1970: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Déjà Vu

They weren't the first supergroup, CSNY, but they're probably the definitive American supergroup. Massively successful over there in a way that they weren't quite over here, it's a long and chequered history of egos and excess.

Despite that long history, there's really only acclaimed album released by the foursome - this one. The previous album is also acclaimed, but that was only by Crosby, Stills and Nash, a name that trips off the tongue a lot better, and fittingly so.

Although the name suggests a collection of individuals rather than a group entity, Crosby, Stills and Nash were very much a unity in terms of the beautiful noise they created - arguably, CSN are up with the Beach Boys in terms of great American harmonisers.

Stills had come from Buffalo Springfield (Young was also in that band), Crosby from the Byrds and Nash from our very own Hollies. All were songwriters, all were great singers.

Generally, the personalities are established thus - Stills, leader, doer, great instrumentalist, straight man. Crosby, loon, hippy, drugs and harems. Nash, pop, keeper of peace, sweet. And then, for the second album, Young, dominant, driven, single-minded, songwriter supreme.

There's truth in that. It's easy to dismiss all of them against Young, with Nash often seen as "hey guys, groovy", some kind of transatlantic simpleton and a lightweight compared to the others. Maybe it's just me, but it's often his songs that really hold up, though, poppy as they may be, they're often memorable and beautiful.

For me, Crosby is the least songwriter - some of his schtick is overwrought and weak, like 'Almost Cut My Hair' it's beyond parody and his wailed "Why did they die?" at the end of Neil Young's Ohio ruins a fine song for me

Stills always seems to me the leader, playing most of the instruments, holding it together. I don't have any of his solo stuff, perhaps he's too closely associated with the group.

Anyway, their first album as CSN is really nice - Stills' 'Suite:Judy Blue Eyes' probably the standout, but other great numbers like Marrakesh Express and Wooden Ships. It's a very influential album, defining and setting up that Laurel Canyon hippy vibe for years to come.

Of which, taking a short detour: the end result of that scene was The Eagles. As the Dude so wisely says in The Big Lebowski, "I hate the fucking Eagles, man". That distinction between what's cool and what's not is an interesting one. I could think that I think the Eagles are shitty next to the likes of CSN, Jackson Browne etc, because I've been told so, but actually, I always thought the Eagles were shit, back then they were Number 44 in the Capital Radio Hall of Fame, it's Desperado, Number 12 in the Capital Radio Hall of Fame it's Hotel California.
It makes you realise that some bands are just cheesy and lame where others aren't, and somehow folk can just tell that. They're a bit like the Maroon 5 or Killers of their day - the "indie-rock" band, superficially operating in a style similar to cool, good bands, who have a massive ego and a plan at the centre which you can just HEAR in every note.

Anyway, detour over. Arguably, 'Crosby, Stills and Nash' is a better album than 'Deja Vu;. It's certainly more of a unity, by more of a group. Because Deja Vu to me still sounds like one band and one Neil Young. He doesn't always play, he doesn't always harmonise, he's just there brooding, trying to take over (which, of course, he eventually did).

His songs on the album are great, particularly 'Helpless', one of his all time classics, though I probably prefer the opening number 'Carry On' which really has some of the most wonderful singing you'll ever hear. And i'm a sucker for Nash's 'Our House'.

Without the egos, this could have been one of the greatest bands in history, as it's a phenomenal collection of talent. I suppose Young's talent does dwarf the others, though as I said in a previous blog, I've completely loved Nash's solo album 'Songs for Beginners', written in the wake of his break-up with Joni Mitchell, so some kind of mirror to 'Blue' and it holds its end up.

They all released successful solo albums after 'Deja Vu' - Young's was his big breakthrough 'After the Goldrush' and he hasn't really looked back since, Stills' was self-titled and I confess I haven't listened to it (I should), Crosby's was 'If I Could Only Remember My Name'. Somewhat bizarrely, when I bought a '1000 Greatest Albums of All Time' book compiled by someone called Colin Larkin, in about 1996, he declared that in his own humble opinion (not the listing of the book, which was more scientific) this was the finest album ever.
Baffling, and I was always doubly against it as a result of that over-estimation. Still, listening to it again recently, it certainly sounds beautiful. Perhaps I've been harsh on Crosby down the years, who I've always dismissed as the Alex James figure, the hedonist who overestimates his own talent and wisdom.
Like Nash and a few others, Crosby had a relationship with Joni Mitchell, far be it from me to be reductive about the great talent who dwarfs them all. Many great songs came out of her couplings, anyhow.

So this would be my compilation from all their many incarnations. There's no Hollies, no Buffalo Springfield and no Byrds - there would have been if I'd really loved anything from them enough and I'd known they'd been composed by any of these members.

Still, this is plenty good enough. Young dominates. Just because he does.

Carry On - CSNY
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - CSN
Simple Man - Graham Nash
Traction in the Rain - David Crosby
Helpless - CSNY
Our House - CSNY
Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Neil Young
Borrowed Tune - Neil Young
Old Man - Neil Young
After the Goldrush - Neil Young
Heart of Gold - Neil Young
The Needle and the Damage Done - Neil Young
Don't Let it Bring You Down -Neil Young
Better Days - Graham Nash
Philadelphia - Neil Young
Wounded Bird - Graham Nash
Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
Music is Love - David Crosby
Love the One You're With - Stephen Stills
Like a Hurricane - Neil Young