Reviews (page 3 of 8)
The more folky songs are enjoyable and punchy but then the country slide guitar comes in. I'm not a fan of country music. An extra star for the folk rock tracks.
this makes me feel like the main character in a comfort film. may or may not have a new soundtrack for my life
Sadly this seemed very commercial to me. It is good. There are some really surprising slide steel sounds and the lyrics to moving around are interesting. It’s fine.
Despite its length it is quite pleasant the whole way through, I never got tired of it being on and thought more than a few tracks were great
Country blues rock.
A fantastic blend of rock n roll, bluegrass, and a bit of Latin/country. Engaging from start to finish and manages to not drag despite the double LP length. One of the most complete albums I've ever listened to
3.5
A good blend of rock, blues, country and even a little gospel. Stills obviously has an ear for harmony. It was an enjoyable listen, even if I generally prefer music with a little more “bite.”
The fuck does Stephen Stills have two albums on this list for?! If you ever find yourself in some odd damn position where you must listen to a Stephen Stills album, this one is longer than the one where he's singing to a stuffed giraffe in the snow, but not as painful. Pick your poison .
4/7
Dope
Overall: 5/10 Did this really need to be a double album? The songs aren't bad or anything, but none of them stood out as exceptional and quite a few felt like throwaways. It's dissapointing as I generally consider Stephen Stills to be a borderline genius musically. Fav Song: It Doesn't Matter
6/10
boring
I gave the album two listens. It is an extremely varied album, showing Stephen Stills range as a songwriter, composer and guitar player.
I can dig it
Not really my thing.
There is a lot in this album, and not everything is great, but at least they tried. 6/10
I surprise myself once again by dishing out 4 big stars. I have had to ‘delete’ 5 tracks from this on my saved copy as they went too far down thecountry route for my taste, but I’m left with an hour of great songs, musicians and vocals. Happy to have heard this. Only ever heard of him for his work with CSN and CSNY, but this is decent too.
I need a new head and probably new ears. I really liked 80% of this, I got the vibe completely. It wlreally was a bunch of musicians enjoying themselves. Apart from the overt 'Bluegrass' shit it was a great listen.
Felt like something was was missing the whole time. Couldn't get through it all :(
First time listening to Stills' solo (?) music I think. Some songs here were ok but in general it was way too long and not very interesting. Meh 2/5
A little folky, singer songwriter, some classic rock, some steely dan. Cool vibes 4/5
J'ai déjà amené mes parents à un show de Crosby, Stills & Nash au Royal Albert Hall à Londres. (PiL jouait juste avant ou après notre passage - même chose pour show hommage à Jimmy Reed par Ronnie Wood et Mick Taylor...) Un couple qui n'était pas assis ensemble m'a proposé de faire un échange de banc. Je me suis retrouvé assis à genre 5 mètres de Stephen Stills juste sur le bord du stage. Il mettait / retirait ses lunettes de presbytie selon ses passes de solo / rhythm. Bon guitariste.
Bon une autre manie qui ressemble aux albums de hip hop beaucoup trop longs, c'est les double albums de rock des 70s... mais je souffre un peu de partialité quand il est question de blues rock. Ironique quand on sait qu'ado, je détestais quand mon père écoutait du Bob Walsh (RIP) ou du Crosby, Stills, Nash (+/- Young) Beaucoup aimé la touche finale avec Blues Man.
Bien mais sonne comme beaucoup d'autres projets de cette époque. On commence à être saturé J'ose dire. Cover quelconque, 2/5
Generic 70s hippie mush. Future editions of the book need a reassessment of the ground it covers. As well as the two big groups he was in Stills gets two solo records but the representation of the whole of 70s Jamaican reggae is incredibly sparse. Or you could have a Betty Davis album. Or if you want to be more obvious a later James Brown album. Anything but this poor example of an already well represented genre.
So Begins the Task, Don’t Look at My Shadow, It Doesn’t Matter, The Treasure À réécouter
Not flattered by following the brilliant No Other by Gene Clark, a much less well known harmoniser who also went solo. The overlong album length only serves to reduce the impact further. Has some moments, but all sort of fades into a wash of harmonies and slide guitar.
If this album stopped after side one, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more. I was really vibing to The Raven side and then the album does a 180 and has a whole country/Bluegrass side that I did not enjoy. Side 3 and 4 kind of blended together and both were just alright. Side One: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Side Two: ⭐️⭐️ Side Three: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Side Four: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Average: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Favorite Track - Song of Love Least Favorite Track - Hide It So Deep ⭐️⭐️⭐️
really enjoyed, might even grow to be a 5
7.5. Pretty mellow.
Not nearly as good as I expected this to be
j'ai l'impression d'écouter chaque fois le même album rock country ça devint lassant 1001albums !!
Album trop long et pas assez entraînant. On se lasse assez vite et aucun enjeu n'apparaît de tout l'album. Note : 2 A réécouter : Non
oh, well. well done, but once again, not my cup of tea. too coutriesk.
Was hella bored at first until it got to the folk revival era
5/10
Pretty good folk blues album.
Something I never really thought about prior to this project was how much C, S, N and Y moved around creating music with friends on side projects. Reading about the history of rock, this was a period when musicians hung out together, smoking weed and playing tunes. Pretty cool. In this case, we see Still getting together with folks from The Flying Burrito Brothers to create a double album that is really four separate half-albums: Side 1, “The Raven”: Rock and Latin Pretty solid rock tunes. Side 2, “The Wilderness”: Country and Bluegrass The transition to this section was abrupt. It probably worked better when flipping the vinyl. I like mandolins and fiddles. Not usually my genre, but this is pretty good music. Still, probably the weakest of the four. Side 3, “Consider”: Folk and folk-rock This section is what I was expecting. This is the sort of music that I associate with Stills. Good song writing. Side 4, “Rock and Roll is Here to Stay”: Blues and Blues-rock The variety of music on this album makes it hard to rate, but overall this a good record, with some great songs.
Manassas - “album you must hear” my ass. It started quite bluesy (and was pretty mid at it) but then country joined the sound..sorry, just no.
Jest fajne, chillowe ale nie jest na tyle dobre abym mógł dać 4 w kontekście najlepszych płyt all the time. Miłe dla ucha i ma swój vibe, ale to wszystko.
Not for me, I don't like the classic rock sounds, and I really don't like the country and blues stuff.
I like the album cover (don’t know why) and the bad are really tight but it went on for so long. I preferred the Latin-tinged songs to the blues-y ones (bit of blues overload at the moment). Too much of a good thing is bad, too much of this is worse.
Don’t mind the more rootsy elements that this had, the addition on the fiddle and other instruments was a nice change but besides that positive, this left me feeling very little. I’m finding that particularly after this run of blues albums, that it’s not the genre for me.
One of the albums of all time
very long, but good vibes. just too long but if it weren't for this 1 album a day stuff I'd prob be fine w that
Album was a nice mix of blues, country, and even some bluegrass songs, albeit the songs were not memorable and the album was way too long.
one of the cooler jam supergroups of the early 70s. sure there's nothing particularly groundbreaking on this album, but it's still a lot of fun to listen to. probably will revisit a little as it continues to warm up and i can drive down 68 with my windows down.
This was much too long for what it was. No individual member of CSN(Y) stands out on their own to me. Sorry Steve
This started out as a real treat for a windows down driving experience, but it lost a little steam by the end. I still enjoyed it overall. 3-3.5
I saw how long it was and then went to go check to see what the bonus tracks were and, to my horror, there are no bonus tracks and the album is just actually that long. At least a decent amount of it is pretty good. But it’s offset by sheer volume. I looked during “Move Around” and got genuinely angry that there were 5 more songs left.
sincere: a quaint, easy listen whose long run time flew by insincere: an epic exploration of genre for folks whose only music venue is church and ideal of adventure is walking their goldendoodle down a *different* cul de sac today
3 out of 5. Some good songs here.
possibly the most 'fine' album to exist
Didn't get to the end of this one...it is a bit long, TBH, and, to be frank, pretty boring.
Very fine soft rock album. Thing about soft rock, it's soothing and pretty much anyone will enjoy it, but listen to it too much, and it quickly turns dull. Same with this album - it could have been somewhat shorter. This way, it wouldn't feel like a compilation, but rather a legitimate album. But overall, I like it.
Mostly 70s standard southern folk with a few songs that deviate in pleasant ways. The stuff that drifted from their regular sound was the best.
..
A nice mix of folk rock, blues and country and bit of easy listening that would be reasonable background music for a Sunday afternoon potter around the house while youre doing your chores. I doubt that makes it an album that I had to listen to before I died - I'll have mostly forgotten about it by this time next week - but it was nice enough. Particular favourites were So Begins The Task and Don't Look At My Shadow, and it's a low 3 stars.
Wou t bijna skippen toen ik de lengte van het album zag en op de klok keek, maar heb geen spijt dat ik het toch heb geluisterd. Niks al te wilds maar wel gwn lekkere muziek. Door de 4 sides die allemaal een eigen muzikaal thema hadden werd het ook niet saai, ondanks de lengte van het album.
Leuk wel!! Heel Amerikaans. Niet helemaal iets wat ik nog een keer zal luisteren, maar ik heb best genoten!! (Nu hopelijk een album dat niet rock-adjacent is ahhhhhh)
A solid album, but not one of my favourites within its own genre
best aardig. wel echt veel te lang en erg samey in de tweede helft. 19 nummers geluisterd, afgehaakt toen t volgende nummer 8 minuten duurde en de eerste 3 totaal wegvielen als achtergrondgeluid <3
mja weinig over te zeggen eigenlijk. van genoten, maar ik denk niet dat ik het nog een keer ga luisteren
This is a great album, that I'm kind of surprised I never discovered in my lengthy classic rock exploration phase(s). It's bluesy, funky, soulful, and has that classic CSN shine glossing up the seams. I'm not going to write a long review here, but this is definitely getting added to my library, and I'll revisit for sure. 4/5 from me.
Music to get stoned with. Mostly blues-y, sludge rock -- with some folk-blues-rock -- that actively struggles to keep the tempo from slowing down any more than it has. I didn't need to look up anything about this album to immediately place it in the early 70s. It's sound is blue jeans, pot smoke, and long hair. The musicians are competent but the arrangements just sort of blend into one another. I don't hate it, but it's not a love connection. (3/5) I'd probably enjoy it more stoned. Tiresome after a while, too.. I read up on it and found out it is a double album. There's not enough "meat" here to make a double album IMO.
I wanna start by saying that I do like CSN and sometimes Y, and recognize Stills as a primary songwiter for the group. He's a highly prolific and talented musician whose numerous solo and group projects in the late 60s and early 70s are varied and loved. That said, seeing a double album of Stephen Stills on my feed this morning didn't exactly excite me. Maybe it's just too familiar. I'd never listened to this album, vaguely recognized a few songs ('It Doesn't Matter' and 'Johnny's Garden,' maybe?), but it's the same folksy-blues-grassy mandolin fronted hillbilly rasp that you expect it to be... And a whole heaping helping of it. Like a granny plopping another spoon of gravyless taters on your plate, this one ain't over until you're about to burst at the seams. Streaming services will hide from you that the album itself was divided into four thematic sides—The Raven (latin-rock), The Wilderness (country & bluegrass), Consider (folk), and Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay (rock and blues—and while I can hear it after the fact, it's a distinction that would have been lost on me without having it pointed out. Sure, some songs are better than others and there's a bit of variety to be had, but the extended runtime evens out the lumps. Don't get me wrong, the musicianship and execution is solid. The production is decent. But it's not moving any needles, and it feels SO LONG. It's just a workmanlike collection of songs that sound vaguely like everything else Stills has touched, which perhaps helps emphasize the strength of his collaborations with CSN and sometimes Y by showcasing the lack of those elements. It's a 3 that gets rounded down to 2.5 for being too long winded, which out of respect I'm gonna round back to a 3/5. NOTE: Listening to 'Colorado,' I'm going to need someone to explain to me why they didn't sue the pants off of Bad Company for releasing 'Shooting Star.' It's as if Paul Rodgers said, "I like this song, but what if it wasn't so boring?"
"Cool wind in my hair/ Warm smell of colitis/ Rising up through the air" Variety: 3 Adequacy: 4 Listenability: 4 Uniqueness: 1 Emotionality: 1 = 2.6 rounded up to a 3.0 INTRO Yikes. First double album. This one has been on list to tackle forever, so let's go. Will say that while I'm positive I've listened to Stills's self titled solo album way back, I remember little to nothing of it. This kind of stuff is always going to be a unique challenge to me. Most of it I've heard has been inoffensive enough and even listenable - but it's just that... listenable and not much more. In my experience these genres eschew the highs and lows that make most music stand out to me in a memorable way. Most music for me lives or dies by the hooks. And failing that, great atmosphere. In my own personal tortured metaphor I see the songs as the unique and varied furniture decorating the room that is the album. In most blues/ country/ jam rock the songs just end up being the carpet or wallpaper. It might be damn fine carpet/ wallpaper, but you just don't ever notice it. THE TRACKS Side One - The Raven (ughh...) "Song of Love" - Off and running with some very capable, very smooth stuff here. While I might not be able to pick it out of a line up of similar material, this was a good start. These guys at least know what they're doing. This feels like the music playing in the part of the movie where the protagonist is driving along the Pacific Coast Highway with the convertable top down as the helicopter shot zooms out just before the credits role. "Rock & Roll Crazies/ Cuban Bluegrass" - Different enough especially with the Latin rhythms near the end, but Santana this is not. I can feel that thick shag carpet beneath my feet, and least it's comfortable, but that weed smell is never going to come out though. "Jet Set (Sigh)" - Generic blues rocker is nothing special, but a fine enough specimen of the type. Stills's voice has got a bit more oomph to it than I expected. Was never really sure what part he played in the CSN dynamic, but by comparison seems he's got range enough to pull this off well. He's no Jack Bruce, but few are. "Anyway" - More of the same. Light one up, pop open a few tallboys, open the garage and head out to the driveway. That Camaro ain't gonna wash itself. "Both of Us (Bound to Lose)" - Some recycled CSN material here? Will there be any more? Getting notes of America as well. Did not come here expecting bongos, but I'm down. Side two – The Wilderness "Fallen Eagle" - Huh. Good call waiting til side two of disc one to pull out the bluegrass stylings. More shades of CSN with the harmonies here. Foot tapping away, I barely noticed how short this was. Reminds me that my favorite Grateful Dead adjacent project also happens to be bluegrass - Old & in the Way. Seriously, check this (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1cKK20CwQk1pd6vTinxCMx?si=b49f28942f2f4609) out. In fact I might just after this. "Jesus Gave Love Away for Free" - Was not expecting this degree of variety for sure. Some steel guitar filled country gospel stylings don't feel out of place, and work to further differentiate side two. The upon first glance groanworthy side titles are making more sense now. "Colorado" - Hmm... this sounds soooooo familiar. I can't quite place it though. Oh well. Solid stuff. This is what I imagine Bob Seger would be doing had he been a country boy. "So Begins the Task" - Entering some more traditional folky territory here, and have to say I like it as a contrast. Guessing there's going to be a decent CSN ( minus the C&N) album's worth of tracks to gather from this when all is said and done. Memorable chorus here is making this one rise above the noise a bit. "Hide It So Deep" - More bluegrass here, perfect for some sleepy slow dancing, beer in one hand, just before closing time at your favorite honky tonk. "Don't Look at My Shadow" - Flashback to earlier in the night at the same honky tonk. Being honest, if I want something like this I'll just throw on "East Bound and Down" by Jerry Reed Side three – Consider "It Doesn't Matter" - Downbeat America/ Poco vibes. Not quite Now That's What I Call Smooth Hits of the 70s material, but heading in that direction. "Johnny's Garden" - Maybe the first real stinker for me. Hippy garden party nonsense. "Bound to Fall" - Another cut for the CSN redux. Sounds pretty but goes nowhere. "How Far" - This is what I would expect to hear from a Stills solo album. Nothing special, but fine enough. "Move Around" - Less passing the Dutchie 'pon the left hand side here and more be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. I'm not down for the gentle flower power sound, but at least there's some atmospheric stuff going on. In a world where people didn't have to look up what this album even was, I bet it would have been covered a zillion times by early 2000s neo-folk duos. "The Love Gangster" - Trying to get a little funky on this one and I'm not buying what he's selling. Ballsy title. Give this to Joe Walsh and I bet it would be a lot more fun. Side four – Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay "What to Do" - Back to the country and western stuff. Strong return to what works. Could see either Joe Cocker or Rod Stewart (minus the fiddle) doing a version of this. "Right Now" - Fairly straight ahead energetic rocker gets the job done, but could have been on half a dozen albums by just as many artists of the era. "The Treasure (Take One)" - Vocals on this one are weirdly unintelligible. Too low in the mix or maybe version I'm listening to is just crappy. Didn't really affect the experience though. Wah wah pedal was uncalled for on this, but I liked the piano. Listened to this one twice and liked it better the second time. At least the first half. The second half switches into a sub-"Truckin'" jam which I didn't hate. "Blues Man" - Surprised at how capable Stills's blues vocals are here. Liked this much more than I thought I would based on what I figured was coming. Stripped down acoustic here. Still though, I want to hear what Ry Cooder would do with this. HIGHLIGHTS - "Fallen Eagle" - "So Begins the Task" - "Hide It So Deep" - "What to Do" - "Blues Man" LOWLIGHTS "Johnny's Garden" especially and most of side three. FINAL THOUGHTS If the Eagles are country coke-rock, Stills is the country weed-rock alternative. I think given a choice early ZZ Top are much more my speed as far as western-tinged blues rock. In the other direction, The Grateful Dead are maybe also more interesting a country-folk jam outfit. This album seems smack dab in the middle as far as being perfectly listenable version of either of those. A forgettable piece of pleasing, professionally made material. Despite the prospect of a double album making me a bit nervous, the songs don't overstay their welcome. Did not come out a superfan by any means, but I'm not above revisiting some more of Stills's stuff. That is if it happens to be set in front of me. The worst I can say about this album is that I found myself wanting to listen to other artists throughout. Old & in the Way, or ZZ Top, or even Poco. If this lacks anything it's personality. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - I might "Consider" dropping side three in its entirety, and make this a much more straight ahead country/ blues infused thing
First impressions: This sounds like the Thursday night band at the local roadhouse. They're trying things out but don't have the energy to be the weekend act. There is potential though. Just let them jam for a bit and they might get there. The Southern rock sound. Blues with bits of Appalachia, Bluegrass, and folk in it. I dig it. The first half of the album (A double album divided into four parts) was stronger for me than the second half. Part 1- The Raven sounds like a live music jam. Fun and inviting. Part 2- The Wilderness has that slowing down from the jam sound because we need to go to church the next morning. See they're practicing to be that Saturday night act and need a few songs to soften the end of the night. Part 3 - Consider & Part 4 - Rock & Roll is Here to Stay must be the midweek brainstorms for next week's set. Again, this is the weaker half of the album for me and where you find a lot of the bloat. A few of these songs are keepers. Conclusion: A bit bloated, however, understandably so. Seems like a side project, a space for these musicians to indulge in what catches their interest. More of a 2.7 for me that I'll round up to a 3.
For those who like CSN but wished they didn’t harmonize so much. Seriously, this is likable but maybe not a double-album’s worth.
A full album with American musical styles, with a hippie’s themes. Resonates today.
i liked it doesn't matter
man asses 🤨?
I have already heard this album a few times. Despite not really having a single that became well-known, this is a really good album. The song-writing and musicianship on display here is top notch. I really appreciate how each side of the record is themed. I would listen to this album again anytime.
Gets pretty interesting during The Treasure, which is song 20 of this 21-track album
No complaints but it just did not excite me in any way. I added the single “It Doesn’t Matter” to my Generator playlist.
Huh
Nice folkish rock album. Some familiar tracks and great vocals throughout. Sounds like a Crosby, Stills, and Nash record as expected which is welcome. However this album is way too long and some pretty boring songs almost like filler
A rare instance of ambition in sync with talent, Stephen Stills' goes for broke here with a lethal lineup and, likely, a reaction to the collaborative formats of CS&N and Buffalo Springfield. Probably Stills' last great album as well.
I love his voice, and some gems in here, but a bit all over the place and overly long.
6/10, good but lacks standouts
Too bad it's not a single LP of Side A and D.
I like Stephen Stills. I do not like 72 minutes of Stephen Stills.
Good but sad?ish
If I could make a short album out of the moments I liked, there’s something here. There’s some great guitar on this record. I genuinely enjoyed “Both of Us (Bound to Lose)” and “Move Around” quite a bit. If I could keep one jammier moment it would be “The Treasure - Take 1” which showcases a lot of the strengths of these musicians. I just wish there wasn’t so much dull country rock, straightforward blues, and hillbilly nonsense mixed in. It made the album a chore to listen to, and something I mostly didn’t like.
Mellow folk-rock, with a country twinge. Not much imagination. The musicians are tight but his voice seems to have very little range. All the songs are similar, which makes the double-album length very unnecessary. It probably could have been a three star album if I wasn’t ready for it to be over half way through it.
Forgettable
Album #67 Stephen Stills: Manassas I feel like every album on this list is within a few degrees of separation from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, out of any band ever, they surely have the biggest reach between members combined projects. From CSNY to Crosby, Stills, and Nash, to Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, The Hollies, all of their solo efforts, hell, you can even get a direct link to Pearl Jam through Neil Young; truly one of the most talented and impactful groups of musicians. However, other than Neil Young, whose solo catalogue I am in awe of, I have never ventured into the other members' solo projects. Though to call Manassas a solo project would be a bit disrespectful, since it is actually another group spearheaded by Stills involving respected musicians such as Chris Hillman of The Byrds. This album is sort of just a massive set of songs where Stills and the gang throw everything they have and see what sticks, and more often than not, they hit. There is a lot to get out of this project, probably would take repeated listens to truly get a grasp of the contents inside of it, but from what I gathered from my listen, there is definite quality. Maybe if they were a bit more selective and cut it down to around 40 minutes or so we would be talking about a classic album, but they certainly went for something more ambitious and fans of Stills won’t be disappointed. As for me, I enjoyed it a good deal, but I won’t be clamouring to return to it. Best Songs: Colorado, Move Around, Johnny’s Garden Worst Song: The Love Gangster Score out of 10: 7
I can appreciate that this is good blues but I wouldn’t listen to it again, it was nice while doing housework though.
Very similar album in sound to "Stephen Stills" but thsi one didn't grab me like the other did. "Don't Look at My Shadow was the only song that impressed me out of the 21 tracks
🎧Surprisingly good
Average 70s rock/blues jams, and lots (too much) of it. Nothing really stood out to me. Listenable, but forgettable without any knockout hooks or riffs. Frankly, I think his was the most boring voice in CSN(Y).
Manassas – Manassas (1972) On Day 57, Manassas was a great listen, but ultimately a decent one rather than anything groundbreaking. With a runtime of over an hour, it was the perfect album to have on while attending to errands, as it successfully created a chill, country road trip atmosphere that didn't disappoint in that specific context. However, across the four thematic sides, the only track I found truly interesting and memorable was Colorado. It’s a solid body of work with high-level production, but it lacks the consistent triumphant energy to be more than a 3/5.
Despite how this site labels it, this is an album by Manassas, a group fronted by Stephen Stills. It's primarily country/rock, but with this being a double album, things venture into bluegrass and folk rock territory throughout the duration of the album. It's all...safe I guess? It didn't really dare to do much else despite the genre mixing. As a result, I was just simply whelmed after listening.
Best Song: Both of Us (Bound to Lose). The musical outro exceeded everything else in the album with its energy. Worst Song: Jesus Gave Love Away for Free. Classic hippie song delivered in classic hippie style. Overall: There's a nicely rural, country road feel to this album. Everything is understated but seemingly thoughtfully so. It's a bit overly long for the level of energy, but it's pleasant in a boring way.
Loved it
Like a store bought Victoria sponge cake. Definitely not bad, and sometimes you get a bite with jam and cream and it's really good. But looking back once you've finished, it's nothing special
I'm going to put as much excitement in as this album generates and warrants. It's a 3. Nothing terrible, but nothing worth repeating
loadsa good stuff on here
Really chill album that is pretty. I guess he's from Crosby, Stills, and Nash?
Pretty groovy! Enjoyed it quite a bit! Got to be a little long though. 3.5!
i likea this one!!
This album was fine. Nothing crazy. Pretty standard 70s rock.
Showing his knack for creating great melodies and building strong song structure.
Starting off with this, Song of Love is a nice groovy track! I enjoyed the guitar the whole way through. Actually, that groovy guitar goes throughout the whole album. Rock n Roll crazies was unfortunately not as crazy as I would’ve liked it to be. The middle of Jet Set though was really great with the harmonica and guitar. Anyway made me really appreciate how these tracks flow into one another, honestly same with Both of Us. Fallen Eagle was a really fun track and I appreciated the lyrics too. Jesus gave love away wasn’t my thing really, but I really enjoyed Colorado, the track that followed it. I like how more instruments are coming in as we go further in the album. I really enjoyed So Begins the Task, and while Hide it so Deep slowed it down again, the track hit for me. Skipping forward a bit here, Johnnys garden was an awesome track. I can see why it’s one of the most popular ones. I liked the acoustic guitar in How Far. It had a sense of urgency to it despite not being the fastest track on the album. I didn’t love the vocals in Move Around, but it was a good track overall. The Love Gangster was fun. I also appreciated a shorter track at this point. What to Do was awesome! I loved this one. Right Now had a cool guitar solo! The Treasure - Take One had a very fun vibe the whole way through. I particularly liked the instrumental section. Blues man was an alright closer, but it honestly left me wanting more. Hm. I’m not sure where to place this. Im thinking a 4/5 ⭐️, 8/10. It had some really good moments. I liked it. I’m sort of going based off of vibes for this one. 38/1089
Really nice groove to this. Enjoying this more than expected. Nice variety in it and consistently quality songs that are easy to nod along to. Really nice slow between the songs a lot of variety and layers which keeps it entertaining. Listened whilst cooking and enjoyable in that way but maybe could be locked in a bit more and would happily give it another spin. It is quite long and had my fill by the end but constantly quality and grooved throughout. Kept me entertained enough
What a breath of fresh air after multiple days of seemingly random awfulness.
No one ever asked for a Stephen Stills double record. Ever.
Manassas was a killer band. It might take an investment of your time before this album reveals itself to you. But you'll be glad when you get it. The songs themselves are just ok on first listen, it's the musicianship inside the songs that holds the magic. Top notch players jamming their asses off. This is quality music made by musicians for fun instead of profit. Look at the wiki pages for these guys and the albums and artists they played with over the years. These motherfuckers knew what they were doing. Dig it.
had some songs a really liked. bit 70s twang. worth another listen.
This absolutely hits my sweet spot. Despite being a double album it never overstays its welcome. Well crafted songs that find a groove and explore it fully, layers of harmonies, pedal steel. Everything I love in an album, and a genuine surprise
Started out really strong - I loved the first few songs, but then it lost me at Both of Us (too whiny), Fallen Eagle (too twangy), Jesus…(too whiny and twangy)… and I found the rest of the album to be mostly whiny and twangy which is grating. (3)
On paper, this album should be exactly up my alley but I just didn’t vibe with it. I appreciate what it was trying to do though.
is gud, not my jamz Will I listen to again: 14%
Groupe inconnu. La première face de disque présente un Blues Rock pas désagréable (+1). La seconde de la country/folk sans intérêt (-1), que j'ai dû passer. La troisième est plutôt pop, sans rien d'original. Et la quatrième revient à un blues rock (+1). Le tout est beaucoup trop long ! Pas de seconde écoute envisagée. =>2/5
Didn’t blow my mind. I had no affection for it
Još jedan u nizu duplih albuma za koje apsolutno nije bilo potrebe da budu dupli jer je tu jedna ponavljajuća ideja ukupno.
I got a lot more on board with this than I was anticipating. Despite being an overly long double album, the majority of songs were short and quite catchy. There was enough interesting guitar noodling and interesting topics to latch on to to make it enjoyable.
Song of love - 4 Rock and roll crazies / Cuban bluegrass - 4 Jet set (sigh) - 4 Anyway - 4 Both of us (bound to lose) - 3 Fallen eagle - 2 Jesus gave love away for free - 2 Colorado - 4 So begins the task - 4 Hide it so deep - 3 Don't look at my shadow - 3 It doesn't matter - 4 Johnny's garden - 3 Bound to fall - 3 How far - 4 Move around - 2 The love gangster - 3 What to do - 3 Right now - 4 The treasure - take one - 4 Blues man - 4
Blues songs - 8/10, Rock songs - 7/10, Country songs - 0/10
This was a great band and a very enjoyable album. Stills was at the top of his game. I think his partnership with Chris Hillman was a great addition to this band and gave all involved an extra incentive to put everything into this effort. The short, but brilliant, “Bound To Fall” is my favorite song on this album. It’s unfortunate that the follow-up Manassas album fell flat.
So this a quarter of CSNY. I've already had Neil Young & he has multiple albums here. I haven't even had CSNY yet. And not to mention CSN. I get to look forward to the other half of CSNY solo albums. Just sometimes seems like a lot of spin offs. The blessing & the curse of bands. The harmonies are nice & I like the country bluegrass section. It's a very chill album. It's kind of bunch of different styles with varying success. They are good, not great. It's like making a "delicious" 3 course meal & it's all just good, it's fine but nothing stands out. 3
Country rock/roots rock double album from the mid 1970s. It's smooth and nice, and actually there is nothing wrong with this album, but it's a bit...boring to me, and it's also a bit too long for this kind of music.
Groovy, then bluesy, then country, then back to groovy
Pretty and sonic, definitely a folksy staple. Would listen to in the mountains.
Listened Before? N Good album. Nice mix of different sounds, and I really like that it's mostly gapless - makes it feel like a performance. It was pretty long, but good enough that I didn't notice. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist:
In my car screaming turn it up! (It’s probably folk fusion). Love his solo run😭
6.8/10 Actually a solid early 70s record but it definitely is too long and there are some filler songs on here. Not something I think should be on an essential listening list but oh well. Favorite song: Move around Least favorite: Jesus gave love away for free
the band Manassas was, for two albums, Stephen Stills' primary songwriting vehicle. he made a couple records as a more proper solo artist following the demise of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, but it seems like the formation of Manassas (and the recording of their debut album) really inspired Stills, if the stories of its multi-day, sleep-deprived recording sessions are to be believed. it also seems like Stills believed strongly in a lot of the material they cut, too, since they debuted with a double-LP. given that this was certified Gold by the RIAA within a month of its release, I guess his instincts were pretty good! Manassas is organized into four sides by general genre category; sides A and D are mostly for the rockers, side B is folk and country tunes, and side C is kind of a smorgasbord. it's easy to see why there's such a huge range of music on here, even if it doesn't result in the most coherent front-to-back listening experience. there were around a dozen musicians involved in the creation of these tracks, mainly the septet featured on the album cover. even 7 musicians is going to result in quite a lot of different influences floating around the room, let alone 12! while I do think that Manassas pulls off these stylistic shifts with a lot of tact, and the overall production of this album is pretty darn pristine, I just think it's much too long. double-LPs are a tricky, tricky thing to pull off; this is one I probably would've cut down to a single. let your musicians sleep once in a while, Stephen! strong 6/10.
I thought I was gonna hate this one just based on my general disdain for Neil Young's music and anyone who has had any major connection to him over the years (Pearl Jam being the exception there, although I like them so much better when they're not trying to lick Neil Young's balls). And because of his connection to CSN and Young, I was a little nervous that Still's solo album would somehow overlap with Neil Young's sound. I don't know that my fears have been entirely unfounded, but I don't hate this record with the fire of a thousand suns or anything. That isn't to say that I love it, but I don't hate it. I'll never listen to it again after today, and by no means should this ever have been a double record. I can say with almost 100% certainty that I won't be compelled to listen for the entirety of its hour and 11 minute runtime. Manassas is pretty much the definition of "ok". I like the music alright, but only alright. It could be really solid, but it seems content to just exist. The same thing could be said about the singing; for a guy who is kind of known for singing in a 3-part harmony band, it's hilarious to me that his singing doesn't ever try to inspire or impress. It just exists on this record. That's maybe the best way to describe this album: it exists. 2.5/5 I'm rounding up only because it isn't out and out terrible. It's kind of like eating a spoonful of mayo; it won't make you sick or anything, but it's not something most people would probably look forward to.
No clue why we need a 70 minute folk album, and it's yet another album by Crosby, Stills & Nash or rather solo album by one of them. Honestly not sure how many of those guys' albums are left for me, I swear it feels like I've listened to them a bunch here. I thought even if we needed yet another folk album can it not be 70 minutes? Like Crosby, Stills & Nash debut album was honestly fine being 30-39min range. Some of the songs seemed like complete throwaways such as "Johnny's Garden" which seems to make no sense only if you are high I suppose it makes sense. Not worthy of a re-listen, if I do want a re-listen of Stephen Stills I'd just listen to the his supergroup's debut album as that seems more promising. Highlight Song/s: "Song of Love", "Colorado" and "How Far"
This album is all kinds of allright. Quite ecclectic without really standing out anywhere specifically. 3/5
I loved this more than I thought Bluesy, country rock with a cool mix of styles over a sprawling double album that didn't bore me. Love the folk sound of the harmonies and fiddles as well as the more rocking songs. Nice find
Agradable, sin más
I score this a 4 for the bluesy tracks and a 1.5 for the hillbilly crud.
I am only vaguely familiar with Stephen Stills discography both as a solo artist and with his much more popular and acclaimed group Crosby, Stills, and Nash, so when I got recommended his 1972 album Manassas I had only a small idea of what to expect. While I didn't see the Country aspect of this project coming, I knew I'd be in for a treat when it came to the more Folk elements he was more well known for. This album, even though it is way longer than it needs to be, is a surprisingly simple and straightforward effort from Stephen to showcase his songwriting ability in a giant double album. Again the 1 hour and 22 minute runtime is a bit excessive if you ask me, but I didn't mind this project that much when I split it up into halves. It is a solid project but all in all is a bit unremarkable when it comes to its' long lasting status. I get why some people would not be huge on this but I think it is a pretty middle of the road project, and that is kind of it. Not much else to say here man, just a long album by a living legend.
Joa bissi boring, macht nix mit mir nach 20min. Stabil langweilig
Album 1033 of 1089 Manassas - Stephen Stills (1972) Rating : 3.5 / 5 Going into this one, my expectations were pretty modest. Stills has always been a solid listen for me - nothing I dislike, but also nothing that usually grabs me and demands more attention. This album gave me a little more than I expected. Stills comes across here as a consummate professional. The tracks are smooth, well written, and well produced, with a relaxed confidence that never feels forced. It’s not flashy or attention-seeking - it just quietly does its job, and does it well. There’s a lot of musical competence on display, and it’s clear he knew exactly what he wanted this project to be. Listening to it also made me think about how often Stills seems to get overlooked when the big names in music history are being discussed. He was right in the middle of so many important moments and movements, often in group settings, but always contributing something meaningful. There may be more to his story than I know, but his fingerprints are all over the era that shaped so much of what came after. That said, this still isn’t an album that pushes into “great” territory for me. The songs are good, there’s nothing to complain about, but it never quite goes over the top. I’d listen to it again - just maybe not all four sides in one sitting. Still, it’s a strong, respectable album that rewards a patient listen.
Easy five stars!
I didn't necessary dislike it, but it was a little boring. Felt like a decent departure from CSN, so good for him on that. 2.5⭐️
The consistent thought that I’ve had for the duration of Manassas was that the music is expertly played, but that I am also bored while listening to it. No offense to Stephen Stills. Probably not essential.
More like Molasses... Let's see, each side of this long, boring album has its own "genre", if you will, but somehow, it sounds the same. Whether it's Slow Rock, Folk Rock, Country, Hard Rock, Pop, it's the same, and quite frankly, it doesn't seem to end. It's not much longer than it hour, but it seemed like I was listening to this album for a day. At least there are SOME redeeming qualities scattered throughout slog. Favorite Track: "The Treasure(Take One)".
Of its time (and a bit before mine) but yes, great.
Really good.
Thoughts before listening: This is one of those albums where there's a certain deep cut album for rock nerds vibe that has garnered a strong critical and cult following over the years. Because of this, I do own this album having found it in a used bin years ago. That being said, I don't think I necessarily loved it. Its very similar to me as Stephen Stills' bandmate David Crosby's solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name. With that one I also own the album on vinyl and thought it was a bit boring on initial listen, but I did enjoy my listen through as part of this project. Maybe Manassas will have the same fate. Review: Its hard to hate this album, but I still contend its a little dull. Its a very typical 70s rock sound: a little Allman Brothers, maybe some Eagles, Santana at times, Eric Clapton, etc...but I am not hearing a ton of songs that standout to me. Certainly nothing that rivals the big hits of those other bands. That being said, this is a long album with 21 songs lasting over an hour, and there are some stylistic changes that grab my ear. One example is "Fallen Eagle" which is a bluegrass song which is a welcome sound coming after a string of generic sounding 70s rock songs. In general, I am most enjoying the songs on this album that lean into the country side of country rock, with "Don't Look at My Shadow" being another standout. The end of the album is also not bad with some more rock heavy songs like "Right Now". All in all this isn't "bad", its just not really appealing to me other than as a perfectly fine albeit a bit dull 70s rock album. 3-stars
i cant say its not good but its a complete snoozefest
ok
Listened for about a half hour. It was ok but there was no reason to go on.
If I have to listen to a solo CSN record, it better be a Stills record. A couple of pretty good tracks, but a lot of it half-baked and indifferently produced.
Too much hippy. Too much country.
Couldn't possibly listen to an hour of this, especially not today when I did not have a spare hour. Inoffensive, though.
J’avais hâte que ça finisse! 2,5/5
meh
ya çok generic gibi geliyor bana böyleleri glb çok duyduğum için
The music was alright. But it was a bit too long and meandering. By the end I couldn't stand to hear Stephens voice anymore and wanted it to be over. The beginning was nice and had some nice transitions, but it started to lose me on the 2nd side
seamless transitions. flawless classic rock sound. the classicest of classic rock fallen eagle--little fiddle going on move around--going electro here, i dig it good contribution to the drawl-ey, southern rock sorta genre, but imo doesn't stand out on its own. it's long, probably a larger dose of southern rock than i would prefer 3.49/5 rounded to 3/5 scratch that blues man--great end to the album points for versatility, between the standard southern rock, fallen eagle leaning more folksy, blues man going full blues.. 3.75/5 rounded to 4/5
an album of filler. Jet Set kinda bluesy though. didnt enjoy it and as an album it just sounds like a boring The Smoker you Drink (which cam out around the same time) so not sure about its unique contribution to music.
Ok only listed to half
Folk rock fusion. Picks: Jet set, so begins the task, johnny’s garden, move around
"So begins the task" This was easy listening.
yeeehaaah - i say while entering the saloon l'album c'est genre un seul son une seule vibe, c'est pas mauvais mais pas bien non plus
🥇hide it so deep 🥈bound to fall 🥉song of love HM: jet set (sigh), anyway, colorado
Colorado is a good song, the rest sounds just like CSN, who I'm not a fan of at all.
At first, I was not impressed. Then I listened to it again with good headphones and I could appreciate more the harmonies between different instruments. I like the campy title "The Love Gangster": I wish it was coved by Soft Cell. 3/5
This could have been a strong album if Stills had done some serious editing. There were like 6 or 7 great songs and then like 15 fillers. You can hear where CSN gets a lot of their influence from Stills (or is it the other way around?). I’ve always been a CSN fan, but have never delved into any of their solo stuff, so don’t have any comparison with Crosby and Nash. Either way, not great, not terrible, somewhere in the middle.
An enjoyable album with a variety of beats and melodies. This album is very reminiscent of CSNY’s music, but is missing that group feel in the vocals. The music itself is very similar and I enjoyed that very much, but I kept waiting for something to happen and it never came. Not disappointed, but left unfulfilled.
Stephen Stills is a very talented musician and no one knows that more than Stephen Stills. Here, he takes a very long 71 minutes to prove it to us through a variety of styles, al of which wind up sounding pretty much the same in his hands. Manassas comes from the Hebrew meaning, “that which makes us forget.” Exactly. A perfectly titled piece of work.
Rather bland, definately didn't need over an hour of this. No thoughts other than it all sounded average and fine, nothing stood out.
Day 156 Really enjoyed this, could have done without a couple of the god bothering songs but enough here for an excellent album Highlights Rock and roll crazies Jet set So begins the task
This was a middle of the road album. Surprisingly the second half was better thanks the first
I’d listen to it in an American bar while drinking bourbon. It’s not going on my regular rotation though.
Nothing special, felt more like background noise but i was able to get through this one!
Ehh midelphia
Iha ok levy. Ei hittejä ja tuplalevynä hivenen liian pitkä. Olis voinut vähän typistää. Laulajan äänestä tykkäsin.
Not the best technical recording and I think the album suffered a bit from feeling sort of flat. The instrumentation is clearly great and the gang harmony is intricate but it gets lost in the squash a touch. There are some solid lyrics in here but maybe it just isn't my speed?
There was nothing here that knocked me out but at the same time there was nothing here that I didn't enjoy. I like Stephen Stills voice. It's calming and it has a quality that lends itself well to the type of music he plays.
Solid bluesy offering from Stills. Good background music 3.4
Really good. Not perfect but good and nice surprise!
This album is stylistically all over the place. Rock, bluegrass, folk, country, Latin, you name it. It's a bit schizophrenic. Overall it sounds pretty decent. It's that folky rock you always associate with CSNY records. This is a long double album. It didn't really hold my attention the whole time, but there's some good stuff here. Nice for background listening. Standouts are "Jet Set (Sigh)" "Colorado" "Move Around" and "Blues Man" An average 3/5 for me.
3 double albums in 4 days. The generator must hate me. This one is all over the place. Stills is good when he leans more toward rock than folk, at least for me. I could do without the country/bluegrass. It's good enough for the genre, I just don't enjoy it that much. I'm not sure cutting this down to a single would help a lot. There may be half an album of great songs here. The rest are just ok.
I don’t know what it is about these CSNY guys but they surprise me every time. I go in expecting generic 70s American rock, and that’s exactly what I get, but the sound and songwriting just have an extra spark of sincerity and deeply felt emotion, just something extra that makes their music that much more listenable. I’ve now enjoyed one CSN album, one CSNY album, and albums from Crosby, Stills (if this counts) and Young. Just need a Nash to complete the set. Anyway, this album is too long as is typical for a double album, and admittedly there aren’t a ton of memorable songs. If it was trimmed down this would be at least four stars and a must-listen, but sadly it is not.
Adequate stuff. 70 minutes was not necessary.
1. zong - 1.5 2. rock - 1 3. jet - 2 4. anyuuay - 1.5 5. both - 1.5 6. eagle - 1.5 7. Free - 1.5 8. Colorado - 1.5 9. Task -1 10. hide -1.5 11. zhadouu - 1.5 12. matter - 2 13. Garden - 1 14. Bound -1 15. Far -1.5 16. Move -1 17. Gangster - 1 18. What - 1 19. Now - 1 20. Treasure -1 21. Blues -1.5
A quality album. Great musicianship, energy and songwriting.
only got a few tracks in but from what I heard, it's a solid album
ok, why not, not a fan but it wasn’t bad either
Wow, what a fun surprise. Never dove in on Stills’ solo material, but man, this is great. A double album worthy of its run-time. Terrific blend of alt-country, rock, blues, bluegrass, folk, etc. But all just seamless; really feels like one concise thing.
After listening to the first 12 tracks, I realized that there were distinct changes in the composition of the songs, so I hopped on over to Wikipedia and sure enough, each section of this album is broken up into different themes. I liked Section 1, Section 2, and Section 3. Section 4 was a bit all over the place and actually sounded like leftover Buffalo Springfield material, but Blues Man was good. Overall, I liked the album and definitely found some new favorites off of it, so that's a win. It's also not ANOTHER boring 90's brit pop group, so that's always worth a half star. 3.65 stars out of 5. 4 stars by this scale.
Another awesome album from a musician I knew nothing about prior to embarking on this project. I do hope there will be more.
Highlight: Move Around
Folk. 2/5
Mediocre 70’s rock and too much of it. There is some good playing but it doesn’t save the songs. The only track I really liked was “Bound To Fall” and was unsurprised to learn that was the one song Stills himself didn’t sing.
Great album
Quite enjoyable really
Middle of the road
Occasionally rises above pleasant to be really quite nice. There's a better album buried in all this. But as it is, it's a bang average 3*.
This album makes me realize that he was the funkier, groovier one of the four. I love that he carries the tight harmonies forward in his work. This album spans a lot of genres, pivoting from something Latin-esque for the outro to “both of us bound to lose” to the bluegrass of “fallen eagle” for example. I also like that he can slow it down with tunes like “hide it so deep”.
Reminds me of Neil Young. Liked the first track A bit too country for me, the songs are well put together tho. The Jesus Song was super lame. Don't look at my Shadow has a super catchy chorus, the bluegrass guitar solos are pretty cool, liked this one. It doesn't matter is also quite good (might be my favorite one.) The first part of the record was hard to get through, nothing really bad, but not the most interesting material if you pay close attention to it. Don't remember much about the second part! It's ok
Some songs are good, some songs are very good. Even as its absolute best, each song here is missing something that would make it transcendent, though. It's also quite indulgent as a double album. 3.5 stars, rounding down.
#216/1001. Apparently Mr. Stills forced the band to do multi-day non-stop sessions and called the producer in the middle of the night to test some idea. Here is one phonecall: Ring…ringggg…(repeat 30 times) … ”whatthe…” ”Hi producer, it’s me, Steve! Listen there is one idea I’d like to try out, come over to the studio!” ”What the fuck, it is 4 am” ”Yes yes, but it’s a really cool thing” ”Don’t say it is like last week’s idea of playing some 12 bar blues” ”…weell…” ”?” ”yes, but this time we also put in some lame latin percussion in!” ”Beep beep beep beep…” Ok, this now sorted out of the way, some other opinions about the album: - I've never heard or known about it before - It sounds too American - it is way too long - it jumps from style to style so it feels like at least three albums - The third part (the most psychedelic before the blues reprise) is most interesting -what the ff is with these americana people always singing about gypsy women? I mean did they ever evwn meet one? And why are they always devilish and heartstealers?
Nothing memorable about this. NPC music. At least that's the only bad thing I can say about it, I guess.
This album is a bit too long for my liking. It was pretty basic country/rock. Nothing too bad, nothing too good.
This was really fun to listen to. A bit much to take in at once, but nice nonetheless. Feels like listening to a lot of extra Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young material without the vocal harmonies. There's a bit more focus on groove here, some funky guitar playing, longer jams and influences from Louisiana Rhythm & Blues. The songs all had this semi ''outtake'' feel to them, which was explained by the way in which this album came to be. Stephen Stills is a real workaholic and eventually he was only allowed to do a few takes per song.
Little “yee haw” for me.
(45/100)
old. thankfully not another jam band
Pretty solid but makes me miss Crosby and Nash.
Solid
Don’t know why I never listened to Stills more. This is a really solid country-rock album from the heart of that era. Stills + Byrds vet Hillman rip it up here - the best stuff is the close harmonies and gentle pretty country stuff, but they veer into wah-wah blues rock and some slide-guitar ABBesque stuff too and it’s actually pretty good. Then there’s some acoustic folky stuff that’s a bit more boring. Nothing groundbreaking, but I wanted to add almost every song to my country-rock playlist, just to fill it out. Extremely dad core easy going stuff.
Pretty forgettable.
So long. so little going on
It’s amazing that a man who has spent so much of his life in proximity of Neil Young could never learn a thing or two about writing good songs. So. Very. Bland.
Genre: Country Rock Well, this was definitely long. And sounded pretty. But I don’t know if it truly needed to be 72 minutes long. There are some very nice moments, and some really great harmonies (as to be expected from 1/4 of CSNY), but it all just ends up being a decent rock album. Some changes of pace from side to side was interesting, but it’s early 70s rock for the most part. Pretty color by numbers. Not bad, though. Bet your mom loves it. 3/5
Loved it! Great vocals, keyboards and strings!
2.5 Nothing wrong with it, but it did not catch my attention either. I liked the guitar parts towards the end, especially in The Treasure. I might raise the rating up to three someday if I'm feeling less harsh.
3.7 Other than the Stills in Crosby Stills & Nash ive never heard of any this guys stuff before and honestly pretty impressed. It is the most digestible country that's appeared on this list, admittedly because it often detours far from country. Very long, yes, but there's no particularly bad parts of this album, and though there's no killer track there are between 5 or 10 that I would happily put on from time to time.
good bluesy album
Competent, well played dad rock. Comparisons with Exile On Main St. do it no favours.
3.5 better than expected, the 4 sections of the album helped it be more digestible. Not necessarily a big fan but enjoyed it nonetheless.
I own this one. Great album!
Peak self-indulgent boomer sludge.
I tried. The less country songs aren't that bad, but the majority are.
harmonies ❤️
Some excellent musicianship throughout, but a little hard to distinguish one song from another. Were they all about Colorado and a woman who hopefully may visit?
Sufficient as background music
I like Crosby Stills and Nash, why would I want to hear the solo work of the middle child
No big hits here, but a great collection of songs. Looking for the 3.5 for this one.
Album a little long but there's some good songs mixed throughout
An odd observation about this album - some of the transitions between songs are sort of herky-jerky. I wish they were a bit more seamless given the short songs paired with a slight jam-band inclination. I liked some of the sweeter tracks like "Colorado" and "So Begins the Task."
Some really good moments, but mostly a safe album. Great music to have on in the background during a group setting. But essential, purposeful listening, probably not. Just as some songs are considered album fillers, this album may be considered a book filler for Robert Dimery.
Well, that was 72 minutes I won't get back. This is a double album where a country rock bloke jams with his mates in obsessive studio sessions and makes a rather boring record.
No. 21 Southern rock, the exact proportion of which varies. I like the rock parts more, though I'm not against a slide guitar solo. But I really enjoyed this album
Really great sound, but somehow drifts a bit as an album
Faultless production and musicianship but just missing some stand out songs. Love the country numbers.
This Stephen Stills album has a lovely vibe, and is very listenable, but if I was to be harsh I’d say it sounds like Neil Young if he had no hits. To Stills’ credit, I enjoyed every moment but even with a killer sound, over the course of 71 minutes, it would have helped if at some point it coalesced into a straightforward single. There are weirder and wilder moments where you feel in a slightly more dangerous and exciting territory, but it never fully commits to this either.
Solid to high 3, great place to be. Young without the hits as my friends are saying.
This was a vibe! I kinda liked it. Long album but short songs. Added a few to my library. Pretty neutral-positive for this one
It's well made music but not for me. Maybe my dad would like it...
Day 18. Best tracks: The Treasure (Take One), Johnny's Garden, It Doesn't Matter, Anyway Stephen Stills was the best writer of CSN (but isn't in the same class as Neil Young), and he was also probably the best musician amongst them too. He doesn't fail on this "solo" album with a supergroup of talented session musicians behind him. While not every song is great or memorable, there are several moments on this album that make your ear perk up for the sheer professionalism of the musicians. 7/10. A few tracks I'd skip to get to the meat of the album, which runs about 25 minutes too long. Does it belong on this list? Maybe, as it is considered an early "Roots Rock" classic.
I am a fan of CSN (and Y), but even I feel there are way too many albums on this list from all but Neil Young from that group. If I’m counting correctly, this is my fifth with Stephen Stills and I haven’t gotten Deja Vu yet (I’m sure it’s there). I’ve never listened to this record before. I forgot it even existed to be honest. After playing it today (in a few sittings) I feel I’ll never listen again. Only one song is being saved to a playlist (Colorado) and weirdly it’s from my least favorite side which is The Wilderness. There were some decent songs here and there, but it was just all too much in the end. And I also don’t need to hear him pretend to have a Southern drawl or a true blues man’s voice either.
Some great guitar work, totally listenable, but to be honest the songs seem a little lightweight at times even if moments of casual brilliance regularly shine through. Pretty tight. My kind of groove pervades.
Background music at best. It was perfectly fine but had little to care about.
Pleasant enough. This is probably a 2.5 or 2.75.
Damn, what a good band. This was loose but expertly played, good vocals and harmonies. I'm sure every one of these players enjoyed this project. I'd have to listen again (and again) to really dig into the compositions, but this was a good ride.
Manassas alas is Gasless crevasses. Banjo, ego, and blow.
Now I know that the CSNY sound might better be called SCNY. I liked it but have to admit I can't hear his distinct voice without missing those Crosby and Nash harmonies.
Long album, very much the 70's sound. Inspiration for Eagles, Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac. I was more into UK music, Bowie and Roxy, so it really passed me by.
****A great album! Easy listening!
Pretty good.
A tour through blues, country, and traditional folk through the lens of 70s rock. I get the sense that this was meant to be a polished album that shows off a lot of styles. The instruments sound great, the drums and guitar solos really pop. While it sounds nice, I'm not sure it had the ideas to fill a double album, as most of the songs are pretty safe. "Move Around" is one exception, it has a psychedelic, almost synthy sound that gets into a nice groove. But the rest of the jams are just plain ol' rock jams, inviting but not original. Another issue is that I'm not sold on Stills as a singer here. His voice sounds a bit weak and strained on the louder songs, and he leans much too heavily on rock tropes in his lyrics (so many songs mention "rock n roll"). This is never boring and doesn't feel its length, but there's also not much that's exciting enough to bring you back.
I enjoyed this debut album from Manassas! I enjoyed more of the blues/folk rock vibes of the album rather than the country/bluegrass songs that were in the middle of the album and not really my vibe. Overall, I liked this album but would probably just listen to solo Stills or Crosby, Stills Nash and Young instead in the future.
Not in the right mood to appreciate it today
I really enjoyed the tone of this record, especially the bluegrass elements, but it’s just so long. When there are over 20 songs on an album, I just don’t know if every song can connect. Solid listen though. Best Track: Colorado
No me ha gustado, muy generico, ni me motiva a explayarme, otra vez en mala racha.
Too long + the heavily southern tracks sucked but otherwise inoffensive
Not really my style of music. After a while all the songs blur together and sound the same.
A very, very long album. By the end of it I felt as if I too were a ghost of the Civil War. Typical bland but pleasant 60s/70s bluesy rock. Dads love it, I thought it was ok to put on in the background.
A lot of pleasant songs
Skipped 3 songs. It's a pleasant experience.
Fairly unexciting run of the mill stuff for this genre however did quite like The Treasure - Take One
A bit of rock, bit of country, and a heap of 70s! Nothing grabbed me.
Just a very impressive album from the perspective of musicianship, subtle varieties of blues/rock/country/r&b etc. and mostly just the sheer consistency of good songs throughout. As double albums go, they can be a struggle, this was far from it. Given all this, it feels a bit wrong to criticise. However, as good as it is, it suffers from already being familiar, with obvious similarities to CSNY. Also, oddly there aren’t any immediate real standout tracks. Therefore it slightly lacks that ‘wow factor’ and just feels like a solid continuation of some fine form. High 4*.
Long album, but pretty good overall. Ill say 2.5, round up.
Not my fav but not awful.
Too long but there's some decent tracks.
fine but why is this a double album
A bit of America twang guitar, forgettable
Blues rock that is better than what typically shows up on this list. Some variety and interesting mix ups. 3/5
Kind of reminds me of playing a Predator board game
pretty good but i think its too long... i kinda forgot how long it was.. come on man
This was a decent album, if a bit overlong. It was also consistent with how I feel about other solo albums by various artists named Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young: if these guys worked together they could probably make some pretty good music. Favorite track: "The Treasure - Take One"
There's some very good stuff here. But it's spread out across two LPs. This needed to be a single record. As is, too much filler, even though the filler is solid.
I don't think anything from the CSNY stable will really grab me. This has so ok moments but I don't think I'll be coming back to it.
My journey into Stephen Stills' solo career begins today with "Manassas," as I've surprisingly never heard any of his solo albums, despite knowing the names CSN(&Y). Stills’ reputation as a great lead player is well-earned, and he showcases it effectively right from the first track, "Song of Love." This 1970s studio double album is conceptually divided into four separate sides. Sonically, the record is very good; the production and mix are surprisingly clear and well-crafted, demonstrating superior musicianship throughout. While the songs are well-written and performed, they often lack an immediate, defining impact. After a very strong opening, the middle sections (Sides 2 and 3) felt slightly disappointing in retrospect. The entire experience leans toward being an overwhelming collection of high-quality, pleasant rock rather than a required listen. Is it essential? No, not in my view. I'd rate it three stars. Side one – The Raven 1 "Song of Love" (4/5) 2 "Medley (4/5) Rock & Roll Crazies Cuban Bluegrass" 3 "Jet Set (Sigh)" (5/5) 4 "Anyway" (5/5) 5 "Both of Us (Bound to Lose)" (3/5) Side two – The Wilderness 6 "Fallen Eagle" (2/5) 7 "Jesus Gave Love Away for Free" (3/5) 8 "Colorado" (4/5) 9 "So Begins the Task" (3/5) 10 "Hide It So Deep" (3/5) 11 "Don't Look at My Shadow" (3/5) Side three – Consider 12 "It Doesn't Matter" (3/5) 13 "Johnny's Garden" (3/5) 14 "Bound to Fall" (3/5) 15 "How Far" (3/5) 16 "Move Around" (3/5) 17 "The Love Gangster" (4/5) Side four – Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay 18 "What to Do" (3/5) 19 "Right Now" (3/5) 20 "The Treasure (Take One)" (4/5) 21 "Blues Man" (in tribute: Jimi Hendrix, Al Wilson, Duane Allman) (4/5) Total - 72 Average - 3.43 153/1001 83/153 albums reviewed were new to me.
Prefer this to all the Young so far.
Loved this. Great for spacing out at work and could see myself adding to a long drive playlist
Back in 2010, I saw Crosby, Stills and Nash supporting Paul McCartney in Hyde Park. It was a hot summer's day and the dust was being stirred up by the thousands of feet in attendance - despite being in the middle of London, the setting felt perfect, and to this day, that CSN show is one of the greatest life performances I've ever witnessed. They were utterly magnificent, capturing that laid-back, Laurel Canyon vibe in the way I'd hoped they would, but didn't for a second think they'd be able to pull off at this late stage in their careers. Anyway, it set me off on a journey exploring all things CSN&Y, and their multiple connected universes, and this record really stood out. I hadn't played it in ages, so it was great to turn it up and lose myself in it again - I'm playing it for a third time as I type. Yes, there's a degree of hippy-dippyness involved, the folky violins can be a bit yee-hah, and Jesus gets the odd mention, but these things just seem to belong in records l like this. I'm not going to pick through favourite tracks - suffice to say, I like this album a lot and it was great to be reunited with it.
Dull and inoffensive but another one I just can't fathom why it's on the list. I don't care who's in the band.
It's not a "must hear" album experience if you start wondering when it'll be over and you're only on track 10 of 21. I doubt the author loves all 21 tracks, or even half of them. An extremely uninspired process of just recording everything with no trace of a cutting table. They needed to pick 8 tracks we could love and go with that. It felt like many tracks ended on a lazy fade out, which is complete BS in 1972. Maybe 20% of this album had moments of grooves, riffs, or progressions that got me bobbing my head. The rest of it had me struggling to either feel focused or hyped, and dying to switch back to an album Innervisions by Stevie Wonder so I could feel something. It's firmly a 2/5 experience, which I didn't need to hear before dying. I submitted this review after 15 tracks, because I couldn't forgive this effort even if the final 6 tracks are incredible.
This was really special. I never heard of the project or album - and it has a lot of good music. Stills Shows his music skills.
Blind album, know the artist. I didn't really expect anything other than what this album had in terms of tone and style and I did not like this soft folk rock style very much to begin with.
Heavy bottom
A nice listen but just not my vibe. Some lovely soft songs with a great sound and tone. Just not for me.
some good tracks, I enjoyed it quite a lot. Evocative of better days.
Easy to listen to. It's nothing more than alright.
Wonderful classic rock album of folk-rock, blues and country (even some bluegrass). This is a big album — 21 songs! — and I enjoyed putting it on in the background and letting it wash over me. Beautiful music and very easy to listen to.
Pretty alright bluesy classic rock. The album cover gives me the impression that we're looking at a super group band of all stars but I really only recognize Stephen Stills. Although Fuzzy Samuels is a particularly great name, and Chris Hillman was the drummer of my thrash heavy metal band from high school but I'm only a little certain that it isn't the same guy. I find it funny how on "Jet Set (Sigh)" you've got this blues classic rock track for 3 and a half minutes and then at 3:41 you get this random proggy classic rock riff and groove that comes in out of nowhere with absolutely no transition, and then the song continues with it for the remaining 30 seconds. Very random. It's a nice listen. Do you have to hear it in your lifetime? Eh...
Decent album. Very similar to CSN. Harmonies were good. 3/5 Might listen again
It was meh
What a complete nothingburger of an album. In my opinion, all the music made by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, both collectively and individually is very redundant with only a couple of exceptions. It is not bad in any way, but it just very quickly becomes background sound to me. There aren't really any things standing out on the album. It was pretty long but it did not feel any longer than it did, so I cannot give it a 1/5 rating. It will be a very very low 2/5.
I didn't find it terrible, just super generic, including the lyrics. Sure there is musical talent here...but it is just so MEH!! I agree with some comments like "something my conservative in-laws would listen to," or "it's verryyyy long." And then comes the fiddles and don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for good fiddling, but even the country part is missing something!!
One of the greats from Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Reminds me of that same flavor. 5/5
Never heard of these guys before - looked them up and Stephen Stills is a songwriter who worked with the band Manassas. I thought that was the title of the album lol. It's bluegrass/rock which I just learned is fantastic ATS music lmao.
Some purdy harmonies
I believe Stephen Stills appears more often than any other artist on the original album list. Here's hoping you like him, too! ✅✅✅ Colorado
This was really long, but spoke to me. Never really listened to CSNY or Stephen Stills (which feels off brand). Enjoyed this one. 'So Begins The Task' is a heartbreaker.
This was absolutely fine
What a surprise to find I’d missed out on this album in my high school classic rock phase..maybe I should look further into Crosby or Nash too.. It was long, but mostly just some good ole folky classic rock
heater! never heard this before - in fact really only know stephen stills by name and csny, not at all familiar with his solo work. the first few and then the last few songs hit the hardest, almost abbey road-esque in the sense that they are flowing sequences more than individual songs. definitely sags a bit in the middle but it’s a double album that shouldn’t be. manassas - yes!