CSN on Long Island

[swandy]

Hi Doc,
My point exactly - David has a HUGE collection of great songs, so I did not understand Tony's original point about his inferior song writing. Though if you look at his body of work, I think his best comes out in a group setting when he is not required to write an entire album worth of songs by himself. (Though his voice alone makes his solo albums worth the experience.)
Steve

[Lonesomedave]

It's all subjective but Tony writes a good review and does his best to be objective.
No one person will come away from an event with a comprehensive reflection of any group.
I think Eric Dolphy and Jackson Pollock were brilliant however,many people find their work discordant or unpleasing to the eye, in Pollock's case.
To each his own. Crosby? Some I like, some I don't but taken by himself, he falls short as a writer. IMO.

[TonyNYC]

Well, I stated my biases in the beginning...but no, I'm not joking. However complex his tunings may be and despite the jazz influences, Crosby's songs always feel like dead leaden weight to my ears and they seem to go on forever boring the crap out of me.

Except Carry Me which is so good I can't believe he wrote it. Long Time Comin' is pretty good too. Though didn't he only co-write Eight Miles High and Renaisance Fair? And yes, Guinnivere sounded beautiful Saturday night. (Maybe because it was juxtaposed with an awful more recent Crosby song? Sorry, cheap shot...)

Give me Stills, McGuinn, Neil, Nash, Hillman and even Clark any day.

By the way, despite Joni's complex tunings I love her stuff. Well, most of it. Except for her lousy jazz.

Jim, I'd love to hear what you think of CSN when you see them.

[jerzeypocofan]

Relisten to Eight Miles High, Renaissance Fair, Triad, Everybody Has Been Burned, Guenievre, Lee Shore, Deja Vu, Long Time Gone, Song With No Words Tree With No Leaves, Critical Mass, Carry Me, In My Dreams, Morrison, Rusty & Blue, Delta, Shadow Captain, Laughing, etc and then tell me Crosby is not a great songwriter.

Dr. Galvin[/quote]

Sorry Tony but I agree with Doc....check out CPR's cd's too some great stuff on those
also.....Thanks for the review....check out Crosby's boxed set its really good

[Muckeetruckee]

Gotta go with the good doctor on this one. Tho Crosbys body of work isn't as extensive as Neil or Steves, it certainly is equal at least. Also I believe Guinevere is as good as anything the other two have written. The voice? C'mon.....

[TonyNYC]

Well, I guess I'm in the minority. Again.

But Crosby is probably my least favorite songwriter among people who belong to a band-well two bands-I like a lot.

He's all yours. Enjoy.

[Lonesomedave]

Give me Stills, McGuinn, Neil, Nash, Hillman and even Clark any day.

By the way, despite Joni's complex tunings I love her stuff. Well, most of it. Except for her lousy jazz.

I agree but I prefer Rickie Lee over Joni, thanks to Tony. Crosby was a strong link in the Byrds, granted but Stills first solo was way better than the first CSN.
Just personal taste. I can't sing, play or write even close to any of them but that doesn't make me like what I don't enjoy any better.
The Hollies made CSNY sound like a barber shop quartet. Besides, I like high energy stuff like Quicksilver and the Grape. And for the thinking man's rock, the Kinks and Love.

[sunsetkidd]

I am in agreement with Lonesome and Tony here, but further, Crosby gets no respect from me (which means nothing, I know). He didn't write Eight Miles High...it was written by Clark; the whole story, which I tend to believe, can be found in Einarson's excellent bio of Clark...the co-songwriting credits were literally pilfered. He was also a big ego and little talent in the original Byrds, treating Clark like crap (and admitting it) which, among other factors (like Clark's aversion to flying) led to Clarks early exit from that great band...and his songwriting ALWAYS paled in comparison to Clark. After the Byrds, I find some CSN stuff pretty worthy but not much else (I know I'm biased). I agree with Tony on Carry Me. Real nice song.
And yeah, he has a decent voice; but of the original Byrds, I'll take McGuinn's, Clarks and even Hillman's vocals over Crosby's.

[jerzeypocofan]

And yeah, he has a decent voice; but of the original Byrds, I'll take McGuinn's, Clarks and even Hillman's vocals over Crosby's.[/quote]

I'll take em all together what a super group of musicians!

[Lonesomedave]

I'll take em all together what a super group of musicians!

Of all the groups of the 60's that underwent numerous personal changes, I think the Byrds held their basic essence together as well as anyone. Like Poco, you could trace different periods in their career but you could still hear that underlying definition that made them who they were and would always be.
Already documented in several rock histories, the Byrds legacy, at least in my mind, was the counter point to the Beatles.
The Beach Boys would become resurgent with, Pet Sounds but the Byrds were just so damned solid as a unit, despite their personal feuds.
I still think the lead solo from, My Back Pages is one of the purest in all of rock.
Here's something I think that says a lot about the Byrds and Crosby you may not have read...http://www.snopes.com/music/hidden/horse.asp