Manassas

Molasses

As soon as I saw "double album" I knew we were in trouble. A double album in the early seventies, what a recipe for disaster. As Emily Bronte once noted about Austen's Pride and Prejudice, "sprawling masterpiece my arse". Who did these hippies think they were? There's something horrible about the whole CSN (and sometimes Y) thing and the reverence that they are afforded. Has anyone taken themselves more seriously than Stephen Stills? I mean rock and roll, in all its guises, is supposed to be fun. Oh dear, each "side" has a "theme", my favourite being "Consider" which is side 3. Let me tell you anyone who makes it to side 3 has a lot to "consider", like what life choices did I make to be listening to Manassas. And poor Chris Hillman, a fine musician cursed to be constantly standing in the background to self obsessed hippies and weirdos. I've listened to the whole thing, and bar one or two tracks it is in the same key and tempo throughout each of his so called "themes". The whole thing just grinds on and on and on. And please, I don't care how good the playing is if the tunes are rubbish and the singing dreadful. Graham Nash tells a great story about he and Stills were given a personal preview by Dylan of the new songs for Blood on the Tracks. Nash walked away stunned by how good they were, Stills could only comment that Dylan was a terrible guitar player. That's cause he wouldn't know what a good song sounds like to save his life. 0/5

A double album, recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami in the 1970s. Many multiple takes of every song, recording sessions lasting over four days without a break, obsessive work and re-work from one of rock's most arrogant men. Stills claimed that critics hated him (possibly true), that he was passed over for the cover the Rolling Stone in favour of David Cassidy (probably true), and that Ahmet Ertegun pulled the album from stores as soon as it went gold to force him back to CSN (paranoid much?). Do I detect the influence of ... cocaine? In a June 1972 review for The San Diego Door, Cameron Crowe said "Manassas always remains admirable if not exciting. The musicianship is generally excellent with the only pitfall being that the droning Stills' vocal pervades all but one of the LP's sixteen cuts". He also stated the "lyrics represent a low-point in Stills' lyricist career". I tend to agree.

Like a comfortable, stable boyfriend who is always consistent and dependable, and theres nothing so wrong with the way he looks and he has a decent job and he treats you right, but for some reason you still cant help but feel like something's missing.....

Southern rock, the exact proportion of which varies. I like the rock parts more, though I'm not against a slide guitar solo. Pass on the fiddle tracks though.

The man is a genius. Versatile, skilled, smooth, every aspect of the album appealed to me. I want to hear more Stills and definitely more CSN!

3.6 - A crowd-pleasing option for when you’re entertaining your Republican in-laws. Side A makes me picture a Tom Selleck-looking dude cruising down California’s highway 1 in a convertible Trans Am, heading to the beach with a lady friend. “Fallen Eagle” changes the vibe abruptly to farmers market-style country/gospel/bluegrass. From there, it sounds mostly like inconsequential Eagles-type rock but with better guitar licks and a more firm foundation in 12-bar blues. Check out the shimmery guitar and synths on “Move Around.”

So the month after this was released Rolling Stone mag  decided not to put Stills on its cover and instead decided to put Keith Partridge on the cover. What a dis.  Stills getting away from pure folk and multipart harmonies that defined CSN was a good thing. The country tunes and Byron Berline's  capable fiddle playing  make for some excellent toe tappers. On the other hand, this album is the poster child for the need to remove albums from the 1001. It's important that the list is refreshed as new years come and go since we would otherwise have a stale list. Also with the goal of keeping the list from getting stale,  albums that are no longer relevant need to be yanked. This album is a good candidate. Music is a 3 but -1 for losing to Keith Partridge. Man that's gotta hurt. 

This album sounds like Steven Stills listened to Santana and the Allman Brothers and was inspired to organize a jam. There are some solid jams and breakdowns but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of sing craft here—and it’s definitely not as compelling as Santana or the Allman brothers. “Fallen Eagle” was kind of hilarious though, could be the anthem fir the last 4 yrs. found myself waiting for this to end.

I'm not on enough cocaine for this. Enough with your summery bullshit, Stephen.

Manassas is the 1972 debut double album by Stephen Stills' new band of the same name, originally released in 1972. Stephen Stills is so damn underrated as an artist. Fresh off CSNY success, he puts together this amazing band. Everyone on here is an awesome musician, and the band is tight. The whole album feels like a jam session. The songs span across many genres including blues, country, bluegrass, folk, jazz, psychedelia, etc. Some people may call this album bloated but I am thankful to have so much content from such a short-lived band. It also helps that each song is so different. As much as I love CSNY, I really wonder how this band would've continued on in the future had they never have to disband for the 1974 CSNY tour.

Such a good album but I just wish it was on Spotify ughhhhhhhhh :(((((

Love this!

Muy guapo

Like many double albums, this could stand to have some fat trimmed here and there. But Stephen Stills has assembled a top-notch group of talented musicians, and the concept of a different musical style per side is an intriguing one.

I enjoyed this album to a point. Stills’ blend of folk, rock, Latin, and country styles worked very well and it’s clear that his band was on the top of their game when this was recorded. Unfortunately, this album is just too bloated. The highs on this album are great, but are weighed down by so much extra baggage.

This took a lot of listening to before I really got into it. It is a good collection of west coast, americana and country, with similarities in places to the Band, Grateful Dead and early Eagles. Can't say there were many stand out tracks, but Colorado, So begins the task and Move around were all decent

It's a double, broken up into four sides with somewhat different vibes: The Raven; The Wilderness; Consider; and Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay. Thankfully it's not absurdly long for a double (I'm fresh off the trauma of the Smashing Pumpkins). It's never awful but genre-wise it's mostly not really my thing. I think I like the Consider songs the least, and The Raven and Rock & Roll Is Here To Stay songs the most.

Another revelation. Holy smokes, what an album. A new favourite.

5/5

Classic. If you like Crosby, Stills and Nash, this is right in your wheelhouse. The songs are all well-crafted, with beautiful melodies and some flat out rock n roll. Song of Love, Rock and Roll Crazies, Jesus Gave Love Away For Free, Colorado, So Begins The Task, Johnny's Garden are my favorites.

This was an unexpected love from me

Awesome. Never actually listened to CSNY or any of the members other than the hits. Stills is rocking in this album with this band

This is really good music. It feels good to listen to. It's perfect for working, for doing yard work, for driving on a nice day with the windows down, for having a BBQ. Just really love it.

This album is one of the few I'll argue literally every person truly does need to hear before they die. This is a transformative experience. My review can't really do it justice. Go and listen.

Hadn’t heard it but really glad I have now. Solid all the way through and varied enough to keep me interested.

Great!

a lot of good vibes here. I felt like I was out in a prairie or deep in pine forest or on the streets of a city.

Just great song after great song, all in short little bursts

Such an incredible guitar player, and an amazing voice. The guy you hear the least about from CSNY, but arguably the most important member. He part in Suite:Judy Blue Eyes at Woodstock was one of the greatest moments in Rock n Roll history. This album brings back memories of cross country drives from concert to concert in my 20s.

Catchy, bluesy, good for bbq

'Goeie muziek jongens!' zou mijn vader zeggen. Dit is toch tijdloos, of niet? Je krijgt meteen zin om in een ouwe Amerikaanse auto door de binnenlanden van de States te trekken. Countrybluesamericana, of wat het ook maar is. Kun je me midden in de nacht voor wakker maken.

We hebben weer eens te maken met een dubbelalbum en in de tijd van vinyl spreekt men dan over 4 kanten. Manassas heeft die 4 kanten dan ook een aparte naam gegeven. Die allemaal toch wel een eigen karakter hebben. Kant 1 - The Raven - is fijne folkrock, meerstemmig, bands als Eagles en the Band schieten me gelijk te binnen. Kant 2 - The Wilderness - komt met meer country en folk, waarbij instrumenten als een steel guitar en een viool vaak acte de presence geven. Kampvuurmuziek. Kant 3 - Consider - gaat weer meer richting de prog en psychedelische rock, ook al is het veelal akoestisch. Steppenwolf komt in me op, al is het misschien alleen maar om het akkoordenschema van Johnny's Garden dat lijkt op The Pusher. Kant 4 - Rock & Roll is here to stay - komen er weer meer versterkte gitaren de boel versterken. Fijn om het album swingend en bluesy te eindigen, Allman Brothers stijl. Sowieso vrijwel alle nummers herbergen de karakteristieke harmonieen waar Stills bekend om staat. En er wordt heerlijk gitaar gespeeld. Het voelde absoluut niet als een straf om het hele dubbelalbum uit te zitten en alle nummers verdienen het om er op te staan. Ik heb me buitengewoon goed vermaakt hiermee. Weet je wat, ik deel lekker 5 sterren uit.

Good stuff

I'm torn on my ranking for this album; while I really enjoyed it, it is pretty fucking long. I like that the original album was broken up thematically by side; it means that the vibe consistently changes up and doesn't feel stale. And the overwhelming amount of material, and good material at that, is pretty mindblowing. Overall it's a real groovy scene, man. I can put this album on any old Saturday and just vibe out. Straight through or shuffled I think it would be a great time. Fuck it, five stars.

Excellent. 5/5

Nice album, I like it - BUT I cannot see the influent relevancy. Stile - mix between funky rock, country and ballads

Double albums don't get much better than this.

Diverse and well-crafted with songs that flow from one to the next. Loved it. Helped me pass the time while trying to beat this stupid-ass level in Super Mario Wonder.

Are you a fan of the Muppets? If so then you'll easily recognize how this album sounds like Electric Mayhem, or should I say influenced Electric Mayhem. I really enjoyed this, I especially found it interesting how this went from rock to blues to country to folk. The early 70s were really an interesting time when music was what you wanted to play and bands could cross into whatever genre felt right in the moment. I liked this one a lot

The first time I heard Johnny's Garden, it was playing in our favorite hipster burrito restaurant and I had a pretty nice margarita buzz going. I scribbled some lyrics on a napkin so I could do an AltaVista search to find the name of the artist and buy the CD. Could I give it some of the same criticism as I recently did for Christina Aguilera --- that it's long and the songs are kind of samey? --- why yes I could. And yet, this is a favorite. Top shelf.

Really amazing collection of songs. Plenty of variety, I listened to this all three times today! Terrific!

Very calming and peaceful album. Some songs give me a Steely Dan vibe, mixed with Jimmy Buffett (may he rest in paradise). Overall, a fan! I've seen this album before at the record store and paid no attention to it. It will definitely be something I add to my collection next time I come across it. Great work vibe album! Have been enjoying it all day - 3:41 PM, 6 Sept. 2023

Nice

baita sonzao, rock e country

cool

Super album

Has a vibe very in line with CSNY, a little more edgy and rock like than I picture from them. Segued perfectly into more of my favorite era of classic rock on Spotify too!

Didn't know a lot about Stephen Stills going in, just that he was in CS&N, who I only know a few songs from. I was pleasantly surprised. Great mix of a lot of genres (rock, country, blues, funk, etc.), nice harmonies and lyrics. I'm going to have to give this a 5/5 and listen to it again.

Phenomenal.

Honestly I quite enjoyed this, more than I was expecting. I think this was an example of an album suiting my day perfectly, having spent an afternoon driving along an old country road into Warwickshire to run an errand. Worked nicely with seeing the sun setting over the horizon on a winter day at the very beginning of the year. I really liked the Latin vibes at the end of Both of Us (Bound to Lose), and the whimsical country vibes of Fallen Eagle and Don't Look at My Shadow was fun. However, Bound to Fall came on at just the right time, just at the last glimpses of the sun before it set, to make it a real special moment. I just wish that song was longer. Yes I'm certainly not in the American South, but whatever. This album had a bit of everything to do with Southern Rock, Country, Blues and Folk, and while it probably wouldn't appeal to me on a normal day, it worked exceedingly well today. This is going into my driving playlist. Favourite: Bound to Fall

Lively, lovely and groovy, in equal measures. Latin-country-blues-rock-LA sound-etc...

Love this. Had only heard one or two songs before. If you told me it was CSNY I would have believed it. Great mix of styles that blend really well.

oh fuck yeah, love Stephen Stills (as well as the rest of CSNY) this was really fun, easy 10/10 some of the country stuff was a little boring but it’s easy to get back into it

Wow, did I love this listen! Great music, harmonies were so pleasing and I loved the concept of the album being in 4 themes with slight changes in the genres for each section! It made for such an interesting listen and I didn't end up minding the longer length because I was vibing with it so much. Definitely an album I will be returning to!

6/5….remember it so well…good rockin’

Damn Joe Rogan for taking this off Spotify!

weirdly really vibed with this. 5 stars I guess

great album

Endelig et dobbelt album der kan noget. Delt op i 4 sektioner med rock, blues og folk og masser af gode numre. Enkelt få fyld, men generelt godt

Wow! This is what CSNY aspires to and sometimes reaches. Guess we know who is the heartbeat of that outfit. Bunch of really good musicians having a great time.

One of the best albums ever made. Stephen Stills was really at the top of things with this, CSN, CSN&Y and his first solo album.

long album. that’s a good thing though it was really good. would listen again!

Just slightly disappointed that this album is not about man asses. That aside, the album didn't disappoint at all. It's just simply good rock music. What sets it apart is the variation within the album, the wide range of influences Stills infuses his rock with and the fact that no matter what style he mixes in, it all sounds good. My favorite track is the final, bluesy song of the album.

Grote fan hiervan.

Absolutely rocks - great guitar playing and tone. All the good parts of CSNY, but much cooler. Bluesy rock.

I really enjoyed this album

Great album, loved the concept of 4 different sides with different genres

Double LPs can be a chore to sit through, I'm pretty sure the band knew this when they made the very smart decision to have a different musical theme for each side. Each side as well has enough variety within it to keep things fresh. Side 1 starts off slow but really picks up on the last couple tracks, really kicking into a higher gear with Anyway. Side 2 starts off strong, carrying over from the end of side 1 and has a very distinct country and western influence, both to its benefit and detriment as it kinda meanders and sounds samey towards the end. None of the songs here are bad, I like them a lot but they're not memorable. Sides 3 and 4 musically are pretty similar and really carry this album through all the way. Very glad to have finally listened to some Stills and I’m happy that I can say now it’s more than just a name I see along side the other guys in CSNY in my recommended songs. This isn’t a masterpiece or whatever but it’s easy listening and musically very well done. Thank you to Rita Coolidge for cheating on Stephen Stills, thereby breaking up CSNY and inspiring him to make this album. Highlights: Anyway, Both of Us (Bound to Lose), Jesus Gave Love Away for Free, It Doesn't Matter, Bound to Fall, The Treasure - Take One

I really do enjoy Stephen Stills' voice and his musical sound. Granted, this is really him and the band Manassas, so kudos to everyone who contributed to the album. Solid, and reminded me of his other solo and band work. I want to give one of his albums higher than a 3. This one has some cool tunes, but at over an hour it drags at points. Some double albums are awesome; this one maybe could have cut out a couple sides. I liked side 1 and side 4 for sure - in particular Song of Love, Rock and Roll Crazies, Anyway, What To Do, The Treasure, and Blues Man. But I could've done without Chris Hillman on vocals and most of side 2 - Colorado being a notable exception. Side 3 kind of brought me back - It Doesn't Matter and The Love Gangster are maybes, Johnny's Garden and How Far are both a yes please. So maybe this is 3 out of 4 good sides. And maybe it was side 2 that sent me reeling a bit, whereas if I had just listened to the second album (sides 3 and 4) I'd be way more into them from the get go. I'd say this album is around 3.5, maybe worth a bit more. I'll give it a bump, not sure if it quite deserves it.

Very nice, that folly americana 70s rock sound. A few tracks had this like cuban congo drum in it, gave it a unique sound I liked. A little long, but it's calm rock for sure

Some good stuff.

Classic 1970s Folk-Country-Blue-Rock. Perhaps a tad dated if you didn't grow up in the 1970s.

Sounds great but double albums feel a bit overkill in the age of streaming. Still, I am a fan of Stills!

fantastic album full of elements of country, folk, and blues, even a little bluegrass. not usually a fan of albums that are this long, but this one is a keeper. highlights: “song of love” “fallen eagle” “how long” “the love gangster” “the treasure (take one)”

I enjoyed this album more than I’ve enjoyed an album on this in days, if not a week or two. Good stuff.

Excellent musicianship, great mix of blues rock and some bluegrass songs

An enjoyable exercise in roots music via a double LP, with beefy backing from the band and gusty vocals.

Really wanted this to be boring so it could break the 8/10 streak I'm being forced to give by this site's rating system, but damn it this one deserves it. I hadn't listened to any Stills record apart from his performances in CSN(and Y sometimes) and it ended up being incredibly good. Remarkably consistent over it's runtime and exactly in the cozy spot of country/folk rock I adore. Song of Love is the first track I've been introduced to through this project so far I can consider a real favorite of mine, with its propulsive rhythm and extremely catchy chorus. While this record can be a bit too overlong, it's very consistent. 7/10

Al inicio me tenía sorprendidísimo y me estaba pareciendo uno de los mejores discos en la lista hasta ahora. Un blues potente, melancólico y genial. De pronto, sin el menor aviso, esto se convirtió en un disco de Country muy muy country. Y aunque tiene buenos temas también, no pude evitar sentir que el álbum tuvo cierto bajón. Para nada mal disco, pero me habría encantado que siguiera en el tono de los primeros tracks.

This was a great vibe for my day.

Weighing in at over 70 minutes, this is a genuine, good ol' fashion whopper of an album. And it comes from the member of CSNY that I know the least about: Stephen Stills. Love the One Your With is all I know him specifically by and that isn't here (not saying that's a bad thing). Out of the gate, the tone is set for an unhurried blues rock album with deep southern twang. Nothing particularly innovative here, but really well-done nonetheless. Jet Set is a stanky barroom walk about a fuzzy whiskey soaked guitar. Some depth shown between Anyway and Both of Us, with some funk-adjacent percussion on the former and harmonies aplenty on the latter. Colorado plays like Shooting Star by Bad Company -- understanding that this came first by at least 3 years. It Doesn't Matter is basically a better-sung Fleetwood Mac song down to the tone and delivery. The Treasure is a great late album cut; a sprawling 8 minute southern rock opus. For as long as the album was it never felt like it overstayed its welcome. The song writing is tight and varied enough to justify and the unrushed atmosphere made for an enjoyable ride. This is a solid 4 in my book.

Feels very classic rock a lot of the time, but it dips a bit into a jazzier and more prog rock sound at parts in the beginning while rounding into a bluegrassy/country sound at times, especially toward the end. Little long for an album, but the changes in sound throughout had me checking to see if the album had ended.

Just some good old fashioned rock and roll. A great amount of variety too with the different types of songs. Not much more to say just a very solid 4

Feel like I've really enjoyed the Crosby Stills Nash and Young albums we've had so far so I'm pumped to see it, although another country/folk album is meh. All is pretty meh even though I love some of what CSNY is known for, the harmonies. Johnny's Garden is a favorite that doesn't have that. Loving Move Around too. This was a rare one for me where the album just got better as it got going. Was a meh 3 but worked its way up for me.

Started out very strong, but the excess of the double album format (or maybe just a dip in quality) certainly wore down its welcome over time. I feel like it'd be better pared down but will have to give it another listen. I was prepared to give it a 3, but then it picked up again by the end, so a 4 it is.

Not at all bad

Pretty good. Some of the songs sounded really familiar.

Starting off well, Song of Love is classic 70's blues rock. It's crazy that this album predates Lynyrd Skynyrd, they totally ripped Steven Stills off. Only four songs in, I'm calling it, this is his best work. I spoke exactly one song too soon. Both of Us (Bound to Lose) is more of a CSN type of song. And followed with straight bluegrass on Fallen Eagle. The album feels a little disjointed with the jumps in style, but I think I understand what he was trying to do with the album, it all fits in a way, music, title, cover. It's like he went to Nashville and sat at one bar and wrote a song in every genre that passed through, southern rock, folk rock, bluegrass, country. Some are more successful than others. Just as I'm thinking the county music is getting a little wearisome, I see this is a double album (bad sign) and each side had a different musical theme (mitigating factor, maybe?). I wish Spotify would add a column to show the original album sides each song was on. Now, I'll have to figure out which side is my favorite. Right now, I'm leaning towards the first. Not loving the synthesizer on Move Around. It's an uneven effort, some songs on each side are good, but it's just too many songs to expect all of them to be great or even good.

I doubt if I will ever listen to this album again in my life.

I don’t know. He’s talented but his albums don’t stick.

I really enjoyed this.

Anybody from CSNY does great work

Really good album. Almost a culmination of all the styles he picked up in all those bands he was in, but there might be a bit more to it. Also does everything Chris Hillman touch turn to gold?

80% Best: Song of Love; Jet Set (Sigh); So Begins the Task; Don't Look at My Shadow; How Far; The Love Gangster; What to Do; The Treasure Must-Hear? Sure

Good one

exceptional group for an enjoyable album

Du plutôt bon rock simili-country, en vrai j’ai rien à redire, c’est très honnête votre honneur

Ich kannte bisher kein Solo-Album von Stephen Stills. Country Rock Blues. Das hat was und ist auch noch sehr gut produziert. Sogar wunderbare Gitarren soli sind zu hören. Die Mischung hat mich schon sehr positiv überrascht. Ich dachte ihn gibt es nur in Kombi mit anderen. Jetzt nehme ich alles zurück.

Favourite songs: Don't Look at My Shadow, Fallen Eagle, Hide It So Deep, Rock and Roll Crazies/Cuban Bluegrass, Jesus Gave Love Away For Free, Colorado, Jet Set (Sigh), Anyway, Song of Love. Johnny's Garden, Blues Man Least favourite songs: none.... This whole album is really solid!! 4/5