewer has it right--these guys were much better in younger days with former bands or even as solo artists. And without Neil Young to liven things up with his songwriting and choppy guitar, this mellow-yellow hippie pablum is even harder to take. Can you really compare this stuff with the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield or even the Hollies or what Stills was doing in the early '70s by himself? Is there a cut on this CD that comes within a hundred miles of "Tambourine Man" from the Byrds in 1965 or anything off the first Springfield album? Together, this trio produces a plodding, lanquid aural snooze-fest that presages the drug-dulled L.A. soft rock of the 1970s. I suppose up in Laurel Canyon this all sounded great, especially with the funny cigarettes being passed around. Thankfully Atlantic Records only taps the first four albums, and "Greatest Hits" is definitely stretching it. (The sequencing is a real mystery. Whatever happened to chronology?) Not that it's all bad, of course. Stills soars with "Southern Cross" and Nash's "Teach Your Children" is a bona-fide classic and the group's best effort. Not-so-ironically both songs are saved by outside help, with session voices on "Southern Cross" and Jerry Garcia's beautiful steel work on "Children." Crosby's "Delta" from the 1982 album "Daylight Again" is an underrated gem, especially considering his horrendous drug addiction during the time. I like Stills' acoustic work on "Helplessly Hoping" and its follow-up "See The Changes." But then there's a grab-bag of tunes that make you wish hippies never got out of Haight-Ashbury. What follows are the worst offenders: "Shadow Captain," "Marrakesh Express," "Our House," "Guinnevere," "In My Dreams," "Cathedral." That last song is most emblematic of the group's failures, a pompous, elitist, full-of-it diatribe against religion (written by Nash on acid) where CS&N try to live down to their post-Woodstock status as spokesdudes for a generation. Let's hope it's a long time gone.

This is a wonderful CD. Brought me back to my youth and the fantastic sounds of Crosby Stills & Nash. Wow!

How can this be a greatest hits album without all time favorites such as Deja Vu and Woodstock. Including these songs would of truly made this a greatest hits album. Hate these marketing people, always short changing the consumer [imports seem to do a much better Job] to bad this is not the case.. Buy Deja VU with this album and you got the package this albun should of been...

This greatest hits package from David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash (CSN) has "been a long time comin'," and while it includes most of the obvious choices and no shortage of their trademark ethereal harmonies, it suffers from a certain lack of imagination and several glaring omissions.

The CD is limited in scope to the pop supergroup's first four studio albums -- a sensible decision, because the fourth, 1982's "Daylight Again," finds them in decline as a result of Crosby's cocaine habit, and since then, except for a few songs (e.g., "War Games," "Yours And Mine," "Only Waiting For You") their work has been mediocre.

The Nash selections are right on the money. His lighthearted "Marrakesh Express," with its exotic guitar sound, is here, and so are "Teach Your Children," his classic about bridging the generation gap, and "Cathedral," which describes a psychedelic visit to Winchester Cathedral. By far and away his strongest effort with CSN, the last is a timely reminder of the dangers of organized religion, evoking wars both past and present and Karl Marx's statement that "Religion...is the opium of the people."

The selection of songs by Crosby is less satisfying. All three of his cuts from the 1969 debut album are rightfully included, as is "Shadow Captain," reminiscent of "O Captain! My Captain!", Walt Whitman's poem about the Lincoln assassination. "In My Dreams" and "Delta," however, should have been dropped to make room for either "Almost Cut My Hair," the politically charged companion piece to "Long Time Gone," or the cryptic "Deja Vu," and an extra Stills tune. Come to think of it, Nash's "Our House" also should have been dropped for more Stills.

Although the disk is weighted in Stills's favor with "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Carry On/Questions," "Southern Cross" and five other songs he wrote or co-wrote, it isn't enough. For some years now, it's been fashionable to sell him short and embellish Crosby and Nash's contributions to the group, but the truth is that Stills, the self-described "kid with the big white guitar/ And all the sad stories to tell," was the dominant force back in the day. Amazon.com editor Gavin McNett is dead wrong when he asserts, in his review of Stills's first solo album, that he wasn't the most accomplished member of CSN. He was the trio's most productive composer, and "Suite" is the song that defined them, just as his "For What It's Worth" defined Buffalo Springfield. According to the compilation liner notes, Stills played so many instruments on CSN's debut -- acoustic and electric guitars, bass, organ, etc. -- that he was nicknamed Captain Manyhands; Crosby played only rhythm guitar, Nash nothing to speak of. And Stills was a very good lead guitarist -- not as original as his fickle friend, Neil Young, but very good. That's why, in 1968, he was invited to replace Michael Bloomfield for the second half of "Super Session," and that's why Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton joined him on the aforementioned solo release, Clapton again on "Stephen Stills 2."

So which additional Stills tracks should have made the cut? "Run From Tears," definitely, with its asides ("Accuse me," "That's your choosin'"), soaring vocal blend and urgent guitar, and then, space permitting, "Fair Game" ("The ones you never notice are the ones you have to watch/ She's pleasant and she's friendly while she's looking at your crotch"), the disturbing "4+20" or "Since I Met You," which reveals him in a rare, joyful mood.

Despite the fact that it was penned by Joni Mitchell, "Woodstock" is another song that deserved to be included, not only because it was a hit, but because CSN (and Young) appeared at the "Music and Art Fair" in August 1969 and came to represent the Woodstock generation. And just for the fun of it, why not introduce the track with Stills's festival sound bite: "This is the second time we've ever played in front of people, man, we're scared ****less!"?

Which leads us to the final point: Although their Woodstock performance was spotty, CSN developed into a fine concert band, and if the producers of this compilation had been more imaginative, they would have used a live version or two.

This is a must CD for fans of these gys. I was so happy with all the songs.