I am not going to argue with your theory, jon. I think the what C, S, & N brought to the music that was special at the time was the awesome harmonies.


<name drop>
Aside... Graham Nash is a super guy in person. I was working security for a Voters for Choice gig one year at the Lincoln Theater (formerly the the Duke Ellington Theater, and that should never have changed) and Graham was in the production office having coffee (with too much non-dairy "creamer") when the phone rang. I started to reach for it and he waved me off. He answered "Production" and then after a few seconds said "one moment please." He put his hand over the receiver and I whispered "Do you need me to find someone?" and he shook his head. Then he uncovered the receiver and said "this is Graham." I thought it was hillarious that he screened his own call.

Sorry for the derail.
</name drop>

I think the what C, S, & N brought to the music that was special at the time was the awesome harmonies.

Don't get me wrong, I like CSN, too (although if I never hear "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," again it'll be too soon). I just think the Springfield don't get anywhere near the recognition they're due. It's surprising how hard Stills rocked in those days, and how willing he was to write tight, compact rock and roll tunes that still had room for experimentation, something he wasn't known for later.

And I have heard from numerous sources that Graham Nash is indeed a fourth-degree mensch. My old friend Terry (one of the crunchiest hippies alive) used to be a waiter, and once waited on Mr. Nash. At the end of the meal he asked Nash "Those were your footsteps at the end of 'If 6 was 9' weren't they?' Supposedly Nash's jaw dropped and he said 'How did you know that.

I still love 'Deja Vu' by CSN&Y, it's an album I've played every couple of months since the 70s and haven't yet tired of it.

Again, I enjoy some of CSN's stuff, but I don't think anything Crosby did with them, or subsequently can touch this. 40 years down the line and that intro is still fucking astounding. Crosby could've retired right then and still had his place in the pantheon.

(all IMHO, of course)

I wouldn't want to have to choose between having CSN(Y) and having the other bands' work. I'm glad they were all productive and did a lot of different work. But bless you for the Bluebird...I only have that on vinyl, so you just made my day.

Stills does not get his due as an innovator. It is so crazy to tune all the strings to one note and then play these open chords with drone strings in different octaves. It's genius.

I agree with the accolades for Buffalo Springfield - hard to believe Stills et al were ever this young.
I used to like Poco too.

And the Byrds' post-Stills Sweetheart of the Rodeo is one of my all time faves.

Now I know you left Neil Young out on purpose, but I have been reading great things about Jonathon Demme's biopic Heart of Gold.

Oooh, on that LP I picked up yesterday, I got a new Stills-y song to obsess on: You Don't Have to Cry. I learned it, too. I have to capo it up to the 5th fret to sing it, though -- the melody line is wicked low.

Tell me, is any of Stills' solo stuff this good?