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 a creative tension 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 treated Neil Young pretty poorly, to the extent that a few of his albums after this one have a Neil Young cover on it 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 good will 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”.

I am a stereotype but sometimes that's okay.

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.

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.

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.

At times good, at times less good.

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

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.

Something about this type of music that just soothes my soul! Just good old classic folk rock with some awesome harder guitar riffs in there. And backing guitar in sone tracks by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and other legends! This is a great album. Listen again: yes Purchase for my collection: yes Favourite Song: Love The One You’re With

All those years I thought that voice belonged to David Crosby

What a tremendous album from the Stills of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Album standouts include Love The One Your With, Do For Others, Old Times Good Times, Go Back Home, Cherokee, and We Are Not Helpless.

Can't do much better than Stephen Stills.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Great record.

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

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

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

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

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

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”

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

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

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.

Soup for the soul.

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

great

Slow and beautiful

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

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

Hat Spaß gemacht

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

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.

this was a lovely surprise

I grew up with my mom playing this album quite often! It's beautiful from start to finish!

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.

JAMS

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

..Ja fanfaairt soivat..

Favorite Track: Go Back Home

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

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!

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

Super-duper!!

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!

Quite enjoyable.

Delicioso álbum

Folk. Blues. Rock

Blues. Folk. Emotion. 70s Rock. Best Song: Cherokee

One of the four horsemen of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young! Stephen Stills, credit the guy for spelling his name right. I really liked this project, some cool sound territory explored. A couple really great guitar tracks, and some that just plain rock. "Love the One You're With" seems like a classic, I really like the background choir on that song. This guy's great. Not sure how much solo work he did but if there's more like this I hope we get another album. Favorite tracks: Love the One You're With, Do for the Others, Old Times Good Times, Black Queen. Album art: Mr. Stills sitting in the snow next to a giraffe statute of sorts. I like the font used for the top. I wonder if he was cold shooting this picture in just a polo? 4/5

I enjoyed this a lot. Great listen and a great artist.

I have a playlist called 'Warm and Fuzzy' that this would fit really well into. Dreamy, cosy, classic rock for wintertime (as the album cover suggests). Liked 'Old Times Good Times' and 'To a Flame'.

For some reason I didn't want to like this as much as I did, but it's got a laid back soulfulness to it that I can't deny. The reason I was cautious going in is probably because of the hippie sentiment of the overplayed opening track. I feel that's one anthem that hasn't aged gracefully. Once you get past that though, this is one smooth ride. Covers alot of ground in its 39 minutes.

I enjoyed this, and was a bit taken aback by the stylistic differences from song to song. These CSNY guys really know their stuff. However, I was not super taken overall. All the songs were good, not great (except Love the One You're With) 3.75/5

Shocked: there was me thinking that this was going to be a shit album by an artist that I've never heard of and I would spend my time slagging it off but yk what I'm not going to do that bc it's actually quite good. It has hit it's target of being a rock record which gives you that cosy feeling inside, it may not be the most technically advanced but a nice relaxing time.

Mjög kósí plata.

Have and love this album

Before Marvel, there was the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young extended universe. Just like Marvel, they cranked out content but unlike Marvel, almost everything they did was high quality. This album is no exception!

8/10 solide album. très plaisant. hard rock, rock, soul. beau mélange. a revenir

Solid

I have always liked Stephen Stills voice but have never listened to his solo work. The album starts with his hit, 'Love the One You're With' which feels more akin to his work with CSN(Y) with its layers and production. I really enjoy the more stripped down songs like 'Black Queen' as they show Stills at his most raw and playful. Overall, this is an easy to listen to psychedelic folk/blues/roots record. The caliber of musicianship is insane. The album credits list Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Booker T. Jones, Ringo Starr, and Cass Elliot in addition to David Crosby and Graham Nash. Something about it feels a bit undefined, but I chalk that up to Stills finding his identity outside his massively successful supergroup.

Feels like a perfect record to take us from the sixties into the seventies - enough grounding in folk rock songwriting to feel familiar, enough movement into a heavier, orchestrated sound to feel fresh. Really enjoyable.

Not a lot different from CS&N, which I think is a good thing. Good listen, especially the first half

Great music, however would have liked just bit more blues rock or blues guitar by Stills

Another great album from a great artist that makes great music.

I was expecting something sort of straight ahead folky, but there was a lot going on here. Strings, background vocals, horns, and electric guitar (including some from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton no less!) This is really a great album, so glad I got the chance to listen to it. 4 stars.

A whole lot of clean guitar playing and singing that sounds like it's coming from the next room. Best track: Go Back Home

The most enjoyable album by one of Crosby, Stills or Nash (and arguably Young) that I've heard so far. Those records have generally been good but a little on the boring side. Not this. Stills goes straight for soulful bluesy folk rock with a big commercial sound. He throws everything at it, drenching the album with gospel choirs, strings, Springsteenesque raspy vocals, guitar licks, saxophone, and even a touch of jazz flute. It's not subtle and it's not particularly clever, but its instantly enjoyable. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Love The One You're With Date listened: 21/09/23

Strong material throughout with a couple of real standouts, but not really breaking new ground on CS&N(& sometimes Y) territory, and a little unfocused.

4 - nice easy listen

As lovely as anything he did in the groups he belonged to in the sixties.

Great album and voice

The power of friends.

Great!!

3.75

Album 202 of 1001 Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills Rating : 4 / 5 Favorite Track : Love the One You're With Wonderful album. There was a time when I wondered why Stephen Stills had the following he did. Now, I wonder why he doesn't get more attention for his work. Great songwriting, great production. Great career. This album has many guest musicians including Clapton & Hendrix. Good stuff.

#1 already familiar with this one. Stills was as good as any songwriter at the time.

I enjoyed this album a lot more than I thought I would. Varied and interesting the whole way through.

Gefällt mir! 7.5/10

Rating: ** 4+ ** Notes: Really nice Album. Listended to it during work and got little bit unfocused.... but was nice to work to :) loved the choire. Have to listen it again... maybe its a 5 then. Songs which stood out in no particular order (credits to Uncle Gue for the idea): "Love the One You're With" ------------------------------------------------------------- Rating Scale: 1- very bad 2- bad 3- neutral 4-good 5-very good additonaly -/+ sign if necessary

On a bright sunny Friday I found this album pretty annoying. Listening again the next day, a rainy, grim, lazy weekend morning, I love it.

Decent music, I mostly liked the folk/gospel direction. I never realized Love the One You're With had a message that I strongly disagree with, but hey now I do. What an unfortunate (to me) message for such a catchy song.

This gets 4 stars for Cherokee

Did not expect to like this as much as I did. There's an abundance of CSNY and their associated work on this list so I wasn't looking forward to it. I was pretty happy with this. I didn't know he was responsible for "Love The One Your With" I always thought it was some one hit wonder

Pleasant sounds for a morning commute. Classics are classics for a reason.

Stephen Stills? Stephen Stills what? Oh STILLS! Like him off of Crosby and Nash! I have already established I know nothing of their work and the album that has appeared so far wasn’t great. I had zero expectations. The album cover doesn’t give anything away. A random dude freezing his bollocks off, sitting on a bench that is covered in about 12 inches of snow. Obviously he’s playing a guitar. And obviously there is a small wooden pink giraffe stood next to him. Of course there is. None of that gives any indication to the whole bunch of tracks that are absolutely dripping in orchestral gospel warmth. Like if Primal Scream had done a whole album like Moving On Up … but better. I thought this was great. I’m really starting to worry that I’m turning into a dad from US sitcom in the 90s.

Good sounds, nothing flashy.

First track amazing Album closer is incredible Everything in between is pretty great 4/5

While listening to each one of these songs I keep reminding that this was released in 1970 - before Sticky Fingers, before before Springsteen’s albums and before most of Zeppelin’s work. It is impressive the swing, versatility, power this album has. I came with low expectations and was surprised. Definitely will come back to this album.

Waffled between a 3 and 4 star on this. Overall a 4 star album with a couple of 2 or 3 star songs. But, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Could be my favorite out of all the CSNY-adjacent albums on the list. Or I’ve developed Stockholm Syndrome from having to listen to so many CSNY-adjacent albums (17 and counting!). 8/10

7/10. Not bad at all, little over-dramatic. If this truly is my final album on this list from the CSNY extended universe, goodbye, it was an okay time.

Of all the CSNY guys, S is for sure my fav. Just really appreciate the songs he writes.

4/5

Strong upper 4. Lots of love for this album, almost a 5 but not quite. Insane personnel, Hendrix, Clapton, Booker T., Ringo, etc. Live recordings of a number of these songs sit in my all time favorites, but the production does no favors. Great but not the best Stills has done.