Record Reviews

CROSBY & NASH ~ LIVE MCA 008811205225 (Barcode: 008811205225) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1975 - 1976 Released: 2000 This is the fourth album (and first live release) by the celebrated team of singer / songwriter friends, American David CrosbyFind albums by this artist and British Graham NashFind albums by this artist. It followed the previous two studio releases ("Wind On The WaterFind albums with this title" and "Whistling Down The WireFind albums with this title") presenting material recorded live during the concerts the duo performed promoting these albums and consisting mostly of songs originally included on them, featuring the same team of musicians that recorded them: guitarist Danny KortchmarFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Craig DoergeFind albums by this artist, bassist Tim DrummondFind albums by this artist, drummer Russell KunkelFind albums by this artist and multi-instrumentalist David LindleyFind albums by this artist. Crosby and Nash are in charge of the vocals, Crosby plays guitars and Nash plays guitars and piano. The album presents eleven songs written by Crosby and Nash (five songs each and one by Crosby / Doerge). This is the remastered edition of the album, first time on CD, with a much improved sound clarity, and two bonus tracks. The songs are all exquisite, as expected from this talented team, and very much in the same "spirit" and overall these three albums could be in fact considered as one continuous reflection of the duo´s output at that time (1975-1976), which was certainly the most productive in the Crosby & Nash legacy. The duo and the band accompanying the two singers became a true and very tight band, definitely one of the best out there at the time. As usual the stylistic, personal and cultural differences between Crosby and Nash create a unique amalgam, which combined with their fabulous vocal harmonies results in some of the best Classic Rock music ever recorded. They are simply one of the most perfect partnerships in Rock history. This album emphasizes the incredible rapport between the Artists and the audiences, and their unique ability on stage, which allows them to change and adapt the songs to the atmosphere of each an every venue and the mood of the specific concert. As such it is an electrifying document of Classic Rock performed live, with is almost completely gone these days. Overall in historic perspective this is a milestone album in every possible meaning of the phrase, which lost absolutely nothing over time in any aspect; it is still beautiful, relevant, and meaningful as a piece of an aesthetics that is long gone. Of all the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young many sub-groups, Crosby & Nash have been the most consistently excellent outfit. I can´t imagine any decent Classic Rock collection not including this album.

Updated: 29/06/2018Posted: 29/06/2018

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

CROSBY & NASH ~ WHISTLING DOWN THE WIRE MCA 008811203221 (Barcode: 008811203221) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1975 - 1976 Released: 2000 This is the third album by the celebrated team of singer / songwriter friends, American David CrosbyFind albums by this artist and British Graham NashFind albums by this artist. It followed the previous release ("Wind On The WaterFind albums with this title") just one year later, presenting a new set of songs performed by almost the same team of musicians that recorded that album: guitarist Danny KortchmarFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Craig DoergeFind albums by this artist, bassist Tim DrummondFind albums by this artist, drummer Russell KunkelFind albums by this artist and multi-instrumentalist David LindleyFind albums by this artist. Crosby and Nash are in charge of the vocals, Crosby plays guitars and Nash plays guitars and harmonica. The album presents ten songs. Both Crosby and Nash wrote three songs each, two songs were co-written by them both, one was co-written by Kortchmar and Nash and one by Doerge, Crosby and Nash. This is the remastered edition of the album, first time on CD, with a much improved sound clarity, but with no bonus material. The songs are all exquisite, as expected from this talented team, and very much in the same "spirit" as those on the previous album. Some of them were recorded during the sessions that produced the previous album and overall these two albums could be in fact considered as one continuous reflection of the duo´s output at that time (1975-1976), including also the next album "LiveFind albums with this title", which documents the duo´s concerts, where they performed mostly material from these two albums. The duo and the band accompanying the two singers became a true and very tight band, definitely one of the best out there at the time. As usual the stylistic, personal and cultural differences between Crosby and Nash create a unique amalgam, which combined with their fabulous vocal harmonies results in some of the best Classic Rock music ever recorded. They are simply one of the most perfect partnerships in Rock history. The album also emphasize the political / social opinions both these artists never feared to voice, standing firmly for the values of freedom, social justice, environment issues etc., continuing the "protest song" tradition cultivated in American music since the 1950s, sadly to disappear almost completely by the end of the 1970s. Overall in historic perspective this is a milestone album in every possible meaning of the phrase, which lost absolutely nothing over time in any aspect; it is still beautiful, relevant, and meaningful as a piece of an aesthetics that is long gone. Of all the Crosby, Stills, Nash & YoungFind albums by this artist many sub-groups, Crosby & Nash have been the most consistently excellent outfit. I can´t imagine any decent Classic Rock collection not including this album. Beyond essential!

Updated: 29/06/2018Posted: 29/06/2018

CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

CROSBY & NASH ~ WIND ON THE WATER MCA 008811204327 (Barcode: 008811204327) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1975 Released: 2000 This is the second album by the celebrated team of singer / songwriter friends, American David CrosbyFind albums by this artist and British Graham NashFind albums by this artist. It followed the debut after a three years gap, presenting a new set of songs performed by the same team of musicians that recorded the debut: guitarist Danny KortchmarFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Craig DoergeFind albums by this artist, bassist Leland SklarFind albums by this artist and drummer Russell KunkelFind albums by this artist. Multi-instrumentalist David LindleyFind albums by this artist and bassist Tim DrummondFind albums by this artist complete the band. Musical friends: Jackson BrowneFind albums by this artist, James TaylorFind albums by this artist, Carole KingFind albums by this artist and others, perform on some of the songs. Crosby and Nash are in charge of the vocals, Crosby plays guitars and Nash plays the piano. The album presents eleven songs, the last of which is in fact a two song medley. Crosby wrote four of the songs, Nash five songs and two (including the medley) are co-written by them both. This is the remastered edition of the album, first time on CD, with a much improved sound clarity, but with no bonus material. The songs are all exquisite, as expected from this talented team, definitely as strong as those on the stunning debut album. Considering the fact that the band accompanying the two singers is much tighter this time, the album overall sounds even better than the debut in many respects. As usual the stylistic, personal and cultural differences between Crosby and Nash create a unique amalgam, which combined with their fabulous vocal harmonies results in some of the best Classic Rock music ever recorded. They are simply one of the most perfect partnerships in Rock history. The album also emphasize the political / social opinions both these artists never feared to voice, standing firmly for the values of freedom, social justice, environment issues etc., continuing the "protest song" tradition cultivated in American music since the 1950s, sadly to disappear almost completely by the end of the 1970s. Overall in historic perspective this is a milestone album in every possible meaning of the phrase, which lost absolutely nothing over time in any aspect; it is still beautiful, relevant, and meaningful as a piece of an aesthetics that is long gone. Of all the Crosby, Stills, Nash & YoungFind albums by this artist many sub-groups, Crosby & Nash have been the most consistently excellent outfit. I can´t imagine any decent Classic Rock collection not including this album. Beyond essential!

Updated: 29/06/2018Posted: 28/06/2018

CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

GRAHAM NASH ~ EARTH & SKY MAGIC 3700139305003 (Barcode: 3700139305003) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1979 Released: 2001 This is the third solo album by British singer / songwriter Graham NashFind albums by this artist, one of the greatest Classic Rock icons of all times. Nash maintained a more or less steady solo career in parallel to his activity as a member of Crosby & NashFind albums by this artist, Crosby, Stills & NashFind albums by this artist and Crosby, Stills, Nash & YoungFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original songs, all written (music and lyrics) by Nash with one song co-written with American singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Joe VitaleFind albums by this artist, who also plays on the album. The numerous musicians who took part in recording of the album include also bassist Tim DrummondFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Craig DoergeFind albums by this artist and guitarist David LindleyFind albums by this artist. David CrosbyFind albums by this artist plays guitar on one tune and sings backing vocals on two and Stephen StillFind albums by this artist plays guitar on one tune. The album offers an excellent collection of typical Nash songs, based on wonderful melodic motifs and supported by intelligent and often politically oriented lyrics. The superb team of musicians creates a wonderful example of Classic Rock atmosphere, which by the time this album was released was almost completely abandoned by the music scene. The album is full of excellent instrumental performances and superb soloing, in addition to heartwrenching lead vocal parts by Nash himself. In retrospect this is one of the strongest solo efforts by Nash and the fact that it is almost completely forgotten these days is a crying shame. It serves as a closing chapter of the 1970s for Nash´s solo career, which except for the relatively less important mid 1980s album "Innocent Eyes" will have to wake for more than a coupe of decades to flourish again. For the many Nash fans, this forgotten gem is definitely worth to be revisited, although it is not easy to be found. Listening to it almost four decades after it was released was a joyful experience for me, which I recommend to all Classic Rock fans. They don´t make music like this any more and since the mold is almost lost, let´s keep this music alive as long as we can!

Updated: 18/11/2018Posted: 18/11/2018

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

GRAHAM NASH ~ WILD TALES ATLANTIC 075678143229 (Barcode: 075678143229) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1973 Released: 1985 This is the second solo album by British singer / songwriter Graham NashFind albums by this artist, one of the 20th Century Classic Rock icons, who is still active today. After a glorious career in the UK as a member of the legendary group The HolliesFind albums by this artist, Nash moved to the USA to join David CrosbyFind albums by this artist and Stephen StillsFind albums by this artist (and later Neil YoungFind albums by this artist) to form one of the most influential Classic Rock bands in history: Crosby, Stills & NashFind albums by this artist (and Crosby, Stills, Nash & YoungFind albums by this artist). Nash was decisively the catalyst and bonding element of these bands, with his British Cultural background, lyricism and superb feel of vocal harmony, as well as his personal manners and attitude, which was often in complete contrast to his American partners. The album presents ten original songs, all written (music and lyrics) by Nash. Nash is supported by a formidable team of musicians, which includes vocalist Joni MitchellFind albums by this artist, guitarists David LindleyFind albums by this artist, David Crosby and Dave MasonFind albums by this artist, Neil Young on piano, bassist Tim DrummondFind albums by this artist, drummer John BarbataFind albums by this artist and numerous others. The songs are somewhat darker and more introvert that those on his debut album, but all are superbly crafted and executed. Each and every one of these songs is a microcosm of inventive songwriting and lyrical sensitivity that Nash is blessed with. His exceptional harmonic and melodic aesthetics and his social awareness are strongly present in the fabric of the lyrics, as always. At the time of its release this album was received coldly by the music critics and to this very day is not considered as one of his best achievements, which of course is a complete poppycock, as this music withstands the test of time formidably and remains an archetypal example of Classic Rock. How sad that nobody makes music like this any more…

Updated: 26/10/2018Posted: 10/09/2018

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend