YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 120 (Band Connections 3)
(Originally finalized on January 20, 2025)
Preface: After doing British blues and then proto-metal, I asked myself, what would be a good subject for another episode of Band Connections? And the answer that came to me was... a supergroup! Now, there have been a lot of supergroups over the years, but one of the most popular right around the turn of the '70s, and one that I'm pretty well familiar with, is Crosby Stills Nash & [sometimes] Young. The band is even named after its four members, who were each prominent musicians in their own right! Let's give a listen to some of the music they created together, and some of the hit songs that were recorded by other bands they individually played in, before and after the debut of their supergroup.
Monday: The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) [released as a single, 1965]
Comments: Back in 1965, David Crosby made his professional debut playing with the band that invented folk rock, pioneered psychedelia, and garnered a reputation for covering Bob Dylan songs (starting with Mr. Tambourine Man). But I would consider their most popular and enduring hit to be their version of this contemplative folk standard. Despite pulling lyrics straight from The Bible, it manages to sound more philosophical than preachy.
Tuesday: Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth [released as a single, 1966]
Comments: Formed in Los Angeles when session musician Stephen Stills bumped into Canadian expat Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield started out opening for The Byrds very early on. Written and sung by Stills, For What It's Worth became an instant hit (and was retroactively appended to their debut album), encapsulating the spirit of '60s counterculture protests, and accomplishing that enviable task of feeling relevant, while also being ambiguous enough to attain a timeless quality - a skill that CSN would duplicate on their first album, with help from David Crosby.
Wednesday: The Hollies - Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress [Distant Light, 1971]
Comments: Although recorded after Graham Nash had left the band (in a huff when they decided to one-up The Byrds and release an entire album of Dylan covers), I made an executive decision to feature this song because it's the band's biggest hit - at least from the perspective of rock radio - and a lot of their other material is too soft for my tastes. But since we're talking about band connections this week, I can't fail to relate a little tidbit I learned from a horror movie I watched this fall (Heretic - I recommend it). In 1974, The Hollies scored a hit with their cover of a song titled
The Air That I Breathe, which is connected by an unbroken chain of litigation to Radiohead and Lana Del Rey!
Thursday: CSN - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes [Crosby Stills & Nash, 1969]
Comments: Having each left (or been tossed out of) their respective bands, Crosby, Stills, and Nash joined together and unlocked their full potential as a combined unit. And for three singers joined together in a supergroup designed to show off their vocal harmonies, this song really is the epitome of what they're all about. After being passed over for multiple themes on this music log (About A Girl, These Eyes, and it was narrowly disqualified as a First Impression, due to the band releasing Marrakesh Express as their first single...), I finally get to feature it!
Friday: Neil Young - After The Gold Rush [After The Gold Rush, 1970]
Comments: After Buffalo Springfield disbanded in 1968, Stephen Stills joined Crosby Stills & Nash, while Neil Young embarked on a solo career. It wouldn't take long for him to court mainstream success - though not before appending his name to CSN for the followup to their debut. The title track to his third studio album - a somber piano ballad that takes a voyage across time and space, through past, present, and future - is perhaps the quintessential document of his "shakey" singing style. Depending on your taste, it's either the reason you can't stand his voice, or the only proof needed that he belongs in a supergroup singing alongside the heavenly harmonies of Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
Saturday: CSNY - Helpless [Deja Vu, 1970]
Comments: It's a testament to how good the album Deja Vu is, that I've already shared the best tracks from it (in my opinion), and I still have trouble deciding which of the rest to feature this time around. I strongly considered the album opener, Carry On, which is one of the band's more recognizable tunes. But, especially in light of the next song I'm going to share, I'm wary of over-representing Stephen Stills. If I wanted to feature Graham Nash (apologies, but it should be clear by now that he's my least favorite member of the group), Teach Your Children would have been an excellent choice. But, ultimately, the goal of this entry is to demonstrate the value of Neil Young's inclusion in the group, and so I picked one of his better songs as lead vocalist, with the other members providing harmonies.
Sunday: Stephen Stills - Love The One You're With [Stephen Stills, 1970]
Comments: Following the release of Deja Vu, all four members of CSNY experienced a boost in popularity in their successive solo careers. But frankly, excepting Neil Young - whose legacy is well-established - I'm not very familiar with any big hits recorded by the other members. Besides Stephen Stills, that is - as demonstrated by this track. Some have criticized it for its callous promotion of free love, but I think that's an overly harsh interpretation. It's about our common brotherhood, and a call to spread love and good will, instead of hoarding it away greedily for somebody who can't accept it.
Honorable Mention: Jefferson Airplane - Wooden Ships [Volunteers, 1969]
Comments: For the honorable mention, I thought of bands and musicians that Crosby, Stills, Nash, and/or Young were involved with, but not necessarily playing for. Graham Nash had a fling with Joni Mitchell, who wrote Woodstock which they recorded for Deja Vu. But that song is already represented on my theme dedicated to The Hippie Dream. And there's really no better choice than Jefferson Airplane's version of Wooden Ships. Co-written by Paul Kantner along with Crosby and Stills, it's not even really a cover, since both bands can legitimately claim partial custody.