Stephen Stills

Music for people who clap when an airplane lands. Neil Young is Mario, David Crosby is Luigi, and Stephen Stills is Toad. I will not elaborate further, but there are mountains of factual evidence to support my claim. Four albums featuring this guy on a list like this is insanity. That's like four crusty phone videos by your drunk neighbor Ted on a "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" list.

Imagine being Stephen Stills. You’re in Buffalo Springfield, responsible for many of their hits, you’re their leader, but there’s high tensions, due in no small part to creative differences between you and Neil Young. So the band breaks up and you start a new band with the guy from the Hollies and the guy from the Byrds that likes to write songs about threesomes. You bust your ass recording a debut album where you play the majority of the instruments: a real tour-de-force showcase for your talents and it is massively successful, a smash hit. What is your next move? To fill out your arrangements live, you, for some reason, invite Neil Young, the guy who tried to take over to your last band, to join the band. There’s no way he’d do it again, right? Young’s arrival brings even more success to the band: the follow up album you record with him goes to number 1, sells 8 million copies…but the recording sessions were full of conflict and you find yourself butting heads with Neil Young once again. There’s no way he’s going to do it again…try and take control from you over *your* band, right? Neil Young: “I’ll fucken do it again” Then, a month after your album is released, May 1970, the Kent State massacre happens. Neil Young walks into the woods and comes up with “Ohio”. You and the boys put some vocal harmonies over his song, which is more aggressive than anything else you’ve ever recorded. Your record company rushes the song out for release at the same time that “Teach your Children Well” is climbing the charts. You go on an extended tour that summer and by July 1970, CSNY is calling it quits. So, you, Stephen Stills, start a solo career and have success, but your old foil, Neil Young is starting to have hit after hit, becoming a massive star. By the time 1974 rolls around and Young agrees to reunite CSNY for a stadium tour, he is the pretty much the main draw and a precedent has been set: CSNY only happens when Neil wants it to happen. The success of the band you started, the band whose career was started by the excellent record you toiled over in the studio, is now fully dependent on Neil Young being around to pull in a big payday and Neil has had no problem pulling the plug on CSNY at a moment’s notice. Sure, CSN can draw a crowd, but CSNY is another story and that’s how it’s going to go for the next 40 years. Now, reader, I’m sure you’re feeling pretty bad for Stephen Stills. What an outcome for the guy who was supposed to be “it”. Don’t feel too bad…for starters, he’s got tons of money. He definitely treated Neil Young pretty poorly - to the extent that a few of his albums after this one have a Neil Young cover on them as a sort of mea culpa, but also…he managed to get one of Jimi Hendrix’s last solos captured on tape for this album (Good Times Old Times) and then proceeded to bury parts of it under his own organ playing (that’s not a euphemism, get your mind out of the gutter). If you’re still feeling bad for Stills after all that, go ahead and listen to his 1978 album, “Thoroughfare Gap”. Any goodwill you still had for the man will evaporate in no time - Seriously, you owe it to yourself, as means of better understanding Stephen Stills, to hear “You Can’t Dance Alone” and especially “Can’t Get No Booty”.

Is it bad? No. But is it good? Also, no.

At times good, at times less good.

I am a stereotype but sometimes that's okay.

Stephen Stills' Stephen Stills hung out with me on my drives to and from my first day of work on this continent, amiably addled company on the way in, something of a guardian angel through the scary rainstorm coming home. Just a very easy album to get on with, hang-out yacht rock. The tunes are laid back, as are the jams - long enough to get absorbed in, short enough to swerve tedium. It's more a vehicle for eyes-closed emotional vibes than for melodies. Earnest, sincere and hopeful, this is music I would once have despised, mistaking doomed idealism for complacency. What the heck is the percussion doing on the opening Bucks Fizz song? Whatever it is, I like it! ‘Love the One You’re With’, I can imagine Clapton hiding behind his heroin beard when Stills was playing that back to him. This list always leads me back to Clapton, my Anti-Mecca. And Neil Young, my hairy Vatican. With one eye to Si's review, this is not as good as 'After the Gold Rush', but better than Young's songs on 'Deja Vu'. On that subject, this record has inspired an idea to reenact the making of Robert Altman’s “The Big Sleep”, with Stephen Stills as Philip Marlowe/Elliott Gould, Graham Nash as gangster Marty Augustine, David Crosby as Sterling Hayden/Roger Wade/Hemingway, Rita Coolidge as Eileen, John Lennon and Yoko Ono as Robert Altman, and special guest star Eric Clapton as Terry Lennox, whom will be shot by Stills at the climax. Neil Young will play the naked hippy girls living across from Stills. As too many of the cast are already dead, this will have to be a written exercise. The twist ending is a final shot of Crosby/Hayden rising back out of the night sea, eyes black, described in Hemingway barks.

Guitar work is great but the song structure is just so...straightforward. Feels like an album full of studio musicians propping up a talented guitarist. Some really abrupt endings. Cherokee into We Are Not Helpless is jarring. Fav Track: Love the One You're With

Right, I literally don't know who he is. I'm not being stupid or anything, but I physically don't know who Stephen Stills is. He could be the leader of the Special Boat Squadron Service.

A timely companion to After The Gold Rush earlier in the week. Went into this with low expectations, as I have thought Love The One You're With to be a weird and terrible song since I saw Bucks Fizz perform it at Thorpe Park randomly over 35 years ago (disappointingly instead of their current hit at the time which was a real banger, even without any ripped skirts). But I digress: LTOYW is awful here too, the rest isn't as bad although run-of-the-mill, '70s singer/songwriter stuff. Go Back Home is pretty good. Stills seems to be the least interesting of the CSNY set, but I've heard worse solo albums. Yawn

Well now. Another confirmation for me that this list is a delightful use of my time. I absolutely loved this. Funky, rocky gospel nonsense with someone talking to God on a Hammond? just take my money

3.5 considering i expected to really dislike this, i was pleasantly surprised. the first half was definitely stronger than the latter in my opinion but it was overall very pleasant background music while i was getting ready. church was my favourite it made me quite happy to listen to.

Stephen Stills, eh? Just today, I was trawling through one of the better second-hand record stores in Sydney (shout-out to Papa Disquo in Enmore), and there in the New Arrivals section, was a copy of this very record for a mere $10. That made it pretty much the cheapest record in the store outside of a bargain bins on the floor. Stephen Stills was a big fucking star in 1970, hanging out with the biggest music stars in the world, with a who's who of rock royalty guesting on his solo record -- Hendrix! Clapton! Booker T. Jones! Priscilla Jones! Graham Nash! David Crosby! (maybe those two aren't really a surprise) Rita Coolidge! Cass Elliot! John Sebastian! Ringo Starr! And, unsurprisingly, given the panoply of talent and the copious production budget, it is a competently good album, even if none of those players are at their most inspired. This album could be Exhibit A in the court case of Rich White Guys v. The Blues. I remember my mate Peter playing me 'Old Times Good Times' as one of the very few examples of post-fame Jimi Hendrix playing on someone else's record, and, as a massive Jimi Hendrix fan, I have to say that it is nothing to write home about. The less said about Clapton the better. And what is the story with Stills' vocal affectation where he does his 'gruff blues voice', such as 'Go Back Home' or the racially insensitive 'Black Queen'? The reality is that this record has no cultural legs. Think about all the landmark albums from 1970 that people still listen to today -- and I'm sure you could name a half dozen without trying to hard -- and is Stephen Still's S/T record on that list? Truly? People may vaguely remember 'Love The One You're With', but when was the last time you actually heard Still's version played? Well, exactly! There are better covers (Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, the Isley Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross!), mostly by black artists who lean into the gospel flavour of the backing vocals. But this Stephen Stills record is increasingly irrelevant as time goes by. I don't hate this as much as some of his other work (Manassas is just shit, god save me), but I can live a long and happy life without this album. Did I buy that $10 copy I found today? Fuck, no!

Anybody gonna tell this guy he isn’t black?

I have been hearing this album my whole life since it was released the year of my birth. Its a great album and feels like a fixture to me.

Fucking Hell! Stephen Stills... What a talent, and a big surprise for me. I was not looking forward to listening to this album, to the point where I even put the task off some. I'm not keen on the CSN ensemble, or even CSNY, so I honestly thought I would hate a solo effort by Stills. How wrong can you be? The album has blown me away, and bulldozed its way into my Tidal album library.

Criminally underrated songwriter. Brilliant album

Stills and friends really bring it. Great blues, folk rock, and spiritual music.

This felt really competently made. Love the vibes! 'Love the One You're With' was my fave.

Great album, hard to go wrong with both Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix playing on your album. Go Back Home, the song with Clapton is the stand out track by far. It's a 4.5 album but I push it 5 given how often I listen to it.

This music has soul! I love it!

Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recorded between Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tours in 1970 Stephen Stills self-titled debut is a funky delight. Featuring a slew of famous friends like Jimi Hendrix, his CSN&Y band mates doing backing vocals, John Sebastian, Mama Cass, Rita Coolidge, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr fresh of playing drums for Howlin' Wolf and plenty of other top faces of the music scene. Whew! That's a lot of talent. An extremely likable loose album that mixes all sorts of styles to create if not the best album of 1970 certainly one of the most joyful.

Great album. Amazing guest stars that somehow don’t take over the album. Prolific few years for Stills.

Basically all the dudes in CSNY have good records, and this is no exception. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

10/10 holy shit these guys are fuckin talented!

Lots of memories

🌟 Rating: 4.3/5 It’s like denim in album form: rugged, dependable, and somehow smells like campfire whiskey. 🎧 Favorite Track: “Love the One You’re With” A vibe so strong it practically walks barefoot into a commune and hands you a tambourine.

surprisingly funky!! the bass lines in this album are incredible. such a groove!

Wow this was much better than I expected. I knew Love the One You're With (and thought it was with Crosby and Nash honestly) and I thought the album was going to be really folksy based on what I know of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, who I've never cared much for. This album really surprised me. The second song was folksy and the third started as folk before transitioning to a more gospel feel. Then the album got into funky blues rock stuff and I really loved a bunch of it. The second half is so strong, and the end of the album reminds me how Weezer's Red Album ends, which I've always loved.

Haven't heard this before. Starts off with a classic, super-catchy track that everyone knows and continues with great songs throughout. Sometimes it seems hard to tell where CSN(Y) ends and the solo records begin. This is a little bit like that to me.

What an absolutely stacked personnel list for this album! Aside from 2 tracks being essentially CSN, Hendrix, Clapton Booker T, AND Ringo were all on here!? The songs were fun to listen too. They were both funky and sweet and sound very of the time. “Go back home” was the highlight for me though the first track is a classic. In retrospect, since I’m going 5 here I should have done the same for OK Computer.

You could say I love this album while I am with it ... but I more than likely won't come back

No. 205/1001 Love the One You're With 4/5 Do for the Others 4/5 Church 4/5 Old Times Good Times 3/5 Go Back Home 3/5 Sit Yourself Down 4/5 To a Flame 4/5 Black Queen 3/5 Cherokee 3/5 We Are Not Hopeless 4/5 Average: 3,6 Nothing groundbreaking. But am enjoyable folk-rock album.

Okay

Go Back Home (track 5) is really good. A few others are good too. But not enough for me to really like. A solid 3.

totally fine

Fine hippie music.

I find it quite interesting, but it's not my type of music

I can’t wait to see Glenn’s review. Despite the presence of Hendrix and Clapton and Ringo Starr this is truly boomer nonsense. 2 stars.

Horns and gospel choirs and bluesy wailing and epic guitar… damn dude, calm down. Stephen Stills is just not my cup of tea.

Well, that's three of the four. Will Nash be making an appearance next? Stay tuned! Lead track is a classic; the rest falls somewhere between O.K. and W.T.F. I guess to differentiate this from Crosby's trainwreck of a solo debut, I should give it a 2. You should thank David, Stephen... he set the bar WAY low for you.

Stills can play the guitar (the cover suggests otherwise) even Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr played on it. But man is he pretentious! The fame - or the fights with Young? - turned him into a "look how good I am!" musician. It's unbearable.

How often do you listen to a classic rock record and think "Wow! Who's that playing lead guitar on this track?" If you're listening to Stephen Stills, the answer might be Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton. Who's playing the organ? It might be Booker T. Despite the fantastic guest spots here, the real surprise for me on Stephen Stills is the judicious and spectacular use of the background vocals, sometimes understated, sometimes elevated to the sound of a full chorus. Like CSN&Y albums, there's a lot of emphasis on good singing here. But instead of the rich, equal harmonies of the full band, this record focuses on the interplay between the lead singer and the background vocals, to excellent effect. This exchange is best exemplified by the song "Church (A Part of Someone)," which, fittingly, is a religious experience. I've been working with Gemini to EQ my hi-fi for a few days. It took a lot of adjustment, but I finally got it tuned so that it sounds as good as possible with my current setup and room. I put this record on to listen with my updated tuning and was blown away. I had only heard this album once or twice before, and it didn't make much of an impression on me. But this time was different. The vocals on "Love the One You're With" came alive in celebration. "Black Queen" was present and intimate. This is a collection of fantastic songs. The record was released in 1970, and I read somewhere that the lyrics have a hippie social consciousness vibe. That sentiment is not incorrect; like the best music from that era, the songs might have been written with specific circumstances in mind, yet they are still relatable today. This record is a classic that deserves more attention than it gets. I will certainly be giving it more attention going forward. Five stars.

Legendary. Any questions?

I wasn't such a big fan of "Manassas" which was too much, too frantic in some regards and tried to show off. This album here seems way more thought out and down to earth, just coming over and chills with you. I really like it!

Shit asså, jag har aldrig hört gubbstöncore innan. Ganska baserat ändån

Along with Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne, one of America's greatest singer/songwriters of the 1970s. Required listening for anyone that loves music.

Heck yeah! Counterculture hippy music at its finest. I enjoy Stills guitar playing a lot, throw in Hendrix and Clapton on a couple of tracks and it makes this an enjoyable listen for me. The talent on this album is outta sight. Whoever had a polka dot giraffe around for the photo shoot tells me the drugs flowing around this album were plentiful.

Gave a 5 because of "love the one you're with" ... it was like an anthem in the 60's..

Loved this one

I mean. This album is insane. If you have any emotions when you listen to this album they will be amplified 100 fold.

Stephen is a favorite from way back. Great Crosby, Nash and Young.

decent album, funky rock, very listenable

vier bis fünf

4.6 - Bit of me, not gonna lie

I've never heard this before, as I usually stick to CSN&Y stuff. What a voice. Lovely harmonies and enjoy the bluesy, gospel soul sound on songs like Church. Bit of a Joe Cocker sound on it. I was quite surprised by this as it’s a lot more pacey and rocky than I was expecting. I thought it would be more acoustic folky ditties, but it gets quite shreddy and funky at times. Old Times, Good Times and Go Back Home are great examples of this and feature Hendrix and Clapton providing solos, respectively. 

 Enjoyed nearly every song here but To a Flame was a bit of damp squib after a belting first half of the album.

 Overall, this is excellent and I’ll be diving into more of the CSN solo work.

Un gran placer el tiempo que pase con este álbum, un gran placer

Awesome

Really great album. Heavy on the blues with some great folky lyrics.

Rock me to sleep, Steve.

Delightfully jammy. It’s got that classic CSN palette, but applied in a looser way. I dig it.

peak folk rock. Core rock instrumentals without getting too loud. amazing album from start to finish

loved this album, very soft melodie’s

Damn, I expected soft and tender just from seeing the album cover, instead I got rich, thoughtful and expressive. I resonated with this album on an emotional level. Stills' musical choices on the album hit home quite right. He also knows how to keep the tempo going throughout the album. His amazing feel for composing and lyricism really shines in this solo debut album. It was also amazing to read about his inspiration wrought from Jimi Hendrix and his regret of not making a full album with the man.

Where has this been all my life? The songs on this album vary between great and excellent. Stephen Stills possesses a brilliant voice, awesome songwriting ability, AND he is a top notch guitarist.

Quite enjoyable.

Quite a bit better than what I thought this would be. Much rockier and funkier and quite good. I new the opening track, Love the One Your With of course, and I'm kind of tired of that song so I think I was expecting more tracks like that. But this was much better, I'm probably 5 stars here.

If you can't listen to the album you love, honey, love the album you're with. And I did today. One I've never listened to, but so good!

Super-duper!!

Outstanding. Please play Love the One You’re With at my funeral. Thanks.

What an exceptional album… didn’t realize how Stephen Stills played all those instruments… didn’t realize Rita Coolidge busted up CSNY… didn’t realize that the song “Love The One You’re With” - a fantastically realistic love song - came from such a great album. Just terrific!

Such familiar sound. Feels like I've known him forever without eer knowing who it was. Great album

Favorite Track: Go Back Home

..Ja fanfaairt soivat..

JAMS

Still one of the best albums of all time. It is incredibly varied with consistent high quality. Stills is a formidable singer, guitarist, songwriter and overall musician.

this was a lovely surprise

Absolutely great - every song was remarkable. I had heard of Stills just from Crosby, Stills & Nash but never actually listened to him separately. Will definitely add to my favourites and listen to it again.

great album i love the acoustic feel mixed with the gospel additions on some of the tracks. lyrics go from so so to really good so they even out. the blues fusion with roots notes is perfect. best songs: church, love the one you’re with, we are not helpless

Hat Spaß gemacht

Engaging and fun. Great album… Stephen jumped up to my top rated artists.

BL: I've heard the name Steven Stills be mentioned a few times but never really got the chance to dig into him in any particular way so will be excited to hear this record. AL: I loved this record a lot. The perfect mix between emotional ballads and more traditionally upbeat story writing. Highly worth the listen, stylistically nothing mindblowing especially for the time. But the musicianship and lyricism was highly worth the listen. Also a special mention to a very cool (but very 70s) cover art FT: "Love the One You're With", "Church", "To a Flame", "We Are Not Helpless" 5/5

Slow and beautiful

great

This was a complete surprise. I knew Love the One You’re With and I thought the rest would just be him noodling. This whole record maintains the heights of its first track. This is great 70s blues and keep an amazing momentum throughout

Soup for the soul.

My First «play on repeat»-album! Right up my alley, and this will be a stater in my collection. Awesome songwriting, great musicianship, and a whole album I enjoyed from start to end.

Aika kova. Ei ihan kympin kokonaisuus, mut kai tää silti viiteen tähteen pyöristyy. Folkkia, countria, bluesia, gospelia.. kaikki 70-luvun saundeilla ja menolla.

Liked this wayyyy more than I thought I would, thought it'd just be cool songwriting but the amount of different styles and themes across this album while still remaining super cohesive is fantastic. Cool asf

A nice album from an incredible songwriter. I wish he had more songs to make this album a little longer, though. 4.7/5 Favorite: “Sit Yourself Down” Least Favorite: “Cherokee”

Hendrix and Clapton as features on the same record is pretty incredible. Then you’re gonna flute it up another notch on Cherokee? Get out of town

Didn't really care for his collab work with Bing Crosby and Ogden Nash, but this album kinda slaps.

Really enjoyed that album and there are definitely some songs, i will enjoy further on. Never heard of Stephen Stills before, but his lyrics and guitar skills are outstanding and top class. I am really glad now, having joined this 1001 gen app. My top 3 in a particular order are: 1) Do for the Others 2) Go Back Home (awesome song concerning the sequences of e guitar, bass and piano. Outstanding e guitar solo btw) 3) Black Queen (really enjoyed the country style guitar parts) 4.8

Significant contributer to the rock genre. I‘m loving the blues and rock combinations in the songs. Knew him already from CSN(&Y). Love their songs too. Personal Top3 in no order: Old Times Good Times Go Back Home Black Queen

One of the first vinyls I bought because it was easily obtainable at thrift stores. It kicks ass. Love the whole thing still to this day

Great record.

Man this was really great. Great arrangement, vocals, songs, and not horribly dated like much of the stuff of the era. Very strong from start to finish. 9/10.

I enjoyed that hell out of this. Really good songwriting, delightful performances, and great production. There's such a good blues vibe here. It's chill but still energetic. I can't really find anything bad to say about this one. Over the corse of the relatively short album it steadily rose from a 4 to a 5-star album. That's despite the saxophones and jazz flute, mind you. The guitar work on "Black Queen" alone is enough to overcome a half-dozen saxophone solos. Which is good because "Cherokee" pushes my limits on both.

4.95/5 je reexoute. Très bon e chanson d'un super artiste.

I thought this would be mostly Americana songs in the vein of Love the One You're With, but it was very eclectic. Some blues, soul, and funk mixed in. And I enjoyed reading about and listening for the other notable musicians who contributed, like Ringo and Hendrix.

Pleasant surprise. A little more three dimensional than CSN, a little more 'rawk.'