Crosby Stills Nash & Young - CSNY/Deja Vu Live
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Free Music Notes for CSNY/Deja Vu Live
Free Music Review: Just Know What You're Getting into When You Buy
Hit: 4 Stars
Reading over some of the other reviews here, there's a lot of political stuff dragging down the score on this record, and I don't think that's fair. At least have the integrity to judge the record on its own merits, and not blast it because you don't agree with the message being conveyed.
That said, I'll try my best to be objective here, and let you know what you get with this album. I apologize for the length ahead of time.
Breaking down the record, you basically have Neil Young, and CSN acting as a sort of extra-special backing band, playing the entirety of Neil's "Living With War" record and various CSN(Y) standards (likely chosen to fit in with the protest theme). That comes to an album exactly of one hour and thirteen minutes, of which thirty-four minutes are vintage CSN(Y) material. Also take note that the songs WILL sometimes fade in and fade out, implying this was taken from more than one show (a cardinal sin for live albums, in my opinion).
Having not listened to the studio version of Young's "Living With War", it still seems like it's performed faithfully, as in none of the songs spiral off into Crazy Horse jams. Then again, this was never really the CSNY thing. Seek out a review of the studio record for more thoughts on this.
The CSN(Y) standards here are really what you'll likely buy the record for, and they're rather uniformly good. "Deja Vu" and "Wooden Ships" are both excellent, and both involve guitar duels between Stills and Young, with Young getting some particularly LETHAL tones this time around. Nothing particularly different from the studio records in most cases though. Biggest issue is Stills: though still an excellent guitarist, it's become obvious he's losing his hearing, and his singing greatly suffers as result. Though "For What It's Worth" still ends up being quite good, it's the only song he's given lead vocals on due to his condition (Wooden Ships is handled by Nash and Crosby), and it's obvious WHY it's the only song.....
It's a mixed bag of a record, honestly, as CSNY live stuff tends to be. Not awful by any means, and you DO get an entire Neil Young album by proxy when you buy this. If the political context doesn't bother you, then go for it. If, like many people who've given reviews here, you can't get over the politics, then it's obviously not for you, and you might wish to just download the CSN standards independently.
An average four, not approaching five, but not worth any less.
Free Music Review: NEIL YOUNG with crosby, stills & nash
Hit: 4 Stars
For those of you who've never seen this band in their hey day, be thankful to have this product, at least you'll have a technically sound documentary of this band performing together--a considerable achievment from a band notorious for sparse product development and poor marketing prowess.
For the rest of us who long for the good ol' days, when Crosby, Stills and Nash were as productive and significant as Neil, cheer up! It's been reported that among the many projects Graham Nash is currently undertaking is the release of a DVD from the 1974 CSNY TOUR.
A bootleg copy of the Wembley Stadium show has been in circulation for years. Although technically inferior to what we've become use to these days, the historical significance of this show overshadows the sound and video deficiencies. Back then, a CSNY concert was a veritable "KITCHEN SINK OF ROCK 'N' ROLL,"featuring top-ten hits, extended guitar duels between Stills and Young, longer individual sets and the debut of many
new songs. Personally, I was disappointed in the 2006 song selection: too political, too much Young and too little Stills.
CSNY, it should be noted, are one of the few bands from
the "classic days" of the '60s with all the original members, and for that alone we should be grateful for this current Deja Vu' DVD.
Hopefully, they'll be able to pull off one final tour that pays tribute to the music of CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG as four equals who've provided so much joy, love and insight into our lives.
Forget ABU JAMAL, it's time to free Stephen Stills--I think he might agree.
final note: If you enjoyed the tour, you'll enjoy this dvd. If the 2006 tour did not live up to your expectations, purchase this show, but keep a sharp eye out for the 1974 CSNY stadium tour--when football and baseball stadiums were used for the first time to book an entire summer tour.
Free Music Review: Neil Young's CSNY
Hit: 4 Stars
Ever since this legendary band reformed in 1999 it has very much been with Neil Young at the steering wheel. He has chosen the backing bands and he has vetoed any official releases from their prevoius, highly succesful tours, in 2000 and '02.
This isn't a proper livealbum either, but the soundtrack to his film about the band's "Freedom Of Speech" tour in '06, promoting Neil's "Living With War" album.
Where the tour was a mix of new and old songs, and the 30+ songlist somewhat equally shared between the four great songwriters, here it's all Neil, with 9 out of 16 songs being from "Living..", while the other three have to share the remaining 7. That Neil is by far the most succesful through the years, commercially and mediawise, hardly justify such a malproportion. And although I can wholeheratedly agree with Neil's poignant lyrics about War, Iraq and Mr. Bush, the musical qualities of his new tunes are more dubious.
The highlights of the CD is undoubtly the fine versions of the classics "Deja Vu" and "Wooden Ships", where it sounds like a band and where we get some of the famous twin leadguitar interplay between Neil and Stephen Stills.Whereas CSN is hardly audible through the new Neil songs. It's also on the classic tracks that the impeccable backing musicians really gel, not least the fine bassplayer Rick Rosas and drummer Chad Cromwell.
As evidenced by their recent collaborations with David Gilmour ("Island" and the live-DVD) David Crosby and Graham Nash are in topform vocally, whereas Stephen isn't, he doesn't even sing on his own "Find The Cost Of Freedom", but plays some fine guitar - when he's allowed to step out that is.
But else it's all Neil, and he's certainly in great form through out.
A fine release by one of the all-time greatest bands, though I personally would have preferred a whole show.
Free Music Review: They don't make social protests like they used to!
Hit: 4 Stars
Neil Young, appalled and angered by the actions of the Bush Crime Family, put out the caustic and accusatory CD, "Living with War," a couple of years ago. It was a blistering indictment of the Iraq War and the crimes and misdemeanors perpetrated by the current administrtion. He quickly realized that the material on "Living with War" would lend itself beautifully to sounds and philosophy of his old bandmates in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young -- the ultimate troubadours.
CSN&Y cut their teeth as social protestors with their music from the '60s and '70s. Songs like "Ohio," "Wooden Ships," "Chicago," "For What it's Worth," and "Find the Cost of Freedom," galvanized a generation and helped expeidate Nixon's departure from the White House. Many of those songs are indeed included here, next to Young's latest anti-war rants.
I'm not sure that protest music has the same power it once had. In fact, some people were angry and confused with CSN&Y's "Freedom of Speech" tour, reacting the same way the Dixie Chick's redneck-fan base did when that group spoke out against the Bush Insanity. All I can think of to explain that is that these people weren't actual CSN&Y fans and had only come to the shows to hear them play "Our House" for 90 minutes.
Most of the "Living with War" tunes are reimagined here. Especially fun is the boys' version of "Let's Impeach the President," which benefits from the four-part harmony and crisper production values than found on the studio album. Old protest chestnuts are included, such as Nash's "Military Madness" and Crosby's "Who Are The People?"
The album is fun, cool, historical, well-performed and well-produced. Better yet, it will raise the blood pressure of every mouth-breathing neo-con from Tallahassee to Telluride. The sad part is that they had to do it all.
Free Music Review: Neil's new back up band
Hit: 4 Stars
I'll ignore the politics of previous reviews, though the tour had strong (and for me postitive) political impetus.
The music overall is very good, clearly Neil's driving and the boys respond. The mix at some points seems a little muddy both for the guitars and harmonies; other times not. And most of Neil's songs are straight up from "Living with War"; no reworks or extended jams a la Crazy Horse or 4 way street.
But what is here is good. Military Madness rocks and has two awesome (but short) Neil distortion workouts. I love Let's Impeach the Prez even if no different from studio. Deja Vu and Wooden Ships are resurrected magnificently. Crosby and Nash still sound great together! Ships also has some great guitar interplay. For What It's Worth does get an overhaul, kind of bluesy and heavier,which I like. My favorite from "Living with war" is Roger and Out and it is faithfully recreated here. Freedom and Children are both excellent; vocals very strong.
I would love some more guitar workouts (Wooden ships is great but brief), but overall this is a solid release. CSNY might have lost 1/2 a notch, it ain't 1969, but they still deliver. PS - check out photos! Stills looks like holy Hell!!!