Crosby, Stills & Nash

David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash were all established singer-songwriters in their respective rock groups before they came together, realized they all shared good vocal chemistry, and went on to form their own folk rock supergroup. I understand they would later bring Neil Young into the fold, but for the time being, this was Crosby, Stills, & Nash for their self-titled debut. If there's one song I immediately recognized from continued radio airplay, it was the opening "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", such a pleasantly sprawling set of musical sections that elevated the subject matter of a breakup between Stills and his former girlfriend Judy Collins.

As for the rest of the record, it boasts a rather pleasant-sounding folk-rock sound, with the expected vocal harmonies and bouncing guitar rollicks. It's rather evident that there is a certain degree of sophistication in the songcraft and production to bring about these popping melodies early on. Sure, at least half of the songs are about the various relationship breakups the band members endured up to this point, which can come off a tad single-minded. Thankfully, there are a few swerves in the lyrics that were appreciated, such as the vivid imagery of Nash's train ride on "Marrakesh Express", and especially David Crosby's penned songs that take the darker turns, like the apocalyptic scenery of "Wooden Ships" or the capturing of the counterculture clash on "Long Time Gone".

At the end of the day, this was a solid debut record from one of the most revered supergroups that walked the earth. It's funny how such partnerships can work and endure.

Crosby, Stills & Nash’s debut brings together three songwriters into a Laurel Canyon supergroup, and the result is one of the defining folk-rock albums of the late ’60s. Their intricate vocal harmonies set a new standard, and the songwriting ranges from intimate ballads to richly textured folk anthems. At its core is 𝘚𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦: 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴 — a folk song in suite form that borders on prog-folk, ambitious yet deeply melodic. Warm, intimate, and beautifully crafted, this album captures the essence of the era’s folk music at its most sophisticated.

I know this is a good album, great production, tunes and harmonies. But the times I've listened, I always think "okay I've had enough now". 3.5

I thought we had some sort of Crosby et al. album already, but it was actually Buffalo Springfield, which contains Neil Young, who is sometimes one of Crosby et al. Forget the Beatles movies, I need a CSN(Y)+BS primer. Except I don't want one because this album is boring.
I did always think "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" was a novel kind of song title; you don't get a lot of colons in popular music. I'm sure I've heard the song before (I think it's on one of those Billboard albums?) but it clearly didn't stick with me. The best part is definitely the do-do-do-do-dos at the end.

It seems to me that Morocco (and Northern Africa in general) is way more prevalent in the pop culture of the 60s than it is now. What's up with that? Maybe I should read a history book instead of the Crosby et al. wiki compendium. Did you know Nash was in the Hollies?? We're in a deeply tangled web here. And Crosby was in the Byrds. Wow wow wow.

I'm really sleepy and 'Guinnevere' is not helping. The best part is definitely the do-do-do-do-dos in the middle. This one sounds a little like Simon and Garfunkel. Maybe that's Crosby's vibe.

My assessment is that Stills is my least favorite singer. And I think Crosby is my favorite. But also if you asked me to tell the three apart I would have no idea. I didn't really enjoy this album; it was very sleepy, but I didn't quite dislike it either, so I guess it scrapes a 3.

Highlight: 'Teach Your Children' (me: hm, where do I know this from? wiki: "In 1985, the song was used with modified lyrics in a TV commercial promoting schools' use of the Apple II family of personal computers" me: aha, so it was)

Слухали сольне, тепер спільний альбом. А далі ще мабуть буде КСН енд Янг.

Не знаю, це класика, не можна сказати що тут щось не так. Але я таке майже не слухаю, тому суб'єктивно вище 3 поставити не можу.

Some nice harmonies & nice tunes.

I will say that I didn't hate this anywhere near as much as I expected to. It's an easygoing listen, with a handful of decent offerings and a jubilant cheer pulsing throughout, but on the whole, this one became tiresome quickly for me. I found my attention ebbing and flowing between the busier, more "rock" oriented passages and the relatively non-descript folk ones.

After about 5 tracks, I thought I was on for the home stretch, only to realise that there were nine left to go. "49 Bye-Byes" is the final track proper, which is an appropriate note to wrap things up on, but the Spotify version of the album adds four superfluous, dirging acoustic tracks into the mix.

Really enjoyed this - particularly the tracks Judy Blue Eyes and Helplessly Hoping

The problem with this is that it gets to the point where it’s no fun anymore very quickly.

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is the best song on the record by far. Wooden Ships isn’t terrible. The rest of the album is overstuffed filler.

The Good: You know… an album named after the band…
The Bad: That the band had no imagination, thus called themselves Crosby, Stills & Nash…
The Ugly: …

There are two bands who’s followers are willing to go to the edge of the world for them: The Gratefull Dead, and this band.
I’ve never been willing to go to the edge of the world for either of them.

Sure, there are some more than classic tunes on this album, the opening song having been overly used in TV and Film scores whenever something hippy is needed…
So I listened to the album, the first time I actually recall listening to a CSN album, and it was okay, I guess.

One of the thoughts that kept popping into my head was “do you really need to do that fucking harmony again?” I was getting visions of some hippy chick telling me “listen man, let the world flow through you” or some such bullshit like that.

Then the pen-ultimate tune started playing, and that sealed the deal for me: I do not like CSN!
Their cover of Everybody’s Talkin’ just proved my point above that there is a point of too much something… I guess I would be of a different opinion if I were into the MaryJane, maybe…
But I am not, so there…

3* for cultural value, but soooo close to droppin’ it down to two...

👍

Some weeks a man will listen to Helplessly Hoping 400 times, ya know.

Beautiful harmonizing. Awful versions of Everybody’s Talking and Teach your Children.
I find their style can get monotonous

Extraordinary album that bridged the sixties and seventies

it's fine. great simon and garfunkel harmonies. mild political slant without any sort of call to action. average 1960's. nothing to complain about. decent.

Proof positive that all the crap music came from Neil Young.
CSN >>>>>>CSNY

4.5/5.0: Excellent

significantly better than the csny album or any of the solo albums i've heard from them

A little corny around the edges, but all in all an excellent album. There’s a lot of stuff on here that hadn’t really been done before, even considering the way-paving done by the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Hollies, and others.

Wasn't expecting a whole lot going into this but I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would which was a pleasant surprise

Standout tracks are Marrakesh Express and Long Time Gone

A nice album, very chill. My only issue with it was that it was a bit too dreary. Could have done with some upbeat songs thrown in

3 ⭐️