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

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.....

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.

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.”

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.

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. 

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

Muy guapo

Love this!

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

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

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.

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.

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

I really enjoyed this album

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

Grote fan hiervan.

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

great album

weirdly really vibed with this. 5 stars I guess

Damn Joe Rogan for taking this off Spotify!

6/5….remember it so well…good rockin’

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!

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

Phenomenal.

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.

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!

Super album

cool

baita sonzao, rock e country

Nice

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

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

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.

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

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.

Double albums don't get much better than this.

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

Excellent. 5/5

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.

Good stuff

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.

'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.

Catchy, bluesy, good for bbq

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.

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

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.

Great!

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Allman vibes, really good southern rock!

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.

Country. No está mal.

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

Everything is right

Good folk rock album. Good chillin music.

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

Blues, Funk en Folk in 1 album. Mooie verrassing!

Yup, that’s going in the library. Like me some Stills

Leuke teksten en variatie in de nummers. Geslaagd.

Super underrated group as a whole.

Esta bien, no tan excelente pero está bastante bueno. Me agrada el sonido.

Usually hate country, but this was great

Digging the crunchy guitar & the organ. Oooh, bluegrass outa nowhere on Fallen Eagle, nice! Tempo change in The Treasure (Take One) is rad.

Good, solid classic rock

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.

Нормальный альбом, но не сверх того

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.

Just the thing for an autumnal day

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"

Easy listening!

4.25/5. Very versatile, rockin, but too much country :/

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.

Really good blues rock and bluegrass for 70 minutes.