Well, punk purists and narrow-minded individuals should take the next train to AJZ. Here, only your face will fall asleep. Now it gets folky, now it gets bluesy, now it gets calm and emotional...;)
The supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is one of the most influential formations in rock history. The artists had already become stars with the Byrds, the Hollies, or Buffalo Springfield before.
They were the musical voice of the hippie movement and the protests against the Vietnam War, mobilizing masses of youth with their songs. Their trademark is the multi-part vocal harmonies, which one must appreciate.
In addition to their brilliant qualities as musicians and songwriters, the four had strong egos. This led to constant friction, and in 1971 the band broke up, with each focusing on their solo projects. In the summer of 1974, they came together again for a now legendary stadium tour.
The tapes of these 31 shows have now been reviewed and edited by Graham Nash and Joel Bernstein. The entire project took four and a half years, and Nash described it as one of the most challenging tasks of his musical career. Of course, the material had to be reviewed, the sound optimized, the songs arranged coherently, and surely one or two mistakes had to be corrected with the latest technology to ensure an enjoyable listening experience.
What has emerged is a work that is impressive.
The 40 unreleased tracks capture the best moments of the tour in excellent sound quality, and one gets the feeling of listening to a cohesive concert. Musically, the set is diverse. It is consistently calm, but each member brings distinct color to the mix. The influences are very varied; one hears country, folk, pop, blues, and a bit of rock. CSNY pulls all the stops and creates an intimate atmosphere on stage even at these mass events.
Alongside political songs like "Prison Song", "Immigration Man", "Ohio", "Military Madness", or the gleeful mockery of former President Richard Nixon in "goodbye dick", Crosby's songs like "The Lee shore", "Wooden Ships", or "Déjà vu" are often psychedelic and have a meditative character, sometimes drifting into lengthy jams. Other songs are pure country numbers or heartfelt love ballads. I particularly enjoy Neil Young's guitar playing. I would highlight the songs "Traces", "Old Man", "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", "Teach Your Children", "Helpless", "Change Partners", "Military Madness", "Immigration Song", and the Beatles cover "Blackbird".
The release comes in several formats. The one discussed here includes 3 CDs, 1 DVD, and an 188-page booklet. Additionally, there is a stripped-down single CD or an audio Blu-ray. The packaging is truly top-notch. On CD 1, the songs are plugged, on CD 2 unplugged, and on CD 3 everything is plugged again, along with a live DVD featuring 8 songs. The booklet shares behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes. There is also tons of visual material.
Who should listen to this now? I believe for anyone who isn't already into this type of music, it might be interesting to try something different in between. For relaxation, the music is definitely perfect.
Nevertheless, it can get quite boring over time. Sure, there are good moments, no question, but it doesn't blow me away. The noise factor is indeed very low. ;)
Oops, after three hours of CSNY, my face has actually fallen asleep....Um, I think I'll take the bus to AJZ. ;)
This article was automatically translated by AI.
