Manassas
Stephen Stills
1972
Album Summary
Manassas is the 1972 debut double album by Stephen Stills' new band of the same name, released April 1972. It was a critical comeback for Stills, and continued his commercial success by being certified Gold only a month after being released and peaking at number 4 on the US charts.
WikipediaSouthern 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.
I'm not on enough cocaine for this. Enough with your summery bullshit, Stephen.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
Great album, loved the concept of 4 different sides with different genres
Absolutely rocks - great guitar playing and tone. All the good parts of CSNY, but much cooler. Bluesy rock.
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.
long album. that’s a good thing though it was really good. would listen again!
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.
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.
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
Such a good album but I just wish it was on Spotify ughhhhhhhhh :(((((
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
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.
Lively, lovely and groovy, in equal measures. Latin-country-blues-rock-LA sound-etc...
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
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.
Probably could have been cut down to a single disc, but I think there’s enough good material to warrant the second.
I had no idea what to expect from this one, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the answer was "a little bit of everything"! I love an album that's not afraid to wade around the genre pool, so really enjoyed hearing rock, folk, country, blues and who knows what else in quick succession. Definitely up for more listens. Fave track - "Bound to Fall"
Musically fantastic. I think I’d like it better if someone else was singing the songs, however.
this was really good, at some point I wondered if I was listening to the same record.
This album exemplifies folk/rock, but isn't the same stuff you hear on the radio all the time, so it still feels fresh. Great stuff. Highlight - Don't Look At My Shadow, What to Do
This was a fun album. Classic rock is a place I can easily abide. I liked the blues stuff and the bluegrass stuff. A good mix of good sound. It was a little long
Esta bien, no tan excelente pero está bastante bueno. Me agrada el sonido.
Digging the crunchy guitar & the organ. Oooh, bluegrass outa nowhere on Fallen Eagle, nice! Tempo change in The Treasure (Take One) is rad.
Blues mixed with bluegrass. Big band putting it all together really well. Double-length album with lots of great tunes. Feels like a continuation of CSNY, clear that Stills was a major part of their sound. Really good album, definitely would listen again.
Saved a few of those songs. Country vibes. Reminded me of the Soundtrack of O Brother Where Art Thou. Not bad, but not hypeworthy either
There are so many five star songs on here but with the exception of Colorado, he really lost me in the mid section between Fallen Eagle and Johnny's Garden. Too much fiddle and slide guitar in this section detracted from an otherwise beautiful album. It finds its edge again real nice from Bound to Fall, his vocal range is incredible. Move Around is a sick tune, his voice in this reminds me of someone that I can't put my finger on (maybe Neil Young which would make sense). The drumming across the whole record is out of control good.
I really liked this album! Great guitar solos. Great sound. Good vocals. Great rock album. I think I like this better than Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young stuff.
Never paid so much attention to solo work of CSNY apart from Y. And this is one of the few albums so far that I did know at all, not even the album title rang a bell. Quite a few different genres - the start of the album is not so special but I am glad that I did not give up: at some point there is a whole sequence of excellent songs especially The Treasure (Take one), so definitely 4*
Stills at his height following CSNY's breakup. I love the thematic shifts from side to side. First side is like a jam session, with tracks blending into each other, simultaneously distinctive yet hard to tell when one ends and one starts. Sometimes there's a break like in "Jet Sigh" halfway through the song and it fools with you. Huge sudden shift with the second track going back to the roots in country and bluegrass. Next huge sudden shift (starting with "It Doesn't Matter") is largely folk rock with plenty of blues and other influences (like psychedelia in "Move Around"), and continues to the end, although the fourth side gets notably harder. Double albums are best when there's diversity like this. Yet nothing is out-of-place, and Stills makes the best of each aspect. No hits but there are standout tracks on each side. Great placement of tracks to keep the energy going.
-"Right Now" gets bangin' -"Fallen Eagle" is a good, classic country song -"Don't Look At My Shadow" has a good beat and the like guitar and violin are groovin' -"Bound to Fall" has lots o' instruments going and the harmonies are interesting -The first chunk of tracks (maybe up to like "Fallen Eagle") are pretty solid. Lots of cool instruments and stuff going on, but then it becomes a little up and down
I like that the double album is divided up into similar sounding sections. Wikipedia says the first section is supposed to have a latin feel, which I don't really see. I still enjoyed that side, and felt like I enjoyed the country side the most (side B). Favorite tracks: "Fallen Eagle", "The Treasure", "Colorado"
Solid, great instrumental interplay, enjoyed most songs. Albums a little long (72m) though for its lack of peaks
Cet album du groupe Stephen Stills est très long mais néanmoins excellent. Il doit d'ailleurs beaucoup à la performance de son leader, Stephen Stills. À l'inverse du précédent opus, il dépeint un Stephen Stills bien plus conscient du monde qui l'entoure et moins égocentré. Le premier projet de la bande, sobrement baptisé Stephen Stills, était en effet construit autour de la personnalité de Stephen Stills L'unique morceau du CD, Stephen Stills, n'avait pour seules paroles que les mots Stephen et Stills inlassablement répétés pendant plus de soixante minutes. La moindre intervention d'un des autres membres du groupe donnait lieu à une tarte en plein visage de la part de Stephen Stills.
Like I know every song, yet I've never heard one before. Musically super high quality. Need to revisit, like the guitar more than the voice maybe
This album exemplifies folk/rock, but isn't the same stuff you hear on the radio all the time, so it still feels fresh. Great stuff. Highlight - Don't Look At My Shadow, What to Do
Totally dig this album! Love the mix of folk, rock, blues and bluegrass. Twangy guitar and country fiddle really completes it with a southern rock type of sound. Need to go find a copy of it.
Unfortunately I got assigned this album right after he took himself off Spotify, so I had to find sources elsewhere. Not sure I got the full experience. There weren't any stand out songs for me but the entire album felt like a great example of southern rock overall. Really enjoyed it.
That was a nice listening experience. Loved the folksy, bluesy southern rock sound throughout!
Dunno if it’s the joy from finding a way to listen to this besides YouTube but I enjoyed listening to this album a bunch… just very solid, direct and stylistically varied across the four sides of the lp
This was a very good album. I did not know a single song beforehand but had everything I like about Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Some songs with nice harmonies, some songs with searing guitar parts ("The Treasure" in particular) and a very "end of the 60's" feel over all. Almost like a final gasp of the decade although it was 1972. I will definitely listen to these songs again. Would have gotten a 4.5 if possible but a little too long. Also "Johnny's Garden" sounds like "Midnight Rider".
I think this is a very good release and ranks among Stephen Still's best work. I vacillate between thinking the thematic sides are a great idea and a so-so notion, but the expansive band is impressive throughout. The stylistic variety is broad and seems to be a collaborative effort.
7/12/22 Generally background, but I really liked how groovy it was. Actually enjoyed this. I liked Song of Love and The Love Gangster
Listened to on 9/12/22 4.5/5 Favorite song: Colorado, Both of Us This album was a bit of a hodge podge with lots of different styles of music but I loved all of it from rock to Caribbean to country vibes
Surprised me with the musicianship. Lots of great songs. Does get a bit long and starts to be jam tracks
A double album of really 4 different themed sides. I would guess that this would make the most sense on the LP's on which this was originally released. If you felt like some bluegrass you'd put on Side 2, if you were in the mood for something heavier, you'd put on Side 4. Which for me would mean I could skip a side because when this album goes from side 1's great latin-rock into the country on side 2, my mind starts wandering and i feel the need to start skipping songs. I recognize the quality of the songs, I hear the amazing songwriting and musicianship, but it's just not my style and will never be. The folk on Side 3 and Bluesrock on Side 4 are once again more to my liking fortunately. All in all is this an incredible album, with quality songs throughout and that's not something you see much on double-albums. This might in fact be one of the best double-albums of all time.
Great combo of folk, rock and blues…that CS&N vibe. Texas roots definitely showing through!
Was a good one to tune out to while working. This is the store of music that makes me think...this is what my dad came to America for.
hippies smell like boogers but i have to admit i enjoyed this far more than i expected to
Went into blind having never heard of them before and was very pleasantly surprised with how good it was. Almost every track was good and despite being well over an hour never felt as though it was dragging. Why this album seems to have been forgotten idk
A really enjoyable and consistent album. ‘Colorado’ was probably my favorite track.
A little sprawling and unfocused at times, but the overall effect felt worth the time, and some really stellar pieces I hadn’t heard before pushed it into great territory.
I bought the cassette of this album from a bargain bin back in the day. Then promptly loaned it to my dear friend, & future NDP senator, Bob Wood, and that was the last I ever saw or heard of it. Until today. What a terrific listen, although, like a lot of double albums, it was probably an album overweight. Stills is in top form on this, & a lot of it has to do with the band, particularly the great Chris Hillman. Many styles are traversed - bluegrass (Fallen Eagle); country(Jesus Gave Love Away For Free); acoustic blues (Blues Man)and great rock & roll (It Doesn’t Matter still slays me. There are also a lot of obvious influences, to my ear, anyway : Rock & Roll Crazies is reminiscent of Stills’s own Love The One You’re With; Both Of Us reminds me of Neil Young’s The Loser; So Begins The Task could be C,S& N ; Hide It So Deep harks back to Hank Williams; Right Now opens just like a Stones’ song. I can also hear Jimmy Buffet & Lynyrd Skynyrd, but it was them being influenced by Manassas. The second album is not as strong as the first, but hey, I’m not quibbling. It was so good to hear this again.
Just a bunch of sweet jams by one of the best to ever do it. Best track: Colorado
This is the album that got me to like Stephen Stills. Bluesy, laid back sound featuring some really strong musicianship. Love the low key Latin percussive vibe on some of the songs. I do think this would have made a spectacular single disk. As a double album, it feels a bit watered down and the best tracks get buried. Fave Songs: It Doesn't Matter, Colorado, Song of Love, Anyway, How Far, Rock & Roll Crazies/Cuban Bluegrass, Hide It So Deep, Don't Look at My Shadow