Reviews (page 7 of 8)
As much as I admired the songwriting, with so many albums in this list featuring members of CSNY, Joni Mitchell, Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane it was hard to see the distinctive, unique element in this (not quite) solo album. CSNY fatigue.
Crosby of the Byrds collaborates with members of Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, and Neil Young to create his own jammy folk rock album. I prefer Crosby's voice when it sounds like CSNY. It's cool when it's rustic as in "Cowboy Movie" or "Laughing" but it's not as soothing as the other tracks. With so many collaborations, we have so many different instrumental styles. Some work, some don't. Some jazzy, some jangly, some psychedelic. But most of it is really good. Weak start, weak end, but they all interest me at least some way. Favorites: Cowboy Movie, Tampalais High, Laughing, Traction in the Rain
Groovy
Not a huge David Crosby fan but this was alright.
It was weirder and more lush than I expected, but did also splurge put into unnecessary noodles at points. I am glad this album exists, but may not listen to it again.
This was a very pleasant listen. I loved the mellow, harmonic feel.
This album has the disadvantage of me listening on a plane towards the end of day of travel. So the bar was high to dazzle me. I found the tracks on the album okay, but boring.
There is a melancholy spirituality here that I was very touched by. This is gorgeous.
With a cover that looks like an early 70’s inspirational poster, I figured the music had to be good. I liked this ok the first time through (although Cowboy Movie put me off a bit. It seemed a little low energy after a previous couple of days of weirdly experimental stuff. I did warm up to this a bit more on the second listen.
Very middle of the road. The last couple songs were rather dumb but everything else was somewhat enjoyable.
I always want more Crosby.
Gros bof, c’est pas mauvais mais genre bof bof bof pourquoi je devais écouter ça avant de mourrir
Crosby's first solo album after his run with Stills, Nash, and Young. Of course, he's not completely alone but it's just his name on the cover. It's a pretty laid-back album. Some of the most sleepy folk you'll ever hear. It's an enjoyable listen if you enjoy nice peaceful songs, but could get boring at times. I thought it was nice, with Crosby tapping into his thoughtful mind. Perhaps the last album of the 60's. Why are two of the songs pulled from Spotify? Turns out Neil Young wrote those two, so he had the rights to pull them when he took his ball and went elsewhere.
Okay album, somber, good lyrics, enjoyed the listen
Crosby has his place in the cannon of American music. I'm not sure his solo work represents his best work which I think was really more with CSNY. This album is puzzling for importance. Listenable, but nothing stands out from any other solo Crosby stuff, at least to me
When I think of all the love that the 60's produced and all the good vibes, I ultimately come to think of all the egregious filth, overindulgence and excess and there passed on the ground, in the gutter amongst all the trash and human stench is David Crosby. That's not to say that I hated this album because Cowboy Movie was great. It sounds like early stoner rock. But, the rest of the album was mediocre at best and now I feel like I need a shower.
Generally lacking the magic of Crosby, Stills, & Nash, just like the two Stephen Stills albums on the list. “Traction in the Rain” stood out, but not much else. “What Are Their Names” felt like a Neil Young/Grateful Dead song, which essentially it was.
Like David Crosby himself, this album is beautiful, erratic, comforting, and a disorganized mess all at the same time. Throw in his grief from his soulmate, Christine Hinton, dying a year earlier and copious hard drugs he used to numb the pain and we get this. An album with great harmony (Orleans). An album where only five songs have lyrics, as if the grief held back his ability to convey his thoughts. It’s not a great album, but it has quite a few great moments.
Some pretty nice compositions but hard not imagine this would've sounded a bit pretentious even back in 71
Lovely atmosphere that carries throughour the whole record. Great album for an early morning
Chill
Better than Neil Young.
Very spacey but occasionally very dreamy and very beautiful
This was pretty boring. I mean, it kind of sounds like something I would like. It has nice harmonies, and the instruments are rather pleasant for a good amount of the album, but it's just so boring. Songs do not change, even if they are eight minutes long. Even the short songs don't stand out to me. It just feels like something is missing here. Thank God it was short. My favourite song was probably Traction in the Rain.
Slightly wet peace folk rock song that moves past pleasantly but with lo lasting memories. Harmless...A lot of Js have been smoked to this i bet
En del av kvartetten med det OTROLIGT påhittiga namnet Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, på förhand en rätt bra match med min smak. Jag tyckte också att albumet var rätt bra. Stabil och jämn kvalité på låtarna med ett lugn som aldrig släpper. Men i ett sånt här singer/songwriter-stuk förväntade jag mig inte riktigt några överraskningar och på något sätt tänker jag att detta är den känsla man vill förmedla med ett album av det här slaget. Jag befinner mig nog i den målgrupp Crosby ville nå ut till. Jag kan dock inte heller påstå att det är en hundraprocentig fullträff, då det trots att det fyllde sin funktion, inte spelade igång några stora känslor hos mig. Bäst: "Traction In The Rain"
While I prefer Crosby's work with those other big names - you know who I'm talking about - this album has really a great mix of louder and quieter tunes, all wonderfully arranged. You can also hear what great guitarist Crosby was. At a point I miss something that diverts a bit from the style though.
Meh, nada especial
This is just barely uninteresting enough to slip into 2 stars. Orleans is a cool song, but the rest is boring. Nothing stands out. It's not virtuosic or clever enough to differentiate from the other folk and blue rock of this period.
I was expecting to like this. It was a real disappointment. Somehow manages to sound boring and self-important at the same time.
I really liked this at the start, but it fell off a bit towards the end for me.
First song is really quite nice, I do like the album cover with the double exposure and the sun shining through his eyes.
71 of 1001 David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name... Favorite Track : Cowboy Movie Rating : 3/5 Not as much as I expected. The song I like best gave me Neil Young vibes.
Of course the similarity to Neil Young is unavoidable to note, but it feels less earnest and more pretentious than his former band mate, at least on this record. The heavy slog of the 70s is all over the sound and it kind of meanders too much. It's still a pleasant album to listen to, but there are far stronger albums doing the same that I'd pick before I'd get to this one.
Mostly dull
Folk rock
This is a tough one, I really enjoyed most of it, specially Cowboy Movie, Tamlpais High and Song With No Words. The music was great, I find Crosby’s vocals to be a bit meh so I guess that’s why I enjoyed the one with no words so much. 3.5 stars I guess
overall enjoyed
I thought this was a beautiful, gentle album. Lots of artists I know but an album that was new to me. Really enjoyed the harmonies and the general sound.
I feel like this album might be a bit polarizing. It's a rock/folk/psych album with lots of variety and interesting stuff going on in the background. It generally works for me and there's a few spots where it's great (Traction in the Rain is beautiful, Orleans is super short but really interesting). The biggest weakness to me is that it's pretty sparse lyrically. In some places this works (e.g., Music is Love has like 5 unique words but it's great). In some places this doesn't work so much (e.g., there's a few songs with no words at all and a few others with like half the song without words and I'm a bit mixed on them generally since I don't love songs with non-lyric filler noises). Overall I'm favorable on the album and enjoyed it a lot, but do see some negatives. Favorite song: Traction in the Rain Others: Music Is Love, Laughing, What Are Their Names, Orleans
Why name a specific song Song with No Words when there are actually several without them? This just felt like an old man experimenting with music. Which is fine, I totally support that. But is David Crosby's fun little project worth it for the entire world to hear? Not really. Also, maybe I'm just young but I failed to feel the presence of the powerhouses featured on the record. It sounds like a one-man thing which did not grab me at all. If I could only remember anything about this album, David Crosby. If only!
Really beautiful and mellow. Highly enjoyable to listen to. 4.5
HL: "Laughing", "Song with No Words", "What Are Their Names" I think the one song that I'm unsure of right now is "Cowboy Movie", which I guess I like less than that other super long, Em-to-A vamp: "Down by the River" by Neil Young. The rest of the album I'd say is an easy addition to my library. Not long ago I mused whether I prefer albums that are meticulously crafted over those that sound like they were thrown together in a very good weekend; the answer is probably, but here's an example of the latter that really works for me. "Orleans" & "I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here" end the album on a surprisingly pretty, eerie note
Super chill, easy listening. Thanks for the introduction.
Dang okay well that was lovely. Spotify is missing two songs for some reason and was enjoying the album enough to look em up on YouTube. Love that album art too, very “Isolation” by Howard Moon
Very pleasant! Lots of Crosby this week and I’m all for it.
Ekkert lag sem kallar á mig sérstaklega, en platan hljómar vel í heild sinni og ég var alveg til í hana aftur. Já, hún er eiginlega frekar næs.
Crotchety Old Cros deserves his legend status, along with that whole reputation of being difficult. His solo work is good, but obviously Crosby shined brightest with others. When they could stand to be in the same zip code as him. Despite being elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (once for The Byrds, once for CSNY), I'm sure he went to his grave believing he also should have gone in as a solo artist. But this is really the only thing he released solo that had any sort of impact. This stiffed on initial release and it took years for anyone to reconsider it. Worthy of being on the list for sure, it just leaves you longing for the harmonies with The Byrds and Stills, Graham and Young. That feeling is amplified on the great tracks featuring Nash and Young, underscoring the fact that Crosby's voice was meant to blend with others.
David Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young) first solo album. Songs anyone would know from the album: none. Singles: Music is Love (#95, USA) and Orleans (#101, USA). First impression: <Yawn> It got better, sounded great with headphonesmon. Rating: 2.5
4.0
Not my type of genre I guess.
Not my style, but listenable.
In a lot of ways this plays like a CSNY album, but looser. It's almost like David Crosby called all his friends over to jam and decided to record it without having a real cohesive plan for an album. Crosby has a really strong bench of players backing him up, with a who's who of San Francisco's best musicians, as well as Crosby's bandmates Neil Young and Graham Nash. My favorite part of the album may well be the incredible guitar work by Young, Jerry Garcia, Jorma Kaukonen and Crosby himself. The album is mildly jammy and meandering but reasonably concise, if that's possible. More than half the songs clock in under 5 minutes. That said, one of the best songs ("Cowboy Movie") is over 8 minutes long and I didn't even mind. The album is a chill, pleasant listen that still could have been stronger, given the level of talent involved. The 2 Neil Young songs aren't available on Spotify, but can easily be found on YouTube. Fave Songs: Laughing, Cowboy Movie, Tamalpais High (At About 3), Traction in the Rain
This album is so underrated. I love it, it’s in my top 100 of all time.
I guarantee I'll forget everything about this album by tomorrow, including its name. That said: RIP, David Crosby.
An okay mellow album by David crosby. Overall it seemed to be a bit bland and condensed. His talents are definitely better used in the group aspect he was a part of. The songs on this felt like they were all aiming for the same goal but fell short of something really enjoyable. It felt better as background music for an older generation. 5.4/10
Some nice stuff on here but also a lot of meandering instrumentals
Un poco aburrido
Wonderful CSNY sound. Soothing and harmonious.
me gustó, igual tranqui. 7.5/10
Can’t.
Solid 70s country rock. Nothing more, nothing less. 2.5/5
Beautiful.
Actually fuck this guy couldn’t stand this album
Meh
Feels more like jazz than anything. The reviews of the time called it pretentious, but I don't get that feeling at all. It's not flashy, but the whole thing is enjoyable.
bom demais
Music Is Love - nice intro to whatès to come Cowboy Movie is fantastic Songs With No Leaves - excellent Laughing- beautiful guitar, gorgeous harmonies What Are Their Names - Beautiful guitar work Traction in the Rain - sounds like it's a harpsichord that takes center stage and it's gorgeous. The last few songs they turn up the atmospherics and let traditional pop song structures go a bit. A bit meandering at this point but always done with taste. 4.5 stars
Better than expected, some nice guitar work
Well, is this a contender for the worst album cover of all time? Even the font is dumb. Or worst album title. Or perhaps just worst album. Lets see. Track 1 - sounds like a drunk guy singing around a campfire. Track 2 - oh god is that the most piercing guitar sound ever on the lead? Horrible tone. Track 3 - OK, this album only goes for 37 minutes, phew. I can survive this. Track 4. - Maybe I can survive this. I may have lost the will to live at this point. Some generally OK guitar noodling and some horrible scat jazz styled do wop rubbish. (Song with no words in particular). This one can go straight to the bargain bin.
calm enjoyable album ... idk what to say else ^^
He's like my third favorite member of CSNY. Still, it's solid folk music. I listened to it on my way home from work after a long day and almost fell asleep. Maybe that's more on me than it is on Dave.
4/5 the loose feel fits some of the songs perfectly but gets tiring after a while. great vocals performances emerge on several tracks but lyrics are largely throwaway. tamalpais high is gorgeous - love that Phil bass!
Meh
Prima
Prima, al vond ik de radio die spotify mij erna gaf misschien chiller. 2.5
Actually really enjoyed this
Sounds like the death throes of the hippie dream. R.I.P. 🪦
First listen
In his late years, I would come to know David Crosby for his entertainingly ignorant tweets about contemporary music. But here, he’s rendered as another white guy with a guitar spewing hippie shit I don’t care about. On first passive listen it sounds pretty catchy too and might play as decent musical wallpaper, well played David Crosby.
3.5/5
I just listened to this and can't really remember any of it. Perhaps it was as memorable as David's name....
Hmm. Sounds a bit like Crosby, Stills and Nash. And the Byrds. And Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. And Neil Young. Quite a nice, cosy album.
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.
Present to the ear, but nothing really stuck out. Couldn't remember a single track.
Wourth another lusten
ouffff
two songs weren't available in my region, it was ok, didn't evoke any particular emotion
Yeah pretty beautiful stuff. RIP. We Stan
Yeah lovely. Big CSNY fan so good to hear his solo stuff. RIP
Vallan kivaa kitarointia, etenkin alussa ennen kuin menee vain tunnelmoinniksi.
Oppikirjaesimerkki ykkösestä. Teennäinen, mielikuvitukseton, omahyväisyydessään harhautunut.
Liked this quite a bit, too bad I could only find the whole thing on YouTube. It's pretty much a prototypical 70s singer-songwriter type of sound, but it manages to be sonically interesting the whole time with its structure. Pretty dang nice.
Crosby chooses to use his voices as an instrument rather than concentrating on lyrics. It’s interesting to listen to but there is a lot on “bum da da da ooh ooh la la”s and I struggled to concentrate through the whole album
Not for me
Meh soft rock with longing vibes. Didn't really connect with me, didn't make me wanna turn it off. Generally unimpressed.
Chill vibes, for sure.
Very good, need to listen several more times
Good bit of variety
Didn't like it, didn't enjoy it
Very soothing, but a bit too much fillers for my taste.
Quite good - some Grateful Dead style 60s/70s rock noodling and some beautiful CSNY folk rock melodies. Not bad.
I've never listened to this one before. Some of the songs are unplayable on Spotify, presumably due to the contributions of Joni Mitchell and/or Neil Young, so I'll have to find it elsewhere! I'm a big fan of Joni and Neil, but don't know much of the other CSNY members' work. Had a listen on YouTube -wow I can't believe I haven't heard this before. So many great artists on one record, and the Grateful Dead too (having said that, this is much better than their solo album I was subjected to last week). The album flows really well together, and is very well produced for the most part. Lyrically, it maybe strays a bit to far into hippie-dippie territory, but given the political climate at the time, that's understandable. Overall a great find, I'll be listening to this again for sure.
I wanted to like this more than I do, not only for Crosby's vocals and legacy, but because musically speaking its right up my street. Even the collaboration list is stacked with fellow CSNY bandmates along with members of The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. Its musically pleasing and was a nice listen, but overall it feels more focused on jamming instead of song structure. Cowboy movie is an exception as it has room to breathe and go somewhere. Most of the songs on here are directionless and instead suited for the background of the backyard on a sunny day.
This is a vibe.
It’s like a watery dreamscape. Very much a product of the previous decade. Slightly psychedelic, slightly ashram, slightly floaty. Easy background music.
Vliegt een beetje in allerlei verschillende richtingen. Het ene moment is het gigantische Leo Blokhuis-muziek, dan weer blues, en het sluit af met een soort Clannad avant la lettre. Luistert best weg op een zonnige maandagochtend, daar niet van.
De meeste artiesten bouwen op. Maar dit album begint top en wordt telkens saaier en slechter. Moest even wat anders opzetten, anders zou ik achter het stuur in slaap vallen. We middelen het maar uit. 3 Sterren.
Het album begint met gejengel bij een kampvuur, als een krijsende Joni. Maar vervolgens gaat het over in heerlijke psychedelische bluesy nummers. Overigens eindigt het dan weer als een slechte trip.
Better than the Stephen Stills effort but only just.
first listen feels like a time box of hippie culture
Ok, but less than I was expecting.
Good 70's groove
This album is ok. The music isn't super catchy or enjoyable, but it's also not offensive or painful to listen to. It's just kinda there and doesn't make me feel anything. Better than nothing. Favorite song: Tamalpais High Worst song: Traction in the rain
Some great Young vibes in there. A nice album I would probably revisit.
Meh
My first 1 rating, I couldn't get into this at all. Couldn't wait for it to end. Song writing is inconsistent, boring, and frankly it's not my taste. I'm sure Crosby has better albums out there than this.
Spotifysta puuttui osa kappaleista, joten kuuntelin tämän kokonaisena Youtubesta. Rauhoittava.
David Crosby signed his name in the great anthology of Rock Music history as being part of Crosby Stills Nash&Young and the legendary Byrds. I loved their music from my Childhood and early Teenage days. In contrast to these memories my first encounter with hid solo album was disappointing. Boring, boring, boring I mumbled to my self. Cheesy chord progressions, slow rock at it’s worst and endless guitar solos- the stuff I deeply dislike. Sorry Dave!
Definitely not unpleasant music, but I really didn't care about it too much either. Just some old, background-listening folky pop rock.
good blues rock / country album
David Crosby's first solo album, made after the success of Crosby, Stills & Nash's debut album, and their first break up. He had a few other artists featured on this album as well such as Neil Young, Graham Nash, members of Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Santana, and Joni Mitchell. There were some exploratory works on this album that felt unpolished, but were also some fantastic songs as well such as Cowboy Movie. That song is apparently loosely based on the temporary breakup of Crosby, Stills & Nash. In this song, the individual members of the band are given aliases; Stephen Stills is Eli, Graham Nash is the Duke, Neil Young is Young Billy, and David Crosby is Fat Albert. The other character in the story, Raven, is apparently Rita Coolridge, who in real life had affair with both Stills, and Nash, and caused the bad feelings between them, and led to the splitting of the band. The harp section in Traction in the Rain is great! The song Music is Love had symplistic lyrics, and is underwhelming. Overall, not a bad album, but nothing really stood out with it either. Favourite songs: Cowboy Movie, What Are Their Names, Traction in the Rain Least favourite songs: Music is Love, Orleans, I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here 3/5
Calm, relaxing, easy to listen to and jam along to music. It wouldn't be my first choice to listen to this often, but it was still enjoyable overall.
Great album with a great flow. Favorites are Cowboy Movie and Orleans. Not all songs are that recognizable though, even after multiple listenings. Guess I need to keep listening!
Not bad, but kind of forgot I was listening to it.
a sublime album. absolutely love it
Un poco guitarrero, un poco místico, un poco hippie, un poco country, un poco folk... pero está muy bien y todavía se siguen copiando estás cosas al día de hoy.
A pretty somber album. Not too bad overall
Quite interesting
An unobjectionable album. I listened to it while going to sleep.
First impression... what a crappy album cover. Okay, I can't claim to know the details of Crosby's life at the time of this recording, but if Rumours stands as the high-water mark of cocaine-induced genius, this album appears to exemplify how cocaine can derail genius into rambling nonsense. The songs meander — one after the next — the recorded tones are not great (the solo guitar tone is awful), Crosby doesn't sound so hot. A 1-star rating seems a bit harsh, but I couldn't find anything that salvaged this.
I went on a Byrds tear several years ago, and I found that, more often than not, the David Crosby songs were my favorites on their albums. I just dug his sound and his fluid use of major and minor chords. Then a co-worker suggested this album to me, and the way he hyped it made me very very excited to hear it. Boy was I disappointed. Just seemed like endless noodling. When Crosby was in the Byrds and CSN, I think those guys really reined in his wilder instincts. This time around, I liked the album slightly more. Tamalpais was kind of cool, as was Laughing. But not cool enough.
Awesome! So much of the CSNY sound is here.
david crosby - if i could only remember my name (1971) notes - debut solo album from david crosby - CSNY - theres an improv-quality to some of the songs on here that makes me think they had a general idea of the songs going in and then just went for it fav song - laughing - love the 12-string guitar and pedal steel - beautiful lyrics Least fav - Music is love - I have this weird thing with “songs about music” or “songs about writing music”
Aware of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young — but not of this solo record. Pretty good, but at times could've used some of those other names around.
Ok
Being not of the love and peace and understanding generation but of the wave era, this just is way to hippy for me....
Voða ljúft, allt saman. Ekkert eitt lag sem er eitthvað outstanding samt.
Crosby is undeniably talented and I enjoyed parts of this album. Overall, nothing was memorable. I missed a spark somewhere.
Best Song: Cowboy Movie. Something about the way this is mixed makes the low-end sound incredible. It's as though the bass is strumming inside of my brain. The rest of the song almost falls away in the face of the deep rhythm of it. Honorable mention to: Song with No Words, which was also excellent. Worst Song: Orleans. I actually like the vocal melody, but I don't like the choice to play the vocals as a harmony. Just let Crosby sing it in a single voice. Overall: Excellent musicianship, where the playing felt impassioned and thoughtful. It's not in-your-face music, and everything has this kind of quiet timidity to it. The album also comes off the rails at the end, transitioning into what sounds like a sort of pseudo-religious offering. I'm here for the understated folk rock, gimme more of that.
Quite entertaining
Falls somewhere between Juno Hendrix’s rock edge, Pink Floyd’s atmospheric bluesiness, and CSNY’s harmonizing cheese. But not bad actually.
it's alright, nothing special
Great voice….just not my thing
I wanted to like this one but it just felt too ambient and kind of put me to sleep. It made me zone out a little and then it was just over. I'm sure if I was tripping balls I'd enjoy it.
Listened to on 8/1/22 3.5/5 Favorite song: Cowboy Movie This album was very chill and easy to listen to - nothing crazy or flashy about it. Slight western flare but easily backgrounded
Like a collection of rejected Neil Young B-sides. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Orleans Date listened: 26/07/22
Nothing super good nothing supervbad
Some tracks unavailable on Spotify
Mellow and soulful offering. Slightly bluesy vocals.
Otro que toca oír en Tidal. Bonito y tranquilo. Me gustó "Music is Love" y "Laughing". Que por lo que veo son sus canciones más conocidas así que si hay algo que escuchar de este autor está claro que en solitario es este disco.
"If I Only Could Remember Why On Earth This Is On The List ..." Another 70s folk/rock album with flower-power sensibilities. This album is more style than substance. Case in point: Song With No Words, which is an endlessly meandering mess. Same goes for I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here. I could go on. The whole album is so overblown with self-importance that Crosby somehow forgot to include any good songs. Or - worse - thought that these, indeed, were good songs. Not a total catastrophe, but utterly forgettable. 1.5/5
Ganske ok, men plagsomt at det ikkje ligg på spotify
Great album to get lost in on a sunny morning, floated in it.
pleasantly surprised by this album! while it lacks punchy singles and occasionally loses focus, it’s a great hazy listen through and through.
The "...." in the album name is where he feel asleep. Great album to fall asleep to.
really solid, really melodic, really peaceful, easy listening.
A couple of songs missing, but I liked what I did hear
Unfortunately not all the album is on Spotify, but it started like a fairly normal 70s west coast LP and then became something more.
Started really strong and it stays pleasant all the way through but some songs are sadly more uneventful than others.
Not a folk essential for me, but a very good album from a folk legend. The last 2 songs were completely unnecessary, but the rest is great.
Huge fan of the MAN, The Byrds, CSNY were some of my first records and I listen to them again & again. Nice album overall, just fellgood as we're use with those guys.
I've been a Neil Young, Byrds and CSNY fan for so long... I'm almost ashamed that I didn't pay attention to this album before. From the second song, I already felt at home. The nosy, imperfect and magnificent guitar, the divine vocal harmonies, the subtleties brought by each musician. A very pleasant listen and I hope to find this vinyl record very soon!
This is the debut album from American singer-songwriter David Crosby. It's a folk rock album with a dash of psychedelia, that includes a long list of guest musicians from other rock music projects. The album has been certified gold in the US. It's interesting that only half of the ten tracks on this album have lyrics, while the other half are instrumentals. The music is harmonious without being overbearing; a tinge of country and blues intertwines with the primary sound of folk rock. The album would make for great background music to a dinner or drinks event. I recommend everyone gives this album a listen.
Niet zozeer mijn ding
classic
if I could only remember a single track from this album
Folk rock muuuuy lento. Tostonazo. Un 2.
No me ha llamado la atención
7th May 2022 Listened on the way to work, one of the rare albums not on Spotify! Met up with Ebbs and Ben in Clapham in the evening. Lovely album, sleepy country blues.
couple of decent tracks. I didn't hate it and only turned it off when it got to the french nonsense at the end so that's a bonus.
Forgettable
Lovely -- and how have I not heard this before?
No.
Dull as ditchwater. I looked it up afterwards, and there's a host of really interesting musicians on it (Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Neil Young), but I barely noticed any of it because it offered almost nothing. It's fine background music I guess, but without anything to lift it above a million other similar albums, despite the stellar cast. I finished listening to it about an hour ago... if only I could remember a single song... 2/5, only getting that because it's not actively unpleasant to listen to.
Not really outstanding. Don't know why this is a 1001 AYMHBYD. Still not bad (5/10). FT: Laughing, Cowboy Movie
This is a great album...jazzy atmospheric, beautiful harmonies and unusual song structures. Thecstar of the show for me is Cowboy Movie an 8 minute epic with a gorgeous melody and soaring guitar and lyrics as epic as the title implies. But there are great songs throughout this excellent album. 5 🌟
Middle of the road for me.
"a perfect aural aid to digestion when you're having guests over for dinner" Said Rolling Stone. Yup, that.
First one that couldn't be found on Spotify. The list of collaborators on here is crazy - SNY, Santana, lots more; maybe that's what made it significant? Good guitar here, not much else.
Cool earthy acoustic guitars and mellow harmonies.
It's sadly pretty boring. Nothing really engaging happened in this album. The lyrics didn't hit me in any real way, the instrumentals were bland, and though it's undeniable that Crosby has a good voice, it doesn't do anything to save me from nearly falling asleep.
Chill
It ends too soon before I got a sense of his/their style
Pochette horrible. Outre le fait de savoir à quoi ressemble le premier album solo de David Crosby, c’est sans intérêt pour moi.
Je vais vous expliquer un peu le contexte dans lequel j'ai écouté cet album. Vous n'êtes pas sans savoir que lorsque celui-ci a pointé le bout de son nez dans le générateur, je participais à un séminaire extrêmement chronophage. Il m'était dès lors très difficile de trouver un moment pour l'écouter. Je me rendis pourtant compte que d'énormes enceintes bordaient la salle de réunion et qu'un câble jack gisait sur le sol en permanence. Sous les coups de quinze heures, l'un des animateurs dit soudain la chose suivante : « Bien, nous allons maintenant vous enseigner la chose la plus importante de ce séminaire, à savoir un secret d'une valeur inestimable. Je vous le dévoile immédiatement : le secret est ... ♫ Everybody's saying music is looove ♫. » David Crosby venait d'envahir l'espace sonore. Toute la salle se retourna vers moi et m'aperçut alors debout, mon téléphone à la main et la prise jack branchée à celui-ci. Je leur adressai un sourire espiègle.
Un cas d'école aujourd'hui: cet album était super, et méritait probablement un 4/5. Malheureusement, la présence unique de cet album sur l'outil Youtube rend une telle note impossible à accorder. Nous ne cessons de le rabacher, mais à l'heure du numérique, il s'agirait d'évoluer un peu et de se mettre à la page.
Not bad, quite nice and tranquil. Perhaps a bit boring and weird ending.
Decent, but not great. Background music. Would rare a 3.5 if I could.
It was fine.
Good lord this made me want to drink beer in the sun.
Background Music
This is one of, if not THE underrated classic of the 1970s. It’s basically Crosby stills Nash and Young without stills plus the Grateful Dead plus Jefferson airplane. I even think Greg Rolie and a few other Santana guys are on this thing too. It’s fucking amazing!
Rating: 5/10
First impressions are that this is a beautifully played album. The acoustic guitar is played tightly wound, the upright bass comes through adding depth to the recording. "Laughing" a clear favorite on streaming services, the aforementioned is delightfully demonstrated. Overall, even as a solo artist, Crosby cannot escape the connection to Crosby, Stills, (&) Nash & Young where comparisons are inevitably drawn, but where an ensemble of musicians may bicker over creative control we are instead made privy to Crosby the way Crosby would do it, and that is okay. He is backed by several guest musicians, all masters of their craft. The album is beautiful and it is definitely more on the laid back side of things, and certainly a recurring theme in recent days reviewing albums on this site. This album deserves a spot on the rotation, either on shuffle or for casual days.
Low-key. Pleasant. Will probably give a re-listen.
Apparently, there are so much contributors in this album that David Crosby forgot his own name (what a terrible album name, even for a '70s album). So he looked up in the sky as the sunset paints it red, and at last... he now has a perfect album cover for his new album! (also a terrible album cover, it's hilariously corny). But despite the bad album name and cover (and also the personally bad vocals), it's actually a decent album that many elements (most of which are psychedelic licks) that tries to distance the sound from the stereotypical country music sounds. I enjoyed the psychedelic efforts in the first half, most notably the eight minute "Cowboy Movie". The second half is mostly chill and moody, a series of efforts that became boring from "Song with No Words" onwards. Overall, it's an easy listen. It has a few surprises (though I think it might be due to me underestimating it based on its name and cover).
Ikke tilgængeligt
I don't think it is a must have, not an etalon at all. Quite enjoyable but no more than average good music.
It's fine but I can't see myself really listening again.
Not available on Spotify. Didn’t really have the gumption to listen anywhere else. I know the gist of what Crosby’s all about. Points added for the sheer number of amazing contributors involved. But this is shit. We all know it.
I didn't expect CSN, but the songs that hinted at that trio were the best on the album. Didn't add.
Really enjoyed this. It definitely follows on from Deja Vu. It has great melodic elements
Good album, a little jazzy and fades into the background
An album like this just comes and goes. It doesn't leave me with any specific memories or desire to listen again. If I'd grown up with this, if I'd had specific memories associated with the songs, then it might have a different impact.
Great -- angry at times and haunting at others, moody and a bit rough around the edges, but powerful across the board.
Old people's music, hippies trying to make money but pretend they're not. Songs all sound the same, and only ok. Not for me; just sounds like so many other albums from that time.
4.5 stars but rising. I loved the hippie hangover vibe of this album.
an austere album that in some ways seems to lack a centre - glorious harmonies, built on wisps of smoke, some lovely guitar parts, fragments of hurt and anger and loss. not an easy listen, but like many great LPs, there are times when this is the only record that will scratch the itch.
I hadn't heard his solo work before. Like a lot of people my age, I'd heard plenty of CSN/CSNY stuff over my life, and though I liked it a lot in my college years, my interest in them faded fairly quickly. I can hear how talented he is on guitar and vocally, but similarly to how I feel these days about CSN, it doesn't really do much for me. Hard to say why; might be that general 70s folksy-vocal harmonies-rock that was so crowded it was hard to stand out after a while. (I tend to like their stuff a little better when Neil Young was involved because he added a touch of grit and edge.) This is one of those albums about which I don't feel there is anything "wrong" with it, it's just not my thing.
It was a good listen
It’s fine. Background music. They all sound very stoned. Nothing memorable at all.
Ja dit is top !
Folk, rock clásico con canciones con un estilo definido y una buena voz. Sin destacar especialmente, se deja escuchar y descubrir a un muy buen artista
'If I Could Only Remember My Name' presents a downtempo sort of folk rock. Fairly reminiscent of certain Grateful Dead records, David Crosby opted for an elusive lyrical style which carries the largely psychedelic guitar melodies. This album is mysterious yet forthcoming; the note choices pleasing yet restrained.
Decent album, gets repetitive, but still enjoyable.
O ile dyskografie byrdsow czy CSNY troche osluchalem i znam poszczegolne albumy solowe niektorych czlonkow, tak dorobek solowy pana Crosbiego jest dla mnie niewadoma, wiec dobry piczek na zapoznanie sie z tym artystom na solowym krazku, bo jest to jego pierwszy album wydany jedynie pod swoim imieniem, z roku 71, ale przesada byloby stwierdzenie, ze jest to cos zupelnie innego, brzmiacego jak nic wszczesniej zasluszanego, bo lista ludzi bioracych udzial w nagrywaniu tego srednio dlugiego albumiku, 38 minut na 9 trakach, jest dosc spora i przepelniona nazwiskami super gwiazd tamtych czasow, wiec obok Stillsa i Younga przewija sie przez polowe trakow Jerry Garcia z wdziecznych trupkow czy Joni Mitchell na wokalach, trzynascie osob na dziewieciu trakach to juz troche tlok, no ale jednak slychac to z czego Crosby slynie, czyli gitarkowanie akustyka, zwlaszcza, ze trzy traki sa czysto instrumentalne lub cztery jesli liczyc orleans, ktory wymienia przez caly trak jedynie znane katedry francuzkie, a reszta lirycznie jest rowniez raczej oszczedna, wyjatkiem moze byc cowboy movie, opowiadajacy historie kompanow rozdzielonych przez kobiete fatalna, motyw mocno frazesowy, ale jesli odnosi sie do grupy CSNY, to go kupuje, dlatego laduje na plejce razem z traction in the rain, ktory lirycznie wydaje sie byc skondensowanym copiumem, wiec rowniez mocno pozytywny motyw idealnie wpasowujacy sie w cieple brzmienie calego albumu, nie jestem rozczarowany tym co przesluchalem, ale czuje jednak ze brakuje mu czegos co wpadnie mi w pamiec, bo jednak jest to rockowy folk, dobrze zagrany, ale jednak ktory ciepi na zbyt duza ilosc featurow przez co Crosby wydaje sie zepchniety na dalszy plan
Classic American wistful-cowboy strumming. Better than I thought it might be.
Jerry. Pedal steel Excellent. All of the albums to come out of the PERRO recording sessions are pretty good to outstanding, and this is an outstanding one..
I'm sure for it's time it was really good. Definitely a solid album
// Favs: – Score: Light 4
Merely an okay album, not exceptionally memorable for me at all
Really makes you FEEL like... I don't remember. 2 ... 1
3/5
Fun fact: the official newspaper of the Vatican once named this the second greatest album ever, after the Beatles' Revolver. So, what did the Papal hacks see in the debut album of a former drug-hound gun-nut jailbird who once gave his seed to a lesbian couple? Well, there's some obvious greatness here, and it's an album that aims high and mostly lands (yes, you heard the distant rumble of a qualifier). One of the more sophisticated hippy folk works, the playing is at once intricate and unforced, each piece allowed to grow at its own pace. Indeed, the feel is of a languid jam where enough has been smoked that the walls have turned green (among the notables appearing are Jerry Garcia, Neil Young, Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell and Jefferson Airplane). That said, there are touches of melancholy to tracks like Laughing and Cowboy Movie, which of course adds to the richness of this album. As for that qualifier? Well, Song with No Words (Tree with No Leaves) is a song with no words, and skates right to the edge of self-parody. An album like this does take risks, and it's in the nature of risks that they may not fully or even parly succeed. So, I choose to hesitate over giving it five stars, but I fully understand those who bow towards this. Also, some of the last few albums I received (e.g., OK Computer and the execrable Mellon Collie...) possessed no sense of humour whatsoever, and were significantly worse off for such pomposity. Hell, it's nice when an album is capable of a chuckle.
Briefly very into CSN&Y and a general Woodstock phase in earl college years. Reflecting in this I realized that Woodstock 1999 was further back in my son’s relative history than actual Woodstock is in me, and I feel so so old.
Quite nice folk album.
Mellow, nice
If I Could Only Remember My Name by David Crosby (1971) In 2010, during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, the leading Roman Catholic periodical L’Osservatore Romano listed this record as #2 on “Top 10 Greatest Pop Albums of All Time”. That should get the attention of a few of the readers of these reviews. The PG-rated lyrics of the first two tracks (language, nudity, violence, sexual situations) present themes of charity and justice that land shakily on the right side of Catholic moral thought, however lacking they may be in poetic depth. The rest of the album is truth, peace, love—you know, hippie stuff. Heavy, man. Don’t Bogart; pass the joint. Musically, the album is sometimes excessively repetitive, but with nice improvisational flourishes from a wide range of rock superstars (Graham Nash, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, Grace Slick, and many others climbing on board the David Crosby train). Crosby comfortably dispenses with lyrics altogether on four of these nine tracks, revealing his true genius in composition, vocal harmony, and expansive instrumentation. His jazz-influenced melodies and chord structures are typical Crosby—one can readily identify other Crosby songs that have a doppelgänger on this record. That’s nice for reminiscence, but those familiar with his oeuvre would have appreciated a fresh palette. The traditional song “Orléans” is a missed opportunity for a canon perpetuus sung with really fine voices. See if you’re as disappointed as I was. The closing track “I’d Swear There Was Somebody Here” is too brief, but it gives a nice idea of the music that swirled in David Crosby’s head. It’s really beautiful, but one could do without the twang. The cover art is a nice photomontage suggestive of a joyful tear falling from the eye of the artist beholding beauty—reflections of a sunset over the sea. (Or is it a sunrise? You decide.) In sum, this album is good, but not great. L’Osservatore Romano is not, after all, infallible. I don’t believe Acta Apostolicae Sedis rates albums. Let me know if they ever do. 3/5
A little bland but not unpleasant.
I didn't know what to expect, and ended up liking this album a lot
I actually really enjoyed this, was quite surprising mix of folky stuff.
Love this. I've listened to David Crosby a lot through Crosby, Still, Nash and Young but never really listened to just him. Was exactly what I expected which is good.
Klinkt een beetje pschycedelic. Wel de moeite waard denk ik
Weird cross between muzak-level vocal-led tracks and attempts at flashy rock that fall flat. Not a fan
Listening to this album, I could hear all of his contributions to the CSN & CSNY albums. A lot of the song ideas really can be plucked right into them. (Cowboy Movie = "Ohio," Tamalpais High = "Guinnevere"). Even with the obvious connection, I really enjoyed this. I keep thinking I should get this, but I never got around to it. This just solidifies that plan.
First 35s of Music is Love is just beautiful. The vocals kind of ruin it. I was surprised I didn't love this album more than I did. Overall the musical arrangements were pretty stellar but not as seamless as I thought they'd be - again, either some so-so vocal accompaniment or some weird instruments added to the mix. Orleans was a beautiful track - both the music and the vocals (CSN-like harmonies). The album would be a 5 if it was all like this.
I have to admit a bias towards shorter albums (those that clock in under 40 minutes). This album still would have at least gotten 4 stars from me if it was longer and kept the mood going. Such a beautiful album from start to finish and with a wide range of guests. I am just left feeling at ease like I woke up from a good nap on a rainy day when I'm done listening to this.
I've been making a point of giving albums more than one chance and there have been a bunch that really hit me on the second or third listen. On first listen, my reaction was this album was ok, but nothing special. Three listens later...no different. It's just not a very interesting album. I like CSNY but this album just didn't do much for me.
Enjoyed it. Background
I didn't hate anything here and I liked the general vibe quite a lot. But nothing ever stood out and demanded a 4 star rating. So...
Really fun - Croz is a hell of a singer. Cowboy Movie wouldn't seem out of place as a gritty, choppy cut on a Neil Young platter, whilst Traction In the Rain almost has an iridescent quality to its beauty. I also liked the final tracks, eschewing words for voice and mood. Amongst the best albums this app has so far offered unto us.
Yeah, not really feeling this. And get your damn nostrils out of my face on that cover art, Crosby.
Not what I expected
4.6 - Theres a hushed reverence throughout and it’s uplifting, calming, soulful.
Mood music. Very mellow. Jammy. I like it as background music, but when I focus on it, I seem to lose focus quickly. It's pleasant enough. Favorite tracks: "Cowboy Movies", "Song With No Words"
Hippy drug addled music. 70's folk rock though some of it sounds like jams or they're half finished sketches. Best Tracks: Music Is Love; Cowboy Movie; Laughing
Didn't know how much I would enjoy this until I read into it and gave it a listen. Great album made by some great artists
Weird concept album but some good licks
Harmonizations don’t get much better than Crosby
Some reasonable folk rock, not very exciting
Man, this is an incredibly stoned album, balanced on the edge of incoherence. I really don't give a fuck that Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, members of Jefferson Airplane and Santana took part--If I Could Only Remember My Name is as unfocused and messy as the title implies. In what universe is this an exceptional album? Nice harmonies on Tamalpais High, Laughing, and Orleans, though. I suppose that if you squinted really hard, you could read If I Could Only Remember My Name as some sort of document or portrait of a dissolute mind on the edge of collapse. You know, a series of rambling tone poems. Nah. I don't buy it. Not impressed.
Enjoyable, great harmonies, but other than that, not very exciting. I don't think it deserved the critical panning it got upon its release, but It's not Crosby's best work. Again, perfectly enjoyable, very calming, just not terribly groundbreaking.
Meh
Eh didn’t live it.
I think this album is fine, but it really dragged on for me. Every song kinda sounded the same, and after every song I would check to see how many more there were. Definitely good music for playing in the background, but it didn't grab me in any meaningful way 3/5
Good, i'd listen to this again.
Pleasant. Doubt I'd ever listen again.
If I could only remember listening to this album.
Great music to help you fall asleep. Doesn’t catch my attention, but also doesn’t annoy me
Nothing happening all song the same
Solid three stars for now, maybe upon further listens this can be a 4 star album.
It was fine, not memorable for me. I just listened to the album and I'm struggling to critique the record because it just slipped right through my ears.
'Music is Love' sounded like something Tim Buckley would sing, 'Cowboy Movie's' autobiographical nature was refreshing, would want to get high to 'Tamalpais High' and spout fallacious philosophy, 'Laughing' pretty much summed up life 'Traction in the Rain' felt like poetry, 'Song with No Words' did indeed have no words, 'Orleans' and 'I'd Swear Somebody Was Here' were short, beautiful and majestic, loved them the most
Despite a year into the new decade, David retains his grasp on the late-sixties sound.
meh, it's alright
Not anything wrong with it but wasn't really for me
It was ok. There is some very well played music on the album. But it was just dull to me.
at first i couldn’t decide whether to give a 1 or 2 but now i know it’s a 1 because it was just awful. the album felt so ling even though it was 40 minutes. and the songs were just so awkward, the song without words just had humming and it was un listenable.
Wasn’t really my vibe
Okay just not my jam acoustic juried guitar a lot
Softer than I prefer but the first half is pretty rad.
Literally awful. Not a single redeeming feature about this absolutely shit album. 💯 % stonewall gash
Good album.
This album cover is hilarious. Just needed to state that right off the bat. The familiarity of Crosby's voice is nice/pleasing to those of us old enough to have heard CSN so often on the radio, but I'm finding this a bit aimless. "Cowboy Song" as the second track...an 8-minute jam over two chords...seems a poor choice here, if not just a poor song. Once "Tamalpais High" kicks in though, those *harmonies* start right away - that's what we came for. But ... that's all that song delivers - almost literally - David just thought "yeah that's enough here" :D "Laughing" is a little more constructed but unimaginative, and the rest of the album sort of peters out. I know each of the CSNY members released solo albums in the aftermath of their classic "Deja Vu" and probably wanted to establish their own voice, no pun intended. But listening to this even while acknowledging DC's best asset (his gorgeous harmony construction) is still strong here it's hard not to think that Crosby needed the rest of his sometime-bandmates to help him put together anything resembling memorable songs. This ends up just being a half-hour of often nice sounding notes. If I could only remember any of them. mostly because it should have been better but it's just trash.... 2/10 1 star.
The album was okay maybe I was stuck in traffic listening to it and that’s why I wasn’t that into it
Fleet foxes is just hipster David Crosby
Relaxing acoustic guitar vibe
You know? This is pretty good. I don't love it all but it has some good jams on it. Diggin Song with No Words. Overall four stars.
Loved this. No real songs, really, just a bunch of jams, but the vibe is perfect. Great guitar tone, too. Nonsense, but easy listening.
This was pretty good.
Enjoyable album, chilled out Americana, great harmonies.
This album kinda reminds me of the first few Paul McCartney solo albums, where it’s mostly just a lot of free flowing musical ideas and sparse lyrics while he tries out new things and directions. This album feels decidedly more somber or ethereal than any of those McCartney albums. I dig it! It’s got a cool vibe you can live in for 40 minutes.
just misses out on 5 stars. A fantastic album that I enjoyed immensely. It has an effortless flow and beautiful songs.
Nice
Enjoyable if a little meandering towards the end.
Gorgeous
Enjoyable, occasionally prescient ramble through the high desert. Ruminative as a sunrise over Monument Valley.
White men with weak voices who huddle in the "Let's jam to the blues" bit of the rock spectrum have to work harder for my attention. David Crosby (not the same as Bill Cosby it turns out - I had to check) comes across so up his own arse that he either doesn't know or doesn't care, which is probably why so many of his moany vespers disappear before taking on a recognisable form. Song With No Words sounds like self-parody (though the coda's all right) and What Are Their Names sounds like a half-baked intro to a longer song which is due to start at 4:14 but finishes there instead. My question isn't can he play (answer: yes) but why is he playing? Verdict: I could have died without hearing this album.
Second album with Neil Young on it, I swear everything that guys does is good
didn’t really enjoy
Franchement c'est assez cool Cowboy Movie est très bien. Il a une très jolie voix. Female Janis Joplin Tamalpais High (At about 3) est also superbe, elle fait penser à "A horse with no name" Song with no words très bien aussi Superbe album, ça tombe bien je commençais à manquer de motivation pour le challenge. Solide 8/10 + Orleans, une très jolie (courte) chanson sur la ville d'Orléans. seul défaut : peut-être qu'il finit vite, on reste sur notre faim.
David Crosby's debut solo album, If I Could Only Remember My Name is a one-shot wonder of dreamy but ominous California ambience. As it is, If I Could Only Remember My Name is a shambolic masterpiece, meandering but transcendentally so, full of frayed threads. Not only is it among the finest splinter albums out of the CSNY diaspora, it is one of the defining moments of hungover spirituality from the era.
This album is pretty disappointing. Inconsistent quality of songwriting, it feels more like this album is on the list for Crosby's reputation.
Pleasantly surprised by this one, overall. But it's a low bar to clear. David Crosby has such an interminable reputation that clouds my perception of a lot of his music, so I really tried to approach this with an open mind. That said, there's a few clunkers here, too. "Cowboy Movie", while admirably raucous, is such an obvious, casually misogynist and racist metaphor for the dissolution of CSNY. It's kind of insulting how thin the metaphor is and how easily he throws around this "Indian girl" character to suit his own self-important ends. Blech. You lulled me into a false sense of enjoyment with Music is Love! Favourite track: Laughing
Fun bluesy vibes, almost psychadelic at times. Very nice.
Just amazing loved every second of this album
Jingly jangly
I listened to this 4 times yesterday, but this just misses out on 5 stars. A fantastic album that I enjoyed immensely. It has an effortless flow and beautiful songs.
some pretty parts. merp