What would've happened if David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash had formed a group in 1966, and then in 1968, they were joined by Neil Young when they signed up for Apple Records?
Side A (18:39)
1. For What It's Worth - 2:40 (Stills) [Buffalo Springfield] - December 5, 1966
2. Stop Right There - 2:28 (Nash) [Evolution] - January 11 - March 17, 1967
3. Pretty Girl Why - 2:24 (Stills) [Last Time Around] - February 26, 1967
4. Renaissance Fair - 1:51 (Crosby) [Younger Than Yesterday] - December 5, 1966
5. On a Carousel - 3:07 (Nash) [Reflections] - January 11 and 13, 1967
6. Everybody's Been Burned - 3:05 (Crosby) [Younger Than Yesterday] - December 5, 1966
7. Lullaby to Tim - 3:04 (Nash) [Evolution] - January 11 - March 17, 1967
Side B (18:01)
8. Mind Gardens - 3:28 (Crosby) [Younger Than Yesterday] - November 28, 1966
9. Everydays - 2:38 (Stills) [Buffalo Springfield Again] - March 15, 1967
10. Carrie Anne - 2:55 (Nash) [Reflections] - May 1, 1967
11. Bluebird - 9:00 (Stills) [Buffalo Springfield compilation album] - April 4, 1967
1966 was a tumultuous time for three bands, two American and the third British; David Crosby has been kicked out of the Byrds shortly after the release of Fifth Dimension, Graham Nash quit the Hollies before For Certain Because comes out, and Buffalo Springfield limped through the sessions of their first album, falling apart before it's even released. Crosby and Nash both look for an opportunity to start solo careers, but a chance meeting with Stills that autumn sparks a "eureka" moment. And the rest is history.
The sessions begin in late November 1966 and end in early April the following year; in between, they've put out their first single, "For What It's Worth"/"Everybody's Been Burned", which piques interest in the music scene. When it comes to put out a second single, it's a deadlock between Nash's "Carrie Anne" and Crosby's "Lady Friend", with the former being chosen for release that May whilst the latter comes out in September and later ends up on the next album.
1966 was a tumultuous time for three bands, two American and the third British; David Crosby has been kicked out of the Byrds shortly after the release of Fifth Dimension, Graham Nash quit the Hollies before For Certain Because comes out, and Buffalo Springfield limped through the sessions of their first album, falling apart before it's even released. Crosby and Nash both look for an opportunity to start solo careers, but a chance meeting with Stills that autumn sparks a "eureka" moment. And the rest is history.
The sessions begin in late November 1966 and end in early April the following year; in between, they've put out their first single, "For What It's Worth"/"Everybody's Been Burned", which piques interest in the music scene. When it comes to put out a second single, it's a deadlock between Nash's "Carrie Anne" and Crosby's "Lady Friend", with the former being chosen for release that May whilst the latter comes out in September and later ends up on the next album.
Singles:
For What It's Worth / Everybody's Been Burned (January 1967)
Carrie Anne / Mind Gardens (May 1967)
Side A (16:08)
1. Lady Friend - 2:36 (Crosby) [The Original Singles: 1967-1969, Volume 2] - April 26, 1967
2. Special Care - 3:30 (Stills) [Last Time Around] - January 3-20, 1968
3. Maker - 2:52 (Nash) [Butterfly] - August 1 - October 6, 1967
4. Four Days Gone - 2:53 (Stills) [Last Time Around] - late 1967 - early 1968
5. Postcard - 2:17 (Nash) [Butterfly] - August 1 - October 6, 1967
6. Dolphin's Smile - 2:00 (Crosby) [The Notorious Byrd Brothers] - August 14, 1967
Side B (15:26)
7. Hung Upside Down - 3:24 (Stills) [Buffalo Springfield Again] - September 1-5, 1967
8. King Midas in Reverse - 3:07 (Nash) [Reflections] - August 3 and 4, 1967
9. Rock and Roll Woman - 2:44 (Stills) [Buffalo Springfield Again] - June 22 - October 3, 1967
10. Triad - 3:29 (Crosby) [The Notorious Byrd Brothers] - August 14, 1967
11. Butterfly - 2:42 (Nash) [Butterfly] - August 1 - October 6, 1967
Recording for Crosby, Stills and Nash's second album begins before Mind Gardens is released, and in between recording sessions, the trio tours across America, with their harmonies becoming a part of their sound. The follow-up album, Stampede, comes out six months after the "Lady Friend"/"King Midas in Reverse" double A-side, but it is met with critical indifference. Stills then contacts his old Buffalo Springfield band mate Neil Young about joining the group, which proves effective in the long term when it comes to signing up for the Beatles' Apple Records label. Who knows what could've happened had Shakey not come on board?
Single:
Lady Friend / King Midas in Reverse (September 1967)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (May 1969)
Side A (17:10)
1. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - 7:25 (Stills)
2. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere - 2:26 (Young)
3. Lady of the Island - 2:39 (Nash)
4. Guinnevere - 4:40 (Crosby)
Side B (17:11)
5. Down by the River - 9:13 (Young)
6. Blackbird - 2:17 (Lennon/McCartney)
7. You Don't Have to Cry - 2:45 (Stills)
8. Pre-Road Downs - 2:56 (Nash)
Side C (18:16)
9. Wooden Ships - 5:29 (Crosby)
10. Helplessly Hoping - 2:41 (Stills)
11. Cowgirl in the Sand - 10:06 (Young)
Side D (17:01)
12. Marrakesh Express - 2:39 (Nash)
13. Round and Round (It Won't Be Long) - 5:49 (Young)
14. Long Time Gone - 4:17 (Crosby)
15. 49 Bye-Byes - 5:16 (Stills)
Neil Young's tracks are sourced from Everybody Knows This is Nowhere whilst "Blackbird" is from the CSN box set with studio chatter removed.
Crosby, Stills and Nash's eponymous debut album and Neil Young's Everybody Knows This is Nowhere were recorded and released at similar times, which makes you wonder what would've happened if Neil had been part of the group from the get-go. Making it a single album wouldn't do it justice at all, so a double album would have to do if you wanted to include every song from the CSN album. It was all a matter of trying to keep the sides of roughly equal length and giving each of the members at least three vocal spots. I originally wasn't going to include "Blackbird", but Side B came up short at nearly fifteen minutes long, so I put it in so each side was at least seventeen minutes each. The resulting album is nearly seventy minutes long.
Singles:
Down by the River / Blackbird (May 1969)
Marrakesh Express / Everybody Knows This is Nowhere (July 1969)
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes / Long Time Gone (September 1969)
Déjà Vu (March 1970)
Side A (23:33)
1. Carry On - 4:26 (Stills)
2. Sea of Madness - 2:39 (Young)
3. Teach Your Children - 2:53 (Nash)
4. Almost Cut My Hair - 4:31 (Crosby)
5. Helpless - 3:33 (Young)
6. Woodstock - 3:54 (Mitchell)
7. You're Wrong Baby - 1:37 (Nash)
Side B (24:27)
8. Déjà Vu - 4:12 (Crosby)
9. Everybody's Alone - 2:22 (Young)
10. Our House - 2:59 (Nash)
11. 4 + 20 - 2:04 (Stills)
12. Country Girl - 5:11 (Young)
13. The Lee Shore - 5:18 (Crosby)
14. Everybody I Love You - 2:21 (Stills/Young)
"Sea of Madness" is the studio take that remains unreleased. "You're Wrong Baby" and "Everybody's Alone" also remain unreleased, but the aforementioned three songs can be found on the Studio Archives 1969 bootleg. "The Lee Shore" is sourced from the CSN box set. All tracks have had their studio chatter removed.
Something that bothered me about Déjà Vu was the fact that the number of vocal spots per member was unbalanced; Stills got four whilst the others each got two if we ignore the backing vocals for "Country Girl" and "Everybody I Love You". I tried to rectify that by giving Crosby, Nash and Young each one more song (Neil got two) to try and even the numbers a bit. I didn't use the extended version of "Almost Cut My Hair" because I didn't want to put myself through the stress of having to rearrange the album just to accommodate it. Plus, I didn't want two double-albums back to back. That's overkill if you ask me. I didn't include "Horses Through a Rainstorm" because I didn't want it to clash with So Far, which I consider to be an odds and ends album.
I'm really happy at having to include "Sea of Madness", "Everybody's Alone" and "The Lee Shore" on a CSNY album, but I am indifferent to "You're Wrong Baby". I couldn't think up another Graham Nash song from the period (barring "Horses Through a Rainstorm"), so I had to make do with what I could find. If anyone can think up of another song from him from that time frame, that'd be great. But for now, this more balanced Déjà Vu sounds good as is.
Singles:
Woodstock / Everybody's Alone (March 1970)
Teach Your Children / Carry On (May 1970)
Ohio / Find the Cost of Freedom (June 1970; non-album)
Our House / Déjà Vu (September 1970)
This was a surprisingly quick post to write up, especially when comparing it to the alternate Beatles discography I wrote last Wednesday. A prequel album to an official debut is an interesting thing to try and explore; with Crosby, Stills and Nash, you get hints not only as to where they came from, but also where they were going next. Add Neil Young into the mix, and you get pure magic. The best thing about this post is that they can co-exist alongside my 1971-1976 CSNY albums without any interference. Now how's that for a bonus?
But alas, their egos and drugs got in the way of music making, so you have to imagine what could've been if they cooperated just long enough to give us more...
Recording for Crosby, Stills and Nash's second album begins before Mind Gardens is released, and in between recording sessions, the trio tours across America, with their harmonies becoming a part of their sound. The follow-up album, Stampede, comes out six months after the "Lady Friend"/"King Midas in Reverse" double A-side, but it is met with critical indifference. Stills then contacts his old Buffalo Springfield band mate Neil Young about joining the group, which proves effective in the long term when it comes to signing up for the Beatles' Apple Records label. Who knows what could've happened had Shakey not come on board?
Single:
Lady Friend / King Midas in Reverse (September 1967)
Side A (17:10)
1. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - 7:25 (Stills)
2. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere - 2:26 (Young)
3. Lady of the Island - 2:39 (Nash)
4. Guinnevere - 4:40 (Crosby)
Side B (17:11)
5. Down by the River - 9:13 (Young)
6. Blackbird - 2:17 (Lennon/McCartney)
7. You Don't Have to Cry - 2:45 (Stills)
8. Pre-Road Downs - 2:56 (Nash)
Side C (18:16)
9. Wooden Ships - 5:29 (Crosby)
10. Helplessly Hoping - 2:41 (Stills)
11. Cowgirl in the Sand - 10:06 (Young)
Side D (17:01)
12. Marrakesh Express - 2:39 (Nash)
13. Round and Round (It Won't Be Long) - 5:49 (Young)
14. Long Time Gone - 4:17 (Crosby)
15. 49 Bye-Byes - 5:16 (Stills)
Neil Young's tracks are sourced from Everybody Knows This is Nowhere whilst "Blackbird" is from the CSN box set with studio chatter removed.
Crosby, Stills and Nash's eponymous debut album and Neil Young's Everybody Knows This is Nowhere were recorded and released at similar times, which makes you wonder what would've happened if Neil had been part of the group from the get-go. Making it a single album wouldn't do it justice at all, so a double album would have to do if you wanted to include every song from the CSN album. It was all a matter of trying to keep the sides of roughly equal length and giving each of the members at least three vocal spots. I originally wasn't going to include "Blackbird", but Side B came up short at nearly fifteen minutes long, so I put it in so each side was at least seventeen minutes each. The resulting album is nearly seventy minutes long.
Singles:
Down by the River / Blackbird (May 1969)
Marrakesh Express / Everybody Knows This is Nowhere (July 1969)
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes / Long Time Gone (September 1969)
Side A (23:33)
1. Carry On - 4:26 (Stills)
2. Sea of Madness - 2:39 (Young)
3. Teach Your Children - 2:53 (Nash)
4. Almost Cut My Hair - 4:31 (Crosby)
5. Helpless - 3:33 (Young)
6. Woodstock - 3:54 (Mitchell)
7. You're Wrong Baby - 1:37 (Nash)
Side B (24:27)
8. Déjà Vu - 4:12 (Crosby)
9. Everybody's Alone - 2:22 (Young)
10. Our House - 2:59 (Nash)
11. 4 + 20 - 2:04 (Stills)
12. Country Girl - 5:11 (Young)
13. The Lee Shore - 5:18 (Crosby)
14. Everybody I Love You - 2:21 (Stills/Young)
"Sea of Madness" is the studio take that remains unreleased. "You're Wrong Baby" and "Everybody's Alone" also remain unreleased, but the aforementioned three songs can be found on the Studio Archives 1969 bootleg. "The Lee Shore" is sourced from the CSN box set. All tracks have had their studio chatter removed.
Something that bothered me about Déjà Vu was the fact that the number of vocal spots per member was unbalanced; Stills got four whilst the others each got two if we ignore the backing vocals for "Country Girl" and "Everybody I Love You". I tried to rectify that by giving Crosby, Nash and Young each one more song (Neil got two) to try and even the numbers a bit. I didn't use the extended version of "Almost Cut My Hair" because I didn't want to put myself through the stress of having to rearrange the album just to accommodate it. Plus, I didn't want two double-albums back to back. That's overkill if you ask me. I didn't include "Horses Through a Rainstorm" because I didn't want it to clash with So Far, which I consider to be an odds and ends album.
I'm really happy at having to include "Sea of Madness", "Everybody's Alone" and "The Lee Shore" on a CSNY album, but I am indifferent to "You're Wrong Baby". I couldn't think up another Graham Nash song from the period (barring "Horses Through a Rainstorm"), so I had to make do with what I could find. If anyone can think up of another song from him from that time frame, that'd be great. But for now, this more balanced Déjà Vu sounds good as is.
Singles:
Woodstock / Everybody's Alone (March 1970)
Teach Your Children / Carry On (May 1970)
Ohio / Find the Cost of Freedom (June 1970; non-album)
Our House / Déjà Vu (September 1970)
This was a surprisingly quick post to write up, especially when comparing it to the alternate Beatles discography I wrote last Wednesday. A prequel album to an official debut is an interesting thing to try and explore; with Crosby, Stills and Nash, you get hints not only as to where they came from, but also where they were going next. Add Neil Young into the mix, and you get pure magic. The best thing about this post is that they can co-exist alongside my 1971-1976 CSNY albums without any interference. Now how's that for a bonus?
But alas, their egos and drugs got in the way of music making, so you have to imagine what could've been if they cooperated just long enough to give us more...
Regarding a different Nash song for Deja Vu, there is a demo of Right Between The Eyes from the Deja Vu session on the Reflections boxed set that I think is much better than You're Wrong Baby by a stretch.
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