If I Could Only Remember My Name

J'ai trouvé l'album excellent au point d'en avoir réécouté une grosse partie après la première écoute !

This was surprisingly super good. Bluesy, soul, rock, folk, and tons of personality and lyrical talent. Will need to give it a re-listen for sure.

10/10 such beautiful sound scapes I love David Crosby ❤️

I love this album—it's a much-needed departure from the usual CSN/Y material. The music feels free and atmospheric, expanding beyond the confines of the studio and blending seamlessly into the environment.

This is what it sounds like to live on a California commune in the 1970s. Genuinely thought I was going to hate this. I do not. This is among the most successful albums of this genre. Really great music, gentle harmonies. All the chill bits from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. There’s no assault on the ears, like Dylan’s mumbling twang, or The Dead’s meandering noise mush. This is both loose and tight at the same time. Serious composition and arrangement. Gentle af. And yet, you can hear the influence this record had. This is crazy good. Did not expect to be impressed. But goddamn. You can tell that every great musician has studied this. I need a hero dose of shrooms and some alone time with this one.

An oddly chill and enjoyable album. This really sounds like a group of friends getting together over an extended weekend to play and record songs and things take a strange turn. Plus, I have a feeling this was a pivotal shift for the Dead.

I thought I knew about all the solo albums by Crosby, Stills, and Nash members but this one is new to me. Love it.

i feel like such a pretentious hack for enjoying pretty much all of the psychedelic selections featured in this massive list, but it's really just as simple as appreciating creative music that pushes the boundaries of typical foundations. this album takes you on a journey of sound, its echoing and chilled out energy is reminiscent of the sunset reflecting off the sea in the album art. this album transcends time.

# David Crosby’s *If I Could Only Remember My Name*: A Transcendental Journey Through Grief and Harmony David Crosby’s 1971 solo debut, *If I Could Only Remember My Name*, stands as a singular artifact of the early 1970s West Coast rock scene. Released in the shadow of personal tragedy and amid the zenith of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s (CSNY) fame, the album channels raw emotion and experimental ambition into a hauntingly beautiful tapestry of sound. Combining layered vocal harmonies, jazz-inflected instrumentation, and lyrical introspection, the record defies easy categorization, blending folk, psychedelia, and avant-garde sensibilities. Though initially met with mixed reviews, it has since been recognized as a cult classic, revered for its ethereal production, collaborative spirit, and unflinching exploration of loss. This review examines the album’s lyrical depth, musical innovation, production techniques, thematic resonance, and enduring influence, while weighing its artistic triumphs against its occasional indulgences. --- ## Lyricism: Poetry in Fragments Crosby’s lyrics on *If I Could Only Remember My Name* are sparse yet potent, often serving as impressionistic vignettes rather than linear narratives. Written in the aftermath of his girlfriend Christine Hinton’s fatal car accident, the album’s words oscillate between existential despair and fragile hope. The opener, “Music Is Love,” co-written with Neil Young and Graham Nash, distills Crosby’s ethos into a mantra: *“Everybody’s saying that music is love / Everybody’s saying it, don’t know what they’re thinking of.”* The simplicity of these lines belies their profundity, framing music as both a salve and a mystery[1][4]. Tracks like “Laughing” and “Traction in the Rain” grapple directly with grief. The former, a meditation on disillusionment, contrasts the narrator’s sorrow with a friend’s laughter, culminating in the devastating admission: *“I thought I’d seen someone / Who had seen the truth / But it was only a child / Laughing in the sun.”* The latter, a tender acoustic ballad, references Hinton explicitly: *“Christine, dear, I’m so lost and hollow / Traction in the rain, my tears they follow.”* Crosby’s avoidance of overwrought sentimentality lends these moments a raw authenticity[1][4]. Political undertones surface in “What Are Their Names,” a collaborative piece featuring Jerry Garcia and members of Jefferson Airplane. The song’s accusatory refrain—*“What are their names? / And who gave them the right?”*—reflects Crosby’s disillusionment with America’s power structures, a theme he’d explored earlier in CSNY’s “Long Time Gone”[2]. Yet even here, the lyrics remain elliptical, prioritizing mood over manifesto. **Critique**: While Crosby’s fragmented style amplifies the album’s dreamlike quality, it occasionally veers into obscurity. Tracks like “Orleans” (a Renaissance-inspired a cappella piece) and the instrumental “Song with No Words (Tree with No Leaves)” prioritize phonetic sound over literal meaning, which may alienate listeners seeking narrative cohesion[1][4]. --- ## Musical Architecture: Harmonies as Landscapes The album’s true brilliance lies in its sonic architecture. Crosby, renowned for his harmonies in CSNY, transforms his voice into an instrument, layering overdubbed vocal tracks to create celestial choirs. “Cowboy Movie,” a 7-minute epic, exemplifies this approach. Over a propulsive rhythm section, Crosby’s multi-tracked vocals intertwine with David Frieberg’s bass and Garcia’s stinging guitar solos, evoking a psychedelic Western[1][3]. Jazz influences permeate the record. “Tamplais High (The Road)” pairs Crosby’s scat-like vocalizations with Phil Lesh’s nimble basslines and Mickey Hart’s polyrhythmic drumming, while Garcia’s pedal steel guitar on “Laughing” conjures a cosmic lullaby[1][3]. The improvisational spirit of these sessions—often described as “hydroponic jams”—reflects the communal ethos of San Francisco’s 1960s music scene[1][4]. The album’s centerpiece, “I’d Swear There Was Somebody Here,” is a 90-second vocal collage that borders on the liturgical. Crosby’s layered harmonies, sung wordlessly, ascend and dissolve like smoke, leaving an indelible impression of absence and longing[1][3]. **Production Mastery**: The 50th-anniversary remaster (2021) underscores the album’s audiophile credentials. Tracks like “Laughing” reveal newfound depth in Garcia’s pedal steel and Joni Mitchell’s backing vocals, while the acoustic textures of “Traction in the Rain” resonate with startling intimacy[3]. Engineer Stephen Barncard’s decision to record in San Francisco’s Wally Heider Studios—a hub for the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane—imbues the album with a warm, expansive soundstage[1][3]. --- ## Themes: Mourning and Communal Healing *If I Could Only Remember My Name* is, at its core, an album about loss. Hinton’s death haunts every track, but Crosby transmutes his grief into a broader meditation on impermanence. “Laughing” juxtaposes spiritual seeking with earthly disillusionment, while “Traction in the Rain” captures the numbness of mourning. Even the instrumental “Song with No Words” feels elegiac, its wordless melodies echoing the ineffability of sorrow[1][4]. Yet the album is not devoid of light. The communal recording process—featuring Nash, Mitchell, Garcia, Lesh, and members of Jefferson Airplane—embodies the countercultural ideal of collective creativity. Crosby later described these sessions as “magic,” a fleeting convergence of talent and empathy[1][4]. This spirit animates “What Are Their Names,” where the ensemble’s ragged harmonies channel both anger and solidarity[1]. --- ## Influence and Legacy: From Cult Classic to Canon Initially dismissed as self-indulgent (*Melody Maker* dubbed it a “grotesque display”), the album has undergone critical rehabilitation. Its layered production and vocal experimentation prefigured the ethereal folk of Bon Iver and the xx, while its jazz-inflected grooves resonate in the work of artists like Fleet Foxes[1][4]. The 2021 remaster reintroduced the album to a new generation, with *Pitchfork* praising its “gloriously abstract” soundscapes[1]. Crosby’s collaborators also benefited from the album’s legacy. Garcia’s contributions here foreshadowed the Grateful Dead’s *American Beauty*, while Mitchell’s vocal interplay with Crosby influenced her own *Blue*[1][3]. **Pros**: - **Innovative Soundscapes**: The vocal layering and jazz-rock fusion remain unmatched. - **Emotional Depth**: A raw, unflinching portrayal of grief. - **Collaborative Alchemy**: The ensemble’s chemistry elevates every track. - **Timeless Production**: The 2021 remaster enhances an already lush recording[1][3][4]. **Cons**: - **Abstractness**: The lack of structural conventions may frustrate some listeners. - **Uneven Flow**: The abrupt transitions between tracks like “Orleans” and “I’d Swear…” disrupt momentum. - **Lyrical Opacity**: Crosby’s impressionistic style occasionally sacrifices clarity[1][4]. --- ## Conclusion: A Mirror to the Soul *If I Could Only Remember My Name* is not an easy listen, nor was it meant to be. It is a deeply personal document, a sonic diary of a man grappling with unimaginable loss. Yet in its imperfections—the meandering jams, the fragmented lyrics—lies its beauty. The album’s legacy endures not despite its idiosyncrasies but because of them, offering a testament to the healing power of art and collaboration. As Crosby himself reflected, *“Sometimes it made magic, and sometimes it made mud”. A half-century later, the magic remains luminous.

Super duper trooper

A really weird one and I’ll definitely listen again

I'm snowed under with work today, to the point where I can... hardly remember my name. It's too bad because there are tons of things to say about this album, which is sort of an outcast in this list. It's from a world-famous artist (at least for anyone interested in the Californian rock scene of the late sixties / early seventies), and yet it's very much a curio and an oddball release as seen from today's vantage point. It's probably the most famous solo album recorded by David Crosby (whose career in legendary acts such as the Byrds and CSNY made him a household name), and yet the record still has a niche, cult-like, elusive reputation. Its bluesy jams and psychedelic forays are a little self-indulgent at times, and yet they also possess a one-of-a-kind mystery and musical poetry that can make said dirges fascinating and even addictive in the long run. I could say that opener "Music Is Love" is the platonic ideal of psychedelic freak folk as it was performed on Californian beaches. Or that "Cowboy Movie" borrows grooves from frenemies Stills and Young's Buffalo Springfield so as to take them to a whole different, far stranger sort of dark narrative about America's violent roots (here secretly reincarnated as a love triangle involving Crosby, Graham Nash and Ritz Coolidge, according to Wikipedia notes). Sure, that slow guitar riff supporting the yarn was nothing really new. Yet it's still 100% hypnotic, and just yearns to be sampled or stolen by more recent rock acts today. I could add that the slick vocal harmonies of "Talmapais High" sound like CSNY taking LSD instead of Mary Jane. I'm even hearing something approaching nineties post-rock act Tortoise during its conclusion, oddly enough. I could also say a zillion things about "Laughing", but I will only say it's one of the most beautiful ballads of the early seventies. And I could say a zillion of other things about the epic vocals of "What Are Their Names", the gorgeous zither of "Traction In The Rain" and the quaint lounge jazz flourishes of "Song With No Words" (maybe the only *real* self-indulgent cut in the record). But all I want to say now is that the one-two punch of listening to the hypnotic traditional tune "Orleans" and the very short, very appeasing, yet also very spooky near-Gregorian chants of "I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here" back to back is a hell of a way to close an album. It tightens your throat. And makes you want to explore those infinite Californian beaches so as to find your soul again. Then you read that Crosby was still coping with the death of his girlfriend in a car accident a couple of years ago when he recorded all this, and you start to "get it", maaaaaaan... And you also read that the performers in those loosely-planned sessions included the Grateful Dead's Jerry Gracia, Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick, Graham Nash, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell or Santana, and you realize the communal "feel" this record gives away is the real deal. There's an elated emotion running throughout *If I Could Only Remember My Name* that makes it very, *very* special. Or at least, it makes it special enough to be remembered today indeed, just like you're remembering the old beach parties involving the sunbaked youngsters of times long gone by now. You've never been there, you were not even born when they happened... And yet, you *do* remember. Because music is not only "love". It's also eternal. Rest in peace, David Crosby. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5) Number of albums left to review: around thirty or twenty, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book. Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 464 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 279 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 334

Didn't expect to like this - looked him up and was like "ANOTHER highly influential jazz and folk influenced dude seminal to the rock and acoustic scsnes of the 60's and 70's? Christ" but then it was so wonderful. You can see the direct DNA leading to eg Fleet Foxes. Great structure and drama, no pretension, just beautiful.

4-5

Wow. Amazing album and it is great to hear the late great Phil Lesh on bass--he absolutely kills it on Cowboy Movie. A supergroup album disguised as a solo album- love it.

This album really threw me for a loop. Where it started and how it finished showed his range. I liked the depth of the lyrics in most of the songs and just the arrangement of the vocals. I always loved the stacked vocals in the 70s, it helps immerse you into the record like you can almost see the music. Traction in the Rain made this a 5 star album for, such a beautiful song. All in all, a tremendous record and performance by David Crosby.

Well I did not know that David Crosby was in the Byrds. Know nothing about him. First track is strong, sounds like a late night jam very complex vocal harmonies. Guitars remind me of the Mission which makes sense given their love for Neil Young, also the Coral who I love. Really loose production which I love but this is quality. Bluesy, great voice. This is beautiful timeless understated warm music, a wonderful time capsule from the early 70s. The acoustic guitar harmonies bass & percussion are given time & space, wonderful instrumentation. It’s one of those rare LPs where people are just in the moment making music no self-consciousness no pretence. First listen & a 5 star from me - exactly why I’m doing this project

Absolutely love this, excellent Laurel Canyon vibes.

all i can see is u love seventies music and this is perfect and heavenly🤷‍♀️

i mean just like. Wow. he kind of did his big one with this i can’t believe i’ve never heard this before ever. such insane atmosphere and vibes created i feel like im in another world, and it’s my favorite thing ever when albums can do this. lowkey i need to get high to this. 1.) cowboy movie 2.) id swear there was somebody here 3.) what are their names

Something about the composition of these songs is just so clean. So relaxing. So comforting. Feels like your stressors just melt away. I was going to mention that the vibes really reminded me of Santana's work. Come to read the wiki and find out Santana helped work on the album! Makes sense.

This is a really idiosyncratic and lovely album. It’s a perfect fall record.

Remember finding a cheap used copy of this in a record shop, and putting it on just by sheer curiosity. And then getting my mind blown. What an unbelievable document of the time: the talent, the humanity, the brotherhood, the beauty of it. Yes it is occasionally a bit pompous and self-indulgent, but also touched by grace. One of my desert island records.

This is a complete Who's Who collection of artists who I should probably know more about than I do. It's very hard to deny the Crosby's songwriting, and the importance of this group of musicians to the San Francisco music scene of the time. In contrast to much of his other work, this album is chilled and airy, evoking the image of the album cover of looking out to the sea at sunset. It's calm and introspective and beautifully done.

I can understand why this was met with confusion and hostility when it came out since it’s so different to what people would have expected from Crosby, but as an almost wordless expression of grief, I think it creates an incredible atmosphere.

The rule of thirds as it applies to the 1001 list: 1/3 if the music hurts me, and I have to stop. 1/3 is ok, or quite good but I wouldn't bother looking it up. 1/3 is a new and maybe a top or favourite album, or good enough to listen to again. Even through the external speakers of my phone, this is amazing. The atmosphere, lyrical and free beat. Feels good stuff for me. No analysis required. Just positives. Can't wait to out in some headphones for the full feels. It's been 2 tracks! 1/3 feels

RIP David. 5

An album of pictures in sound and moods. Opener 'Music is love' sounds like a stoned campfire sing along; 'Cowboy Movie' sounds like I'm wandering through the desert with a thirst; 'Tamalpais High' could be incidental music to a cool cult 70s movie. Meanwhile the gorgeous sun- kissed 'Laughing' sounds like the Byrds at their best while the jam 'What are their names' has some fine instrumental noodling. Then there's the stacked heavenly harmonies of 'Orleans', which are simply stunning. And surprisingly, given the background (the recent death of his girlfriend) this is an uplifting rather than a depressing listening experience: mystical and beautiful, if a bit disjointed.

Amazing fucking album!

The man lived a lifetime of mess, but boy could he make music.

Sjajan album

This was awesome. Loved the whole thing, especially Cowboy Movie.

Wow. What starts a soulful blues become an etherical, nearly timeless or at least Style-defining psych-folk album. Strong in its calmness I would‘ve never expected the music being so far away from the likes of his collabo-participations. Strongly recommend this! 4.7

I really enjoyed this album. I was feeling it for me it was perfect for today! Kate loves the album cover!

Reading some of the reviews from younger people, I worry for the future. Yes, Virginia, modern music owes a great deal to David Crosby and his contemporaries. NWA would never have said "Fuck the Police" if CSNY hadn't said "Fuck the National Guard" in 1970. Back to this album. Listening to it for the first time (and ashamed I missed it until now) I find myself hearing a bevy of familliar voices. "Is that...?" Yes. And Crosby blends flawlessly with all of them. The only fault in the album is it's just too short.

Heart warming

relaxing

Belíssima transformação da melancolia em força criativa.

Probably my favourite album of the seemingly hundreds connected to the Byrds and their constituent members. The main reason to hate that UFC prick is the Neil Young ban means I can't easily stick this whole album on. I need to really sort myself out with a vinyl player again and buy this album. I am hugely hit and miss with Young but his two co-writing contribution here are both great. I imagine there's more of the record he's playing on but they're still available. Such a shame I only discovered this around Crosby's death early last year when my mate (a big Cros fan) sent it me. But that means its super fresh to me as well. Just superb from start to finish. The Byrdsy vocal harmonies are of course on show, as well as uber-laid back guitar, it's just bliss to me. Album cover captures the vibe superbly. Highlights, the second half of Cowboy Movie when it's really in it's stride, Laughing (obviously)

I don't know nearly enough about the CSNY cinematic universe, but hearing this now after already listening to a ton of the group stuff really shows how much Crosby influenced the group's sound. This is spectacular. Really just feels like a warm hug. The guitar sounds like it's right in front of me.

One of my favorite records. Just look at the people who played on this album. Pretty much all of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. Very psychedelic with folk elements as well, not unlike the typical CSNY records.

criminally underrated album

Good listening dad rock. Will likely revisit at some point

really good album

This album deserves to be way better known, up there with his work with others

This album is essentially a cross between the Grateful Dead and CSNY, with some Jorma and Joni thrown in for good measure. Ah to have been a fly on the wall for these recording sessions. After a cheesy first track, the rest of the album is excellent. My favorite is Tamalpais High, which features some quintessential harmonies by Crosby with sensational backing by Jerry, Phil, Kruetzman, and Jorma. I mean wow!

🧚🏻‍♂️

There is a melancholy spirituality here that I was very touched by. This is gorgeous.

I always want more Crosby.

Super chill, easy listening. Thanks for the introduction.

This album is so underrated. I love it, it’s in my top 100 of all time.

Beautiful.

bom demais

I tried to listen to this album on Spotify and realized that two of the songs were not available because they were cowritten by Neil Young. Neil Young is in the middle of his whiny little bitchpalooza about Joe Rogan and Spotify, so only those two songs are not available on the platform. I found a friend with a copy of the CD, and after listening to it, I realized that the two songs cowritten with Neil Young, Music is Love and What are Their Names, are the two weakest songs on the album, so really old Neil did Spotify a favor. The rest of the album is perfectly atmospheric and harmonious. The album with the two omitted songs is four stars and without, five stars. Thanks Neil.

ouffff

Very good, need to listen several more times

7/10. Muy buen disco. Empieza con un hitazo muy lindo. Las melodías de las guitarras son hermosas, muy melódicas y bien armonizadas, con armónicos excitantes. Las voces deleitan y las estructuras de las canciones son interesantes.

Stills and Crosby back to back? How funky! I dig them both, but I’m a child of the times.

Saved? ✅ Would listen again? ✅ Would recommend to anyone? ✅ Would buy on Vinyl?✅

3.5

*If I Can Only Remember My Name* I never paid any attention to this album, mainly because it's reputation of being not a very good album. But this is definitely a lot better album than I was expecting, especially the first 3/4 of the album. This album really goes hand in hand with a lot of his 68 material. I would say definitely what he was writing in the first Crosby Stills and Nash album and the stuff that he was writing in cahoots with Jefferson Airplane three years prior. And I love the instrumentation. He's got a literal Who's Who on this album, making it sound absolutely incredible. Honestly, I was going for a low 4¼/high 4★ until the last three songs of the album. They really feel like they were thrown there to fill out the album, starting with "A Song with No Words" which really could have benefited with having lyrics. It's actually pretty, and I love the harmony on it but it feels bare kinda like a "Tree With No Leaves". "Orleans" has that tight Rich Harmony that CNSY would have on "Find The Cost of Freedom", but does not contain the bite. And the less we say about the closing track the better. I'm still going to keep it just a bit over the four star mark, but in reality I don't think this album totally closes the deal. (4.1) ★★★★

Sehr geile Gitarrenpassagen und durchweg eine interessante Stimmung!

David Crosby being the artist for this is a crazy bad marketing move. It's secretly a Jefferson Airplane and Santana collaboration featuring David Crosby's voice The backing comes together so well, it's super impressive. When he shuts up and the music gets going it's incredible The longer songs are by far the highlights with the other songs not really letting the raw talent show through. His voice brings it down to a 4 but I appreciate you for bringing together these guitarists to make a collaboration band

Cool album. It's pretty relaxing to listen to, so nothing wrong with that, though it did kind of all blend together when I was casually listening. Put it in for a car ride and suddenly it was amazing.

My first listen was casual, on the kitchen Sonos, and I was meh, thought it to be like CSN-lite, but one song did catch my ear (not even positive which one...prob Tamaplais High), and that inspired me to listen on the hi-fi - much more to this album! Note to self to put this on one late night for the indica.

this was nice, i love a beautiful guitar moment

war eigentlich ganz gut und schön und keine ahnung was für ein genre aber gitarre also schön

I’ve never listened to a David Crosby album before, but this one is definitely worth it. Four stars…

Great songwriting.

Good tunes

#368/1001. I wrote a review which seems to have disappeared. Bottom line: psyhedelic folk beats the blues, Beck most likely was influenced, gone were the times everyone was so high they couldn't remember their names.

I don't expect this to be a big hit for most folks. But that's ok - the story behind the album, the folks involved and using Wally Heider Studios as a clubhouse of sorts appeals to me. The music ain't bad either! Good lazy Sunday morning kind of album.

This was actually a really nice, chill time. The music is really accomplished, with some lovely guitar, and a great energy to it overall. It's quite moody and interesting, with some expansive soundscapes, and really effective use of backing vocals. 3.5 rounded up.

#130/1001 🇺🇸 This project is absolutely telling me to dig deeper into the wold of CSNY. Best Tracks: Cowboy Movie, Tamalpais High, Orleans.

The dreamy atmosphere makes this such an easy listen, was I blown away? No, but it does what it set out to do almost perfectly. Sometimes it feels like floating in Crosby’s thoughts, very ethereal and unique.

nice lil funky and folk albumn!!!

A blissful dreamlike album Quite like its tone- will do a second listen

I really wasn’t sure what to expect, I even wondered who this was for a split second before I realised he’s one member of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cartel that dominates this list. All that aside, this really landed well and very much enjoyed, particularly some of the instrumental tracks.

Decent 4

Ah fuck it man, this was really beautiful. Does it kind of get lost in the weeds? Yes. But they are beautiful ramblings, and this type of music has always been right up my alley. Depression can really bring out some incredible art.

atmospheric time capsule of an album. totally lovely

Found this a brilliant late night listen. Loved the jam vibe, floaty harmonies, and Garcia licks.

Enjoyed this very much indeed.

Probably Croz’ magnum opus, although he had a really strong run of albums towards the end of his life. Croz’ singing is out of this world of course and the songs are mysterious and good.

I definitely hear Neil Young in the first song. Really liking Cowboy Movie. I was expecting some country music but it's a solid blues rock song.

Very interesting album. I never heard of it but it is actually pretty awesome!

Just fantastic, easy listening country-rocky type vibes.

Not sure why so many people are hating on this one, I found it perfectly agreeable. An interesting and pleasant listen. Yes a bit silly in places, but surely that was intentional and part of its charm in its day?

4.5 Liked this more than I was expecting

Je verdwaald af en toe in dit album maar niet op een vervelende manier. Er zitten niet hele duidelijke structuren in de nummers waardoor je zelfs na derde keer opnieuw luisteren niet precies weet waar je in het album bent en welke gedeelte van de song. Hierdoor blijft het album ook niet direct plakken waardoor je vaker moet luisteren. De folk psychedelische sfeer voed ook het gevoel van verdwaald zijn in het album en maken het samen met de harmonieën een aangenamen trip. Niet zo lang geleden hebben we Déjà vu geluisterd en dit album luister ik toch iets liever. Ik geef het en 4 maar het zal best een 5 kunnen worden want het zal niet de laatste keer zijn dat ik het album luister.

Na afgelopen week Deja vu te hebben geluisterd is het bijzonder interessant om eens in te zoomen om verschillende leden van het collectief, en ook op dit album gaat David crosby samenwerkingen aan met mensen waarmee hij makkelijk catchy hits zou kunnen maken, hij doet dit bewust niet dit album gaat meer om een sfeer en een groove neerzetten, het heeft een ontzettend goeie live feel, en ik heb het album misschien ook wel 6x geluisterd. Erg vet.

This was actually really good. Easy to listen to and really solid overall. I enjoyed this!

It feels a little weird for him to say he can't remember his name and then put his name after an uncomfortable amount of periods....but that's besides the point. Also besides the point, he has some beautiful eyelashes in that cover. Anyways, the music. It's certified Hippie music. My dad was a hippie for a while and is getting back into politics now that we have a mango with the IQ and situational awareness of a mango running our country. What Are Their Names feels incredibly relevant today, speaking of that. Anyways, it's a pretty relaxing listen. I loved the instrumentation, surprisingly psychedelic for how folksy the album is. It's also making me realize how much CSNY there is on this list, but it's not a huge problem.

4.3 What a lovely little album. Really enjoyed that, super peaceful and warming. Definitely going to check out more of his stuff, actually enjoyed the Stills, Crosby and Young solo albums that have appeared on here (have I missed Nash?), so maybe I need to dive deeper into them.

Interesting. Orleans??

I enjoyed this album, probably a lot more than I was expecting. I have been listening to this list of albums while working, and the fucking awful albums and the fucking great albums share some similarities, specifically they grab your attention - the 'awful' albums get binned, the 'great' albums stop me from working. So albums that do neither can often feel mundane, they become background noise. However, there is a range within these albums too, and this was definitely towards the better end of that range. It was so smooth and mellow. It felt like a time capsule back to the 70's.

REALLY enjoyed this album, definitely a lot more than I expected. I wish I could articulate why I enjoy some slow folk rock more than others.

This was a really enjoyable listen. Favourite songs are: 'What Are Their Names' (the guitar playing reminds me of a track from The Mars Volta, possibly on their first album), 'Traction in the Rain' and 'Orleans'.

Never heard of before but i really liked the hazy psycadelic jammy atmosphere. California ambient folk.

I really enjoyed the relaxed, confident vibe of this album. Cowboy Movie was a highlight, but it could've benefitted from a couple of the instruments being fully developed into songs in the same way. My main gripe is the four dots in the ellipsis on the cover

Favorite Song: Cowboy Movie

Now I realize that the sound of CSNY is mostly David Crosby, so I listen to this album and I am nestled in a very familiar comfort. Right where I want to be. Nothing unexpected, just nostalgic relaxation. 4/5

Labai tinkamas pavasariui

When he said schoobe do ba tree de deedle dee that really got me (but for real I see myself listening to this on many a sunny moody day…pretend it says 4.5 stars)

I feared to not like it, but had a great time. It doesn't overstay its welcome, which helps.

Otrolig skiva. Meditativ. Drömlik.

Pretty cool

Very chill, good listen

I guess the seventies really were at wit's end w/ the hippies, b/c there is no reason why this record should've been as panned as it was upon release. I don't think it's a matter of Crosby being too forward-thinking for the critics to catch up w/ - this isn't On the Corner or Exile on Main St. I think it's b/c, at certain point, it was embarrassing to embrace a singer who belted, w/ an angel's soul, lyrics such as 'I was mistaken, only a child laughing in the sun / Ahhhhhhhhhhhh in the sun' or 'Peace is not an awful lot to ask.' For this sideways hippie, however, I'd like to keep that spirit alive. +, Crosby is, w/o question, the most impressively soulful vocalist of sixties psychedelia this side of Joe Cocker and John Fogerty. It's good music; 'tisn't too blessed.

Surprisingly good

Great album with an awesome western sound. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but by the second listen I was totally on board. The songs are super jammy with a lot of intricacies. It’s a bit of an opaque album, but the songs that stand out are great. Cowboy Movie is totally stellar—Crosby’s intense yelled vocals are so passionate and the whole story is just classic western affair (like something out of a movie). The Song with No Words is as advertised, but is still so captivating and entrancing. Pretty weird album, but a great listen!

Maybe I'm getting soft, because my last seven albums have been four or more, and here I am again giving a four to an album that I wouldn't necessarily have expected. But I was in the right mood for this and the harmonies were nice. I liked Cowboy Movie especially.

I’m down with anything members of CSNY do. I had never heard this whole album and it’s really good. Def a green record

Pretty good.

would actually be so good if I gave it a few more listens. I really liked the third song i think

Great album, goes into the rotation

Favorite Track: Cowboy Movie

That's my kind of hippie shit (looks askance at Country Joe). Song With No Words is particularly exquisite. A who's who personnel-wise.

Ultimate 70s hippy record 🔥🌅

Shaggy album. Not nearly as strong as After the Gold Rush by Neil Young, obviously. More fun than Steven Stills, naturally. I enjoyed

I’ll listen tomorrow I swear

Laughing got me hard

אלבום ממש טוב - יותר כבד ממה שחשבתי שהוא יהיה לא היה לי שיר שיצא דופן במיוחד אבל בכללי האלבום גרובי ורוקי ונעים

This was so refreshing. Exactly the right length, great contrast but nice cohesive set, those gorgeous close vocal harmonies... Feels like the wind on a beautiful day. I really loved this!

This is pretty great

This is an album where context helps. In 1969 Crosby lost his girlfriend, Christine Hinton to a car crash. He dealt with this, as one will, by taking hard drugs and recording music. The album was also recorded at a time when Crosby was riding the success of the CSN&Y album “Déjà Vu”. Each band member would go on to release a “solo” album, this being Crosby’s debut. This album included contributions from numerous collaborators, including Nash, Young, Jerry Garcia, Joni Mitchell, Phil Lesh, among others. The collaborators are critical here because these friends showed up to the studio to help him out of his funk. The album was panned by critics at the time of its release, then later included on many different lists as among the top albums of all time. A sign that it was ahead of its time. I gave the album several listens and loved it a little more each time. Careful listens reward with layers of outstanding instrumental performances and vocals that bounce between soulful refrains filled with emotion and the harmonization that defined the work of CSN&Y. This is ethereal folk-rock with undeniable soul. The subtleness and intricacies that contemporary critics didn't get are what allows this album to stand the test of time. Ultimately, the album sounds exactly like what it is, a bunch of incredibly talented friends jamming their way toward healing. Unfortunately for Crosby, this took so long that by the time his mind healed, his body was failing him. Overall, I enjoyed this album much more than I thought I would. Another one to add to my rotation.

I liked it very much, its a pity takt the audio quality is so bad on spotify :/

I really liked this album, i’ve heard of Crosby, Stills and Nash, but i haven't listened to them that much. This was quite an enjoyement.

I think the guitar in this album was really nice. The fact that there’s a song titled “Song with No Words (Tree with No Leaves)” shows the confidence that David Crosby has in his guitar-playing abilities. None of these songs were outstanding, but all of them were good. 4 stars.

This is a tough one to rate. I already knew one of the songs off this album (Song With No Words), and I knew some Crosby stuff previously. I also knew that a few different Dead members played on this album, so I was really excited. I'll admit, I was a bit disappointed by the first couple tracks. However, the second half got really, really, really good. First half is an easy four star, and the vocal harmonies and beautiful, lush production on the second make it an easy five star side. So how do I rate the collection of them? It's hard. I think I've got to give it four, but I may move it up. Argggh. Floating Through Space Lava. Favorite Track: Song WIth No Words (Tree With No Leaves)

I’d never heard this, but it’s right up my alley. Guitar and harmonies are out of this world. 4/5 Highlights: Music Is Love Cowboy Movie Tamalpais High (At About 3)

Pretty chill

i really enjoyed this, i have never heard of this guy before but apparently this is the Crosby from CSN/Y fame. 3.5

Yet another album from the CSNY extended universe. I consider Neil Young's discography to be it's own thing a little, but even discounting him, there are entirely too many CSNY orbitals here. I've Had 2 CSN/CSNY albums, one Buffalo Springfield, and a Stephen Stills album. And now a David Crosby album. I really think we could have done without some of these. But I will say, out of the non-Neil Young albums in this circle, this one is my favorite. This is a more abstract take on folk rock. It's kind of jam-y honestly. But the jam stuff works, because the players here are pretty much just a laundry list of Crosby's most talented friends. We have Graham Nash, Jerry Garcia, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jorma Kaukonen, Gregg Rolie, Phil Lesh, Laura Allen, Jack Cassidy, Bill Kreutzmann, Michael Shrieve, Mickey Hart, and more. Just look into some of these names, the pedigree is insane. This is one of the most insane artist collectives in classic rock. And the result is that this has immaculate chemistry. These songs flow and grow in incredibly natural and cool ways, and the sheer number of people involved means that the mixes here get really detailed. I don't think the core songs here are all worth writing home about, but this is a pretty great complete package.

Great record! The cowboy movie song sucked but the rest ruled! Go DC!

Really good!! Slowly becoming one of my favourites on here

The second track on this album really reminded me of Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere", which is an album I love. The band on this album is similarly tight, and I love the layered guitar parts and the instrumental interludes where everybody is just jamming and it sounds like they're thoroughly enjoying themselves in the studio. Most of the other tracks were less up my street and there wasn't a lot here that I'd return to repeatedly, but overall quite an enjoyable listen.

Grym och tajt singer-songwriter. En bra ss kan vara riktigt fett. Här hålls det hög nivå, men inte hela vägen till toppen. Första låten, music is love, börjar riktigt bra och är nog bäst totalt. Mindre förtjust i de långa instrumentala delarna (de är absolut helt ok dock).

An unpolished gem from peak Laurel Canyon. Half the grateful Dead, Jefferson airplane and of course David Crosby. Not quite a masterpiece, but has several incomparable songs

Pretty interesting

Real nice chilled out vocals and guitar work. A lot of instrumental work in this album with the vocals seeming to be just another instrument and blending in. Never heard this before today. Obviously David Crosby is super famous and popular but it was surprising to hear this for the first time. It's not really what I was expecting, I kind of thought it would be a little flashier. There is some nice western type twang work that really fits in nicely. Great album that I will listen to again, I added it to my favorites.

Wow. Did not expect to like this album so much. Great relisten value, too!

I actually love this, its so vibey and chill. fire album cover

Gran sorpresa. Primero como que no le agarraba la onda a su guitarra y de pronto ya estaba metidísimo en un ambiente entre místico hippie y con guitarras setenteras a todo lo que da. Tanto así que lo escuché dos veces seguidas. Tremendamente relajante, me sirvió para desconectar de los fastidios del día, y el día que lo escuché fue especialmente fastidioso. Así que buen trabajo, David Crosby.

Pretty much every song on here was great. Loved the slow guitar throughout, and felt like a little bit of John Denver mixed throughout. Only reason this isn't getting a 5 is because I really didn't love the last 2 songs.

4 sterne

Looked boring, was pleasantly surprised by a thought provoking album!

Thoughts before listening: This album gets a lot of praise, and I am pretty sure I picked this up in a record store used bin because of the hype. I don't remember loving it though. Basically what you would expect from a David Crosby solo album...mixture of folky acoustic rock and a few harder songs with guitar solos. Perfectly pleasant music, but no real hits that drew me in if I recall correctly. Review: So maybe I should have revisited this album more instead of just adding it back into the record shelves. I like this quite a bit actually. The band here is amazing, basically being a whos who of California hippie rock stars from CSNY, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, etc. There is a lot going on with these songs, and even if the melodies don't instantly grab me, deep listening is definitely rewarded. I assume my original listens were while I was distracted playing this as background music, and I can see where I would have dismissed the album. I'll add a few songs to the playlist (my favorites are the longer jams with guitar solos) and will also be pulling the record back off the shelf. 4-stars

I like David Crosby

This is not what I expected from David Crosby, former member of The Byrds. If I Could Only Remember My Name sounds like the morning after the party, when the sun is beginning to rise, hash clouds could be confused with morning mist, and the old familiar ache of a head becoming clear returns. It's a singular mood, but one Crosby nails. Additionally, despite being Crosby's solo debut, there are notable appearances from CSN&Y bandmates Graham Nash, Neil Young, friends from the Grateful Dead (Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh), Jefferson Airplan, and Santana's band. Though initially dismissed, If I Could Only Remember My Name is a great record that gave me newfound respect for David Crosby as a lyricist and songwriter.

Really liked it and plan to listen to it again! And as a David Crosby fan I'm surprised I never heard it before.

Above average pull from the early 70s. Makes sense apparently this is the Crosby guy from the supergroup.

4 out of 5, especially enjoyed the first couple of tracks. Druggy psychedelic moody vibes throughout. Good album,

Crosby of CSNY. Took a minute for that to register. Much more psychedelic than I expected! Not bad at all.

No one had gotten the gist of the dusk of the zeitgeist quite like David Crosby. Sure he may have lived out its ideals and found ways to extend his rough and rowdy lifestyle longer than anyone expected but it was true to him and the truth held firmer than most. If I Could Only Remember My Name is the haze that comes from having delved deep into the fog that was the tumultuous end of the 60s and the frightening crash into the 70s; flower power giving into crass consumerism and hippies slowly transforming into yippies. Croz, ever the iconoclast, documents these changes expertly and cements his reputation amongst fans and critics of his work. Afterwards it is topsy-turvy with his material but at least he gave us the best of the bunch. We will all remember his name. Favorites: Music is Love, Cowboy Movie, Laughing, What Are Their Names, Song With No Words.

This was a very enjoyable, mellow, Sunday morning listen

I like low energy music so I quite enjoyed having this in the background although I must mention I didn't realize when the album ended and random shuffle began since all of it was quite monotonous

Really pleased to be shown this, good vibes.

A decent folk album. Nothing too flashy but still quite enjoyable. Standout Songs: Cowboy Movie What Are Their Names Orleans

Read his autobiography.

Love this album.

Perfect!

"If Only I Could Remember My Name" is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter David Crosby. Psychedelic folk, freak folk and folk are the Wiki-listed genres. A few more could be added but fine. It was one of four high-profile albums released by each member of Crosy, Stills, Nash and Young after the success of their 1970 sophomore album "Déjà Vu." During the writing and recording of the album, Crosby was still in mouring the loss of his girlfriend, Christine Hinton, from a 1969 automobile accident and locked himself in a San Francisco studio and also did hard drugs. Many musicians dropped by and contributed on the album including Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Graham Nash, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jack Casady, Mickey Hart, David Freiberg, Paul Katner and Grace Slick. The album reached #12 both in the US and UK. The album initially received negative reviews but has since gone on to receive praise and cult fandom fandom. An acoustic guitar opens the album in the first-released single "Music Is Love." Crosby's high-pitched voice with assistance on vocals by Graham Nash and Neil Young as they repeat singing the song's title. Young on congas too. "Cowboy Movie" is more rock with a slow, grinding guitar very remiscent of Young's "Cowgirl in the Sand." Jerry Garcia on guitar and Phil Lesh on bass. Crosby with throttled, screaming vocals as tells an Old West tale of outlaws torn apart by a femne fatale. Garcia continues on the pedal steel as well as Lesh bass in the wonderful "Laughing." Lovely melodies and Nash harmonies in Crosby's quest to find a wise guru to answer his life's questions which unfortunately leave him laughing. Garcia and Crosby spend the first part "What Are Their Names" noodling around on their guitars. The drums eventually come in along with a host of vocalists. A protest song questioning the unseen, apathetic ruling elite. Acoustic guitar strikes open "Traction in the Rain." A spiraling guitar joins in creating a guitar overlay. Crosby can't hold on and searches for a purpose in life. This album is another example of why 1971 just may be the best year in music. The summer of love is long gone as Crosby mourns the loss of his girlfriend and sinks himself deeper into drug addiction. This mood pervades the album as the tones are subdued, stoner and stark. In the lyrics, Crosby seems to be searching and yearning for deeper meanings of life in general. The music takes on the musicians that he is playing with whether it's more hippie-ish and jam band-y with Garcia and Lesh or more harmony-led folk with Nash and Young. In all cases, I found this a very compelling and a very good album. It's not the album, you want to whip out at a party but one worth a listen: it stands up to the other CSNY releases at the time.

This sounds like an amalgamation of all other Crosby projects. Love the cameos from Neil and Joni.

Y'know, this is something of a milestone for our group, actually. With this album, we've finally listened to the last of the CSNY-adjacent albums on this list! Well, subtracting the "Y" from the equation, anyway; we've still got three more of his albums to get through. But as for the main three, yeah, after this, we're all done with 'em. Did you know there's not a single N solo album on this entire list? S must've taken his spot and that's why he got to have two. But anyway: this guy! Y'know: C! Uuuhh, I mean, I'll be completely open up front: besides Y, I tend not to think about any of the members of the quartet on their own. So, in having any expectations for what C would bring to the table versus either of the S albums we've gotten... Beats the heck outta me. I had to look C up on Wikipedia to even remember that he was a part of The Byrds — or that he died three years ago. Taking this album just for what it is, then, without too much outside context to really push my opinion one way or the other... Did you know this album was panned on release? Yeah, apparently. For one reason or another, critics were just **not** kind to it. Christgeau himself gave the thing a D–. Imagine: the same guy who'd go on to praise Kid Rock's 'Devil Without A Cause' gave **this** a D–. Crazy! This is actually a very lovely album. Whatever I might've thought this thing would have sounded like given it's been described as a "progenitor as freak folk," I certainly wouldn't have guessed this. It's just got a lot of very nicely played, pretty folk stuff. The same paragraph on Wikipedia where I got that "freak folk" thing also mentioned someone comparing this material to the acoustic stuff on Pink Floyd's 'Meddle...' And, y'know, I'll say it: I might like summa this stuff **more** than the acoustic stuff on 'Meddle.' You compare "A Pillow Of Winds" or "Fearless" to the stuff here, yeah, I think C's got the better tone. Jury's out on the Nick Drake comparison, meanwhile, though it might swing in his favor. Really, I'd say the songs that didn't entirely do it for me are the ones that lean in more of a rock direction. "Cowboy Movie" is just kinda long, and "What Are Their Names" feels like it ends right as it's getting started. That's the one where he got the Grateful Dead and Joni Mitchell to appear, and we couldn't have gotten anything more interesting than this? I get the "slow burn/build" thing, but goodness. Meanwhile, my only other complaint is one I share with a fellow group member: the last song **not** being "Song With No Words" is weird. It really would have been a perfect closer to the record, but, no, instead we're treated to "Orleans" and "I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here". And those are both fine experimental "only vocals" tracks — "Orleans" in particular sounds great — but they both feel like... Preludes, right? Like they should be building anticipation for the big closer instead of being the closer all by themselves. It's odd But... Yeah! That's about all I have to say! Y'know, I've read that the Vatican City newspaper named this the second best pop record of all time behind The Beatles' 'Revolver.' And, y'know: second best? I don't think so; **far** from it. But, mm, yeah, it's still a really good record. Probably the best non-Y records of the solo CSNY albums on this list. I could just be forgetting how S's sounded, and maybe N's woulda cleared if he'd gotten one... Chances are good this one would still come out on top. In any case, it's probably the best one of the selection my group coulda bowed out of this sub-category on. Many farewells, C. Hope you remembered your name before you passed.

More of the typical CSNY member solo album goodness. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

3.5

David Crosby, I've come to learn from this list, seems to be a very well-respected and renowned figure in this era of folk rock, be it through The Byrds or his various collaborations with other folk-rock artists like Nash and Neil Young. So I was expecting a lot out of this album, and I wasn't really disappointed - I don't think so at least. It doesn't stick out as much as I'd like it to (unlike, say, his fellow Byrds member Gene Clark's album 'No Other'), but the performances here were clean, impassioned, and very layered. It's the type of serene, intangible, trance-inducing psychadelic music that defined this sound. 'Traction in the Rain' may be my favorite thing here, with a backing instrumental that's almost ambient in nature, with these subtly shifting chords. But then you get a long, rough, gritty, gut-punch like the early-record banger that is 'Cowboy Movie' that almost leans into a blues-rock Hendrix-esque jam and groove-based sound. The aptly named 'Song with No Words' is another perfect coast-tune, with music to soundtrack what I assume were days filled with pot smoking on the grass. Just the way the piano, bass, and guitar mesh so well with one another, it's so good. Again, it's far from the most interesting thing this genre has to offer, but I enjoyed how consistent it all was. I respect a record that understands what it's best at and sticks to refining that one thing, instead of opting to go in a million different directions that are nowhere near as fleshed out. I respect this record for sticking to the basics, in a time when it seemed like sounds were beginning to shift away from all this psychadelic stuff and into a darker, and more hard-rock driven one.

What do you know, Neil Young’s vocals coming in hot to absolutely ruin a song right off the bat. Who would have thought one of that crew would show up on another’s solo project? Aside from the first song, the album is fantastic. Great mixture of folk, rock, and hippy vibes. Could almost go up to a five from here, but when my first reaction is "what the hell is this?" to Neil Young singing it really ruins the whole experience. Please god, no more Neil Young features or solo albums.

Ca commence très bien, puis ça finit en s'endormant un peu avec des trucs éthérés. C'était pas loin.

Ignoring the fact it’s got some of the worst cover art I’ve ever seen, and a couple of tracks that are just not good (looking at you, Cowboy Movie) this is a beautiful album. As a huge fan of the modern band Fleet Foxes, so much of it reminded me of them and I suspect Robin Pecknold must have been inspired by the sort of harmonies etc. present throughout, but especially my favourite tracks Tamalpais High, What Are Their Names (where the great Neil Young shines) and Orleans. Love the involvement of the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell etc.

Me ha dado mucha pereza nada mas empezar, pero llegar a la tercera ha sido un regalo, quiza porque el pibe no cantaba. Definitivamente mejora mucho la musica cuando no canta, tampoco es que el cante mal, pero no se. La conclusion final es que me ha puesto un punto en la boca, no me acaba de encajar los vocales pero la intrumental brutal.

This was a pretty great ride all the way through. I'm not sure if David Crosby was influenced by others, or if he influenced other musicians, but this style of music felt so familiar to me. Can't quite pick out whose music this reminds me of. My highlights were Cowboy Dance, Laughing, and Traction In The Rain. I also liked the trippy-ness of Orleans. No real down points or a song that I didn't enjoy on my multiple listens. Strong 4. Ultimately there aren't enough elite-level songs to take this over the top for a 5 for me, but it was a very solid album overall.

hell yeah this rocked

A nice soothing slightly psychadelic song rock album which was a great way of flushing that nerd Elvis Costello out of my brain.

Oh hell yeah. “Cowboy Movie” is such a jam. Probably my favorite track here. I’m a casual CSNY fan, and anything I’ve heard from a member of the group is reliably strong. This one leans into rock, but there are some lovely moments that draw on folk and psychedelic rock too. Wow, the closing tracks are very different but really beautiful. Those reverbed vocals! All around excellent album.

Beautiful music, great songwriting. Didn't like the first song Music is Love so much though but the album got better after that.

Beautiful

Enjoyed this more than expected. Functions really well as an album; no real standout tracks but coheres nicely, with enough variety within the sound to keep it interesting.

Never heard or listened to this album, but being very familiar with "Deja VU" by CSNY, this sounds quite like a decent follow up, albeit a bit more bluesy than CSNY were. I didn't liked the opening track, but after that it became a lot more interesting with "Cowboy Movie" which is a standout, an 8-minute epic that really shows Crosby at his most adventurous, and the layered vocals and guitars is truly mesmerizing. it gets into more familiar territory with tracks like "Tamalpais High (At About 3)", "Laughing" and Song with No Words (tree with no leaves)". It does indeed sound at times as a jam with friends along a campfire ('What Are Their names") but considering the guest list on this album when you dig into it like members of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Joni Mitchel and more, it feels justified. it never feels like showing off; it genuinely sounds like friends making music together. A nice listen altogether! 4/5

This is a very pretty record. I've always enjoyed his stuff with CSN (and sometimes Y) and this is quite nice. A bit laid back, but not boring.

Liked it more than I expected.

Very serious melodic sometimes trippy and pretty damned good overall. No one song that stands out

Not bad. Enjoyable overall, but not particularly compelling.

Some really great moments (Music is Love, Tractions in the Rain). 2 longer songs feel like they are a bit lost in direction in a while, so only four.

крутые мужички собрались поджемить - результат закономерный.

Nice album, I liked how there was songs with no lyrics interspersed throughout. Music is love, cowboy movie and laughing are my picks.

Bizarrement prenant.

Grew on me after the first listen. I was sitting on my veranda watching the afternoon fade into pinks and deep blues, and this album was a perfect companion. 4 stars but I could see this going up on subsequent listens.

Я відкрив для себе цей альбом відносно нещодавно, здається у ковідні часи, хоча ще з давніх-давен шарив кросбі, стілс енд неш. Але сольнік Кросбі це дуже класний психоделічний фолк, такий трохи мрійливий, який дуже класно слухати якраз восени. Не на рівні з Ніком Дрейком, якщо вже розмовляти про таку музику, але все ще дуже й дуже класно. По праву має культовий статус.

O bom desse album generator é dar chance para artistas que eu nunca ouvi falar, e com isso as comparações ficam inevitáveis. Music is love me lembrou a frase do RHCP "Music the great communicator", e a voz dele me lembrou a do Axl Rose (no auge, não a atual) em alguns momentos. Cowboy Movie é, na minha opinião, a melhor do álbum, parece algo da trilha sonora de cowboy bebop e lembra Bob Dylan, ou até um Hendrix, por que não? Mas para não ficar apenas comparando na review, o disco tem méritos próprios. Acredito que seu grande acerto seja na ambientação, com algumas músicas quase 100% instrumentais (caso de Tamalpais High, que é um monte na Califórnia), que passam um ar contemplativo, como se estivéssemos ouvindo a trilha sonora ou encerramento de uma série no qual nós mesmos construímos as cenas na cabeça. Gosto como nessas músicas os elementos vão sendo colocados aos poucos, primeiro a guitarra, depois a bateria, depois o baixo, e assim por diante, até chegar no canto, como no caso de "What are their names", que também trazem uma camada política, ainda que sutil, para o álbum, como no apelo da frase "peace is not an awful lot to ask" da mesma música (algo que pelo o que pesquisei posteriormente, era uma característica marcante, e muitas vezes controversa, desse músico). A viagem proposta pelo álbum como em "Orleans" acerta em nos proporcionar aquele sentimento de nostalgia por situações que não vivemos e locais que nunca visitamos, quase como se tentassemos lembrar dessa experiência assim como o autor tenta lembrar o próprio nome no título do álbum, e por esse motivo, acho que já vale o play. 8/10

4/5

Not what I expected from David Crosby. The features really shine here and pleasant surprise of surprises, the Grateful Dead. 4/5

Nice and mellow psychedelia. I liked quite a bit. A good surprise.

Not listened to this before. Obviously feels very similar to CSNY, which is a very good thing.

It's a great album with unique harmonies, song structures and a relaxed, atmoshperic mood. Crosby invited a lot of his friends from the West coast psychedelic/folk scene and they made this album special together. I haven't listened to his solo albums before but this was a pleasant surprise.

Surprised how much I enjoyed this. Cowboy Movie is cool, but kind of overstays it's welcome. Nice arrangements and harmonies throughout. Mellow, but engaging listen.

Not real familiar with this one, but it is great fun. Will return.

4/5. I am not sure how I feel about this album. It feels otherworldly in a way, like a floating in an endless sea. Some of the songs are jams while others feel like half ideas, yet still wanting more. It feels like this album has a lot to say but with very few lyrics for the most part. I think I've come away with this not being a perfect album but I am intrigued to repeat listen and what I heard was different and felt special. The folksy tunes with the relaxed but solid guitar solos give an air of experimentation while falling into known genres. It was a good time, but not perfect yet. Best Song: What Are Their Names, Cowboy Movie, Laughing

sehr abgespaced oder, wie heißt es....psychedelisch? :D Klang aber gut finde ich und war irgendwie auch entspannend

some parts and songs reminded me of fleet foxes. love the different uses of guitar layering. layering in general with different instruments and techniques. A mix of folk with psychedelic rock

LOVED the harmonies on this album. Otherwise, sounds like standard laurel canyon-esque folk rock (not a bad thing)

I grew up with my dad's Byrds albums and other related releases by members of the band but he had no time for Crosby so I was never introduced to this album. I assumed my dad's opinion was the right one so while I've listened to lots of Gene Clark, Gram Parsons, Roger McGuinn I've sadly never checked this out, I love it. I think it's time for me to convince his to change the error of his ways.

This is album 445 for me and we’ve been squarely in the “your dad’s record collection” for a few weeks now. I feel like this is deliberate. A fair number of intriguing artists and albums to get you hooked, but now you’re in too deep and you can’t give up now. So lately it’s been solidly forgotten albums from between 1968-1972. That tirade aside, I don’t know how you’re not supposed to like an album like this. Folk rock royalty doing what he does best on this album. A delight.

This sounds like the album that every jam band of the 90s and 00s listened to and began emulating. The songs are nice and chill and meander like some Appalachian creek in July.

This album is a great listen. It's dreamy, loose, and full of atmosphere. It feels like a late-night jam session with some of the best players of the era, and it works. “Cowboy Movie” stands out as a personal favorite.

Interesting, easy to listen to; some tracks very reminiscent of CS&N

pas mal

Imagine Ringo Starr wandered into Laurel Canyon, lit some incense, and said, “𝘏𝘦𝘺, 𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 — 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴.” That’s more or less what David Crosby did here. The album floats somewhere between grief and a stoned group hug, full of reverb-drenched harmonies, shimmering guitars, and loose, drifting jams. Some moments feel improvised, others like sonic prayers. Sure, it’s occasionally aimless — but that’s part of the charm. It’s less a singer-songwriter album and more a 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: reflective, cosmic, slightly sad, and beautifully strange. A flawed but glowing gem of the post-hippie haze.

What a cast of characters on this lp. Crosby’ a first solo lp had a variety of songs and styles. A very good lp

So fun :) might actually relisten to this one lol. 4/5

Classic Folk-Rock Album

Nothing but folksy left turns

Good album, was not very familiar with it. Crosby was an original.

Not really songs, just loose jams with a bunch of happy musicians. Loose and spooky

-just some real real good folk music with a diversity of sound. You can hear how much he influenced the superbands -also some absolute collaborators

Yes it’s not his best but who doesn’t like more CSN?

This was so good. It’s like if CSN got a little more experimental. Obvs. Album art gets a 1-⭐️ review

beauty

Well, so I love Crosby, Stills, Nash (and sometimes Young), and this entire album was _very_ reminiscent of that sound, for good reason obviously. I didn't recognize any of the songs on this album, but I did enjoy them. It was a good collection of music, with a sound that I really enjoyed listening to. It wasn't anything mind-blowing, but I get why it would be included in this collection of albums. Four stars.

Doux-amer, à la fois planant et menaçant

Very much up mybstreet, my kind of slightly psychedelic folk

A nice, austere, moody record. Not at all what I expected from David Crosby. I suppose that's why it got such poor reviews in the beginning, but those critics had some whack standards. This is acutally good. It's nice to get a positive surprise from this 1001 list finally.

Quite a bit here I liked a lot, the guitar work is minimal but equally interesting. However, it does tend to get a bit too far into the jam band territory for me. I think I'm going to rate it higher than I expected because some of the work is just so good. It's probably a high 3, but I'll round up.

Not a new album for me. This man has one of the great voices of all time. Didn't realize the band is mostly members of the Dead, but I definitely hear that influence this time around. It's got a loose, rambling feel to it, emphasized by the couple of tracks that haven lyrics but feature Crosby vocalizing over the instruments. Despite that rambling feel, Crosby's voice holds it all together very nicely.

Some really cool psychedelic folksy songs on here that were really unique and I really dug. A couple of the songs were meh (especially 'Song with No Words') but a solid album overall.

Cowboy Movie absolutely rocks. The other tracks are pretty as well, but they generally beat around the bush too much.

Man I thought Crosby, Stills, and Nash were a bunch of old lame folk singers. This is cool. It meanders a bunch but it really grooves so I don't mind the scenic routes it takes. Laughing is too country for me, but otherwise this feels like classic rock flirting with psychedelic music, experimenting with new sounds and arrangements and collaborators in the studio. And it sounds like a great time.

Excellent

3.5 Stars

It's very good, but I don't do those drugs anymore.

It's great, because it's Crosby. But again ponder what made ^this^ album make the list over, oh I don't know, some revolutionary Japanese band. Or the band that changed the music scene in Uruguay forever.

Awesome sound. Need to listen again but really liked it, very mesmeric.

Really a 3.5 but this was dreamy and relaxing, if not a bit incoherent. What Are Their Names the highlight (and I'd only heard live before)

Some really interesting songs on this album. Love the harmonies

Ethereal, in a way

Nice guitar. It was easy to lose myself in the album.

Big fan, very chill vibes front to back

An interesting, sometimes haunting record and the value of this list is in the summoning of such "hidden" (or forgotten) gems. This is a touch rough, but more authentic seeming and emotionally powerful for that. The musicianship more than makes up for DC's occasionally shaky vocals. "Music is Love" and "Laughing" are strong. The harp on "Traction in the Rain" is great. One fears that "peace might be a bit too much to ask these days," as the world seems ever more distant from '60s idealism.

Much more interesting than I expected!

Good album, and weird in a good way. 3.5/5

Good album, sounds like a full album inspired by the song "Deja Vu" by Croz on CSNY's album of the same name.

4.5? Super relaxing.

Warm

Chill and enjoyable! I liked Music is Love, Tamalpais High, Laughing, and Orleans

Coming off Almost Cut My Hair, things are much more chill here but this underrated album has a lot going for it. Never quite hours those peaks but infinitely listenable.

Not the strongest member of CSNY, but an enjoyable listen

Tässähän oli varsin leppoisa ja hyvä tunnelma! Ei lainkaan tyhmempi. Menee jatkoon. 4/5

Varsin hyvä folk-levy! ehkä jopa nelonen

What are Their Names is incredible. The rest of the album is solid.

This was really a joy to listen to. And Spotify sent me on a journey through lots of other great artists afterwards. Apparantly I love this genre

I grew up on CSN and CSN&Y, though never knew of this album, David Crosby’s first solo record after CSN&Y’s blockbuster - and one of my formative albums - “Deja Vu.” There are no recognizable tunes on here to me, but what is recognizable is Crosby’s excellent songcraft, guitar, and melody. I have a feeling this will reward future listens, and thus it gets a four.

listen to this album and smoke dirt weed……pure bliss

This is good music. It's a vibe, certainly - you have to be in the mood for it... but, if you are: it's good.

Well, I can't say that I expected (or wanted) two solo albums from former members of the Byrds in the same week, but here we are, I guess. Although, I do tend to think of Crosby's work with Stills and Nash (and sometimes Young) before him being part of the Byrds. Speaking of Nash and Young (no Stills, unfortunately), the talent behind this album is absolutely stacked! Obviously, David Crosby is a pretty talented fellow. His music writing is solid. But what really makes this album interesting is how many other legends are involved. I already mentioned Graham Nash and Neil Young, who both appear here, but you also have people like Joni Mitchell and members of bands like the Grateful Dead, Santana, and Jefferson Airplane. That's pretty cool! They all do a great job on this album. The singing is good. The lyrics are somewhat interesting. The instrumentals are nice. This is a solid album. I think I like it slightly more than Gene Clark's No Other. Light 4/5.

Syns dette var ganske kule greier!

Я раніше ніколи не чув про цей альбом, і тому, коли трохи поглибився в те, що він із себе являє, то був приємно вражений. Це напевно останній альбом та фактично квінтесенція музики, що любило покоління хіппі. Адже Девід Кросбі, що переживав тоді важку втрату своєї дівчини, що загинула у автокатастрофі, вирішив не просто створити свій дебютний альбом самостійно, а зібрав для цього усіх своїх зіркових друзів. Зокрема, Jerry Garcia із Grateful Dead, вокалістка Jefferson Airplane - Grace Slick, та великий Neil Young. Усі вони прийняли участь у створенні цієї «психоделічної мантри», що через мелодійний та меланхолійний вокал Кросбі, та, ніби «заколисуючу», акустичну гітару, переносить тебе на якийсь пустий літній пляж прямо під час заходу сонця. Це дуже красива та сумна робота, що звучить доволі злагоджено, але водночас створює відчуття ніби слухаєш просто записану джем-сесію. Під час якої музиканти просто «чілять» та віддаються польоту фантазії. І якщо ви до цього не слухали старенький #folkrock, або психоделічну музику 60-х, то цей альбом є чудовою нагодою увійти у цей прекрасний «барвистий» світ.

Interesting "eerie" music. I liked it

Pleasant and friends with Neil so friends with me!

Should be no shocker that I love mr crosby. He was all over neil and joni's albums in the 70s (produced Joni's debut!)... hes also just one of those guys who is quietly everywhere ... in the byrds of course, writing songs for jefferson airplane... playin with his old bandmate and my personal fav Gene Clark... anyways - Crosby rocks and this is his best album by far - its pretty and fun and heavy and psychy at points... for me a true pleasure. One of the sadder covid deaths for me ... rip to an absolute unit of a moustache and i loved his lil red knit hat... gotta get me one of those.

Holy vocal harmonies. Not at all what I expected but this was really cool!

Nice summer hippy music

Really cool, mellow 70s rock album - some post hippie wibes, very nice

If I Could Only Remember My Name’s biggest strength is that it is loose, free and interestingly unstructured, flowing through it’s songs with little care for traditional song structure or recognisable melody. It’s often beautiful, but doesn’t leave much to latch onto on a first or even a second listen. But while along for the ride, it’s all fun and quite relaxing, and I wouldn’t mind delving into it deeper

This is a strong album but I'm not sure it moved me enough to give it 5 stars.

This is nice. Not much else, just nice. The instrumentation laid down by the dead is phantastic. Backing vocals by Joni and Neil on certain songs are great. It’s all good, but nothing there to blow me away. They’re all incredibly talented artists and it really surprises me that they put out something so mid. I reckon that David was in charge here. He makes great melodies and writes very well, but he’s missing the excitement he has on other projects. I did thoroughly enjoy it, though. Would just have expected more. 4/5

If you're a fan of CSNY at any level, or just some pirate radio station on the Mendocino coast, this is a nice little nugget to add to your collection.

I’d always seen this around, like on Discogs, but never gave it much thought. I always liked CSN/CSNY but just figured, “oh it’s probably ok but I’m sure I can easily slip it”. And was I wrong. This album is great, and much more than I was expecting. The last few tracks are a little weird, but over all the musicianship, lyrics, etc… here are top notch.

Really liked track 1 and track 2, felt like the rest was good but wasn’t my jive

Predominantly enjoyed it! Fun and interesting. Fuck that last song though, it was bullshit.

This is a lovely album

Folky rock, reminiscent of CSN (unsurprisingly)

Pure

Album started meh but was actually decent. 3.5 stars

More easy listening here. Won’t ever seek it out, but unlikely to turn it off it is comes on

A solid listen.

At last! I thought I was a hater because I have felt so meh about so many of these albums. Although there weren’t any super memorable ear worms, I would love to have this album on almost any time. I enjoyed listening from the first track.

If this process has given me one thing, its a love of Crosby Still and Nash and ive resisted the temptation to go through their catalogues outside of this to make sure when something pops up, it is a welcome treat. This was one such treat and received heavy rotation. There is something about the guitar, the melody, thr lyric and the voice that creates gold and i really enjoyed this

Classic album.

this women’s voice is so tender

treatment protocol for a bad acid trip: Listen to this with the curtains drawn and the lights off Also a good choice to come back from a bad day. Calm and relaxing.

Music from my youth. Jerry Garcia plays guitar on a song. Gotta love it.

Davis Crosby is a true icon. I really enjoyed this album a lot.

Nice album of folk and bluesy Americana songs. The songs that hit the hardest are the ones that have the classic CSR thousand harmonies. Some of this is beautiful and some of this is hippy rock. It doesn’t all mesh together perfectly but nice experience listening

David Crosby’s guests feature not in the background of the album, but most prominently. This adds to the feel-good and collaborative nature of most west coast musicians in the late 60’s/early 70’s and this is reflected in the work seen here. A fantastic album all round.

I liked it, good vibes

I was expecting to be irritated by this since folk is my least favorite genre, but this was pleasant and lovely. I'm a bit wowed.

This was nice. I already like Crosby, Stills & Nash, so was kind of predisposed to like this one too. It has a very similar vibe to that group. No song especially stuck out to me, but I'll likely listen to the whole thing again some day.

Suddenly very mellow

Fuck yeah. Music IS love.

Really liked this. Great 70s vibe with a little psychedelic sound. Very cool.

Hell yea, David

Last 3 songs got a bit weird

I wasn’t able to give it a revisit but from what I remember it was a intimate special solo effort

Mooie nummers, af en toe wat saai, a maar als geheel goed.

Way more experimental than I expected, mostly for better... We'll pretend What are Their Names just never happened x

Decent, Song with no words very much a CSNY song

First, a word on the truly ghastly album cover. These days, you can overlay an image in seconds using a phone app, but back then, you had to put in serious effort to create this kind of mess... and don't even get me started on the font. Based on the visuals alone, I wanted to hate this album, but I've learned never to dismiss a project involving David Crosby and his friends. If I Could Only Remember My Name feels like one of those extended jam sessions countless musicians (professional or otherwise) have been part of—except when Crosby called his friends, they included Joni Mitchell, members of Jefferson Airplane, Jerry Garcia, parts of the Grateful Dead, and his on-again, off-again partners in CSNY. Still mourning the tragic loss of his girlfriend Christine Hinton, the album carries a contemplative tone, tinged with melancholy. Yet, thanks to the beauty of the melodies, it’s not a heartbreaking listen—there’s room for optimism. Perhaps it’s the laid-back, improvisational nature of the recording, but many moments feel more cathartic than self-pitying. The opener, “Music Is Love,” is a breezy, hopeful track that sets the tone with its simple acoustic strumming and communal vibe. Crosby’s signature harmonies are on full display, with Jerry Garcia’s contribution on “Laughing” standing out as a haunting reflection on searching for meaning. “I’d Swear There Was Somebody Here,” a wordless vocal piece that still says so much, captures the album’s spiritual core, while “What Are Their Names” channels an eerie atmosphere through its minimalist, improvised feel. Even the longer tracks deliver their core motifs and fade out gracefully before overstaying their welcome. While the album’s looseness means I won’t return to it often—especially given that this isn’t a genre I frequently explore—I can appreciate its significance and am glad it’s been rightly reevaluated. I can definitely hear this album’s influence in the music of Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens. Did/Do I own this release? No. Does it belong on the list? Yes. Would it make my personal list? I enjoyed it more than expected, but there are other releases in this niche that feel more representative of the genre. Will I listen again? In the right setting, sure.

Had a good time with this one

I was surprised, usually any of this folk rock kind of stuff from the late 60s/early 70's I find to be a bit forgettable, like some of his collaborator Neil Young's work. Not helped by his whiny voice in Neil's case. But I liked this, I think more for the feel of it, very laid back feeling but a bit moody.