Crosby, Stills & Nash

My only complaint is that they don't use an Oxford comma in their band name. Nice combo of nostalgic and folksy rock, this might have been my favorite album so far

Nice and chill album, I get why they were popular. Idk if it's heinous to say it but felt like the Beatles meets Simon and Garfunkel

High school in the 80's I listen to mostly thrash metal, hard rock and some punk/hardcore with a splattering of some random things like the Cure. I starting hangin out with other kids into different music. One of my first times getting high, my friend puts this album on vinyl, Suite Judy Blue Eyes comes flowing out of the speakers filling my ears and head with those warm sweet harmonies, wow I never heard anything like this. I was hooked, on both the music and the weed. I still love this album and CSN, even though David Crosby is an ass.

I expected this to be better and score higher, but in reality this album pretty much made me angry. It should be better, it has all the ingredients to be better, yet it is really boring, almost all the songs sound the same, and that same isn't an enjoyable song to begin with. It should probably score 2, but I'm angry at it, so 1 it is.

CSN's self-titled debut cannot be touched! From Judy Blue Eyes to You Don't Have to Cry to Wooden Ships to Teach Your Children Well (and everything in between), there is no better folk rock record of its time. Where is the 6 star option?!

Absolute classic album. One of the best folk rock albums ever. Great guitars, great diversity, and of course, the harmonies. Legends.

Another band I've never listened to that I assumed would be pretty dated sounding, but man I really dug this one too. Marrakesh Express and Guinevere were my favorites here.

Perfect album, shame Neil Young had to go ruin such a great group.

Great harmony and comfortable music

Here are some fun facts. In 1982, David Crosby crashed his car into a fence after having a cocaine seizure. Responding police found his coke and a loaded .45. When they asked Crosby why he felt the need to travel with a loaded weapon, he supposedly replied, "John Lennon." At one point, Stephen Stills started to believe he had been on missions with the US Marines in Vietnam and began wearing fatigues on stage during concerts and signing autographs “Stephen Stills, US Marine Corps”. In 2016, Graham Nash, who was in his 70's at the time, divorced his wife of 38 years to marry a 40-year old. His adult children stopped talking to him, which he said was probably for the best. These were three talented individuals and this is a pretty decent album and Deja Vu is even better. It is a shame that after making some pretty decent albums these guys spent the next 50 years ruining their lives and the lives of the people around them. Don't do drugs kids.

They were better with Neil Young and Neil Young is better without them.

I always forget there's CSN & CSNY. This is classic easy, chill, jamming music.

Needs more Young

Pleasant but forgettable. Unlike other supergroups these three don't seem different enough to provide an interesting contrast.

I bought this album off my Cousin about 1973. Loved the album and it is still one of my favourite albums of all time. Teach Your Children and Guinnivere are my favourite tracks. Well worth a listen

Fan-fucking-tastisch album

Love it

When the last Boomer on this critics' list rages into that good night, half of the 1,001 will quietly drop off with them, and this will be one of the leavers. But is that fair? This has some great songs (Wooden Ships slides and rocks, You Don’t Have To Cry is a classic of the dead genre of pedagogic goodbyes, Long Time Gone is panther-like yacht rock), a bunch of middling ones, and a creepy one in Guinnevere (I hated it so much on first listen that I tip-toed up to it on subsequent play throughs, worried that it’d bite). More fundamentally, I don’t know what to do with all the harmonies. CSN advance on me like a tripled hippy terminator, earnest and la la la, the threat of a syrupy “milady” keeping me on edge. The harmonies don’t repel me as they once did, but they sound doubled, with a doll-like creepiness - “I’ve heard enough,” my wife declared in the car earlier. And these harmonies are why this band exist. When they turn down the harmonies, let them loosen up, they can be pleasant, extra oomph in the choruses. I wish they’d let them get ragged. I don’t need to hear Marrakech Express again, but it’s cute novelty, albeit one drummed by roots rock’s favourite murderer, Jim Gordon. The opener dares me to hate it, so by the end I’m its pet. I prefer Déjà Vu, and that’s not down to the added Y, fnar fnar.

Nice but lacking the magic of the previous CSN&Y album I've listened too. Not bad though.

No one does folk rock quite like CS&N, and they let you know that with their first swing up at bat. The vast majority of tracks here are timeless.

The debut album from the definitive vocal supergroup of the 60's and 70's. Crosby, Stills & Nash showcase their incredible songwriting and unworldly tight vocal harmonies, pulling flavors from their previous musical forays into a perfect blend of folk, blues, and rock. Obviously, lyrics and voices are front and center on this album, but there's also some subtly awesome instrumentation backing them, including iconic acoustic guitar, mesmerizing organ, and respectable bass and drums. A fantastic breakout album, and a taste of more great music to come. I'm very biased toward this album for personal reasons and familial history. It could have been 40 minutes of screeching brakes and just "Helplessly Hoping" at the end, and I still would give it five stars for that track alone. Stand out tracks include "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", "Marrakesh Express", "Guinnevere", "Lady of the Island", and "Helplessly Hoping".

Impeccable vibes. This album caught me on a good day and made it even better.

I could imagine Neil Young collaborating well with these young upstarts

I was blissfully unaware that this album had been the backbone of every campfire guitar singalong. Songs like Everybody's Talking, Love the one you’re with and teach your children well are it seems the bread and butter of every acoustic guitarist.

Stellar, folksy harmonies with rock instrumentation. Makes you want to put on a shearling jacket and build a cabin.

I had never listened to CS&N before, but there is a warmth and feeling of familiarity that came with it anyway. Loved the album.

yeah

I usually just think of them as classic rock but I was really blown away listening to the whole album together

Each track is a classic. Such good harmony and guitar on show here. Fresh.

great album by them!

very good album

i like the first song a lot. nice sound

incredible debut; best bits on the Greatest Hits [edit: to explain, this is a 3* because it's so wussy. So much crying everywhere!]

It’s great if this is what you’re into. It won’t blow away any neutrals though.

This is the first album I listened to and rated as part of this project. I love this style of folk rock music and it provided for a very easy listening experience in which I didn't dislike any song. I felt that it started off a little boring with 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes' but I could find that growing on me after a while. I did love 'Guinnevere' and 'Wooden Ships' was probably my favorite track.

I really enjoyed the sound. I would need to listen more for the lyrics when I'm not working sometime. But enjoyable album with a sound I like

I thought this album was good, but not great. I believe Young added a certain something to the mix that just made this band pure magic, and for me, that magic is clearly lacking on this album without him. The impact of this album however, is not to be undermined. This debut album popped up in 1969, just in time to inform and be an inspiration for many 70s soft rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriter acts. They naturally had a sound and a style here that many bands would go on to covet and seek. While Crosby, Stills & Nash was not the first supergroup, they're an incredibly significant one. Before them, any group formed of members from other bands was considered a "supergroup". But Crosby, Stills & Nash all came from already pretty successful bands and created an even more successful band than any of them came from individually. Crosby, Stills & Nash, along with this album, ultimately set a strong precedent for true supergroups going forward; it's a good introduction to that 70s folk rock sound and a good foundation for things to come with this band.

By far the best thing about CSNY was Y. Without Y they are a one trick pony; they have the lovely harmonies but not a lot else. In particular, the songs on this LP written by C or N are weak.Some of Stills' songs are good and their harmonies make those songs very good. This is the case with Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. The four songs that follow can't be saved by the harmonies. I kind of like Wooden Ships, probably because it sounds like a Neil Young song, lol. I suppose Stills lays down the lead guitar on that track.  We must give credit where it's due. Helplessly Hoping is beautiful and the best song on the LP imo.  I just don't think a couple of good songs can get the LP north of 3.  PS I do like Teach Your Children but didn't let it influence my rating since it's a bolt on to the 2006 re-release and more appropriately considered a Deja Vu track.

I'm a big fan of The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel, so you would think this would be up my alley, but this album sounded a bit samey from track to track for my tastes. Apparently there were iconic hits, but none of the tracks really grabbed me. It appears that all of their songs that I enjoy are on other albums in their career, particularly those with Neil Young, which is weird because I typically don't enjoy Neil Young's solo career. Great harmonizing but I found the songs boring pretty quickly. I'd rather just listen to another Simon & Garfunkel album. If I had to a pick a track I might want to listen to again, I guess "Marrakesh Express" was okay.

No Neil Young....but still lots of classics here. It reminds me of high school. It was old then, it sounds pretty dated now. There are just a couple songs that were fun to hear again, like Teach Your Children

Although I love Neil Young, these guys just rub me the wrong way. So without Neil, CSN is a chore. It's just excruciating for me to listen to their hillybilly harmonies and I couldn’t listen to the entire album

Classic. 5

Loved it! Though folk rock isn't what I normally turn to, their songs are wonderfully harmonic, with diverse melodies and interesting lyrics. It was a perfect Saturday listen, just what the doctor ordered.

Crosby, Stills & Nash was the self-titled debut from the folk rock supergroup; Crosby was in the Byrds, Nash in the Hollies, and Stills in Buffalo Springfield. The trio's sound was different that their respective predecessors, but their established notoriety contributed to CS&N's success. During their tour to support the album, they added Neil Young to their ranks, another Buffalo Springfield alum and an addition to the group's star power. The album includes "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," and "Marrakesh Express." two of the band's early hits. The trio employed layered harmonies in their melodies, creating songs with a compelling, earnest sound. Their songs resonated with the social movements of the era, making CS&N's songs somehow essentially related to the time period.

Uhhh pretty, pretty, pretty good

So many classics on one album!!!!

After I got done listening to this album, I had to go back and replay DÉJÀ VU, 'coz about halfway through the first side, this question suddenly popped into my head: "Do I actually like this better than DÉJÀ VU?" Now, normally when I get albums from The Randomizer I don't like to stray over to other ones. While I may reference other albums in my discussion, I want to have the work assigned to me be the only music in my head as I enter a discussion. Sometimes I cheat and get an outer-album song or two in there, but I never do full albums. But listening to this album, I couldn't help but think back to what I said about DÉJÀ VU and how, that time around, I ultimately wasn't as impressed as I was the first time around. I still acknowledge it as a classic album, but I supposed that the years in-between listens did a number on my opinion. In contrast, I'd never heard this album before, but, gosh darn, I was quick to groove with as easily as I had DÉJÀ VU that first time. And I just had to wonder, what was so different about that follow-up that I can click with this album that I hadn't heard as much about versus the other one that I had? And I didn't wanna say it was just Neil Young and call it a day. After RUST NEVER SLEEPS, I've been doin' pretty well with every other album of his that's been thrown my way (and there's still a **lot** left), so I don't wanna take the easy way out. What I ended up coming back to is this: consider "folk rock." Split it down the middle — "folk" and "rock." Neither album fully, completely one or the other, but I feel DÉJÀ VU is more on the "folk" side, whereas this album is closer to "rock." DÉJÀ VU clearly has way more refinement and polish than this one has, and maybe that's Young's influence, maybe it is... Whoever's influence it is, this album, meanwhile, just comes across to me as a bit rougher; a little more open to having electric guitars jam along with the acoustic ones. And, y'know, of course DÉJÀ VU has "Woodstock", "Cut My Hair" and even a little in "Carry On", but still, it doesn't feel like it has rock guitar to the extent that this one does. And, yeah, on a relisten, where I'm not tryna fight off falling asleep 'coz it turns out that's all my "listen on my back with my eyes closed" strategy does for me, I actually do like DÉJÀ VU as much as I used to. But as it turns out, I like this album more. Like, goodness, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" alone is a masterwork. Just an incredible journey. Plus, as amazing as the harmonies on DÉJÀ VU are, hearing them over the kind of songs that're on here are even better. I even dig the folkier acoustic songs that're here a bit more, to not focus on the rockers entirely. Jus', top to bottom, it's great. All that pre-"we've completely figured this group out" refinement, I'm tellin' yah... Goodness. So I guess Young's presence is really missed after all. Hm, well. Either way and anyway, y'know, I didn't think I'd spend as much of this review talking about DÉJÀ VU as the one I was actually supposed to discuss, but there yah go, I guess. And if I could go back and re-rate it, I'd give it the same 5 I'm giving this. Like, regardless of which one I prefer, they're both spectacular pieces of folk. Certainly, of all of the albums that sparked off the "California sound," between this, SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO and MUSIC FROM THE BIG PINK... Well, you can probably guess my pick. (And once again, if you ain't never heard Weird Al's "Mission Statement"... Like, besides an acoustic line lifted from "Carry On", it's basically just "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". It's so good.)

I’m at a 5. Thankfully, C, S, & N are still pretty damn good without Y. I don’t think I have much to wax poetic about here – this is just a great album. Sure, a good chunk of it is mired in relationship issues, and the variety of styles on each track isn’t as strong as what was on Deja Vu (lots of acoustic tracks here, little less pure rock than I was expecting), but the quality of the songwriting, and the emotion their voices are able to pull out of those lyrics, especially in the harmonizations, is really, really strong, and really enjoyable to listen to. Even though some of the more personal context of each track is kind of lost to time (I don’t think anyone’s really itching to read about Judy Collins & Stephen Stills anymore), the imagery in the lyricism is so good that it really can apply to any kind of relationship. I truly don’t think there’s a single bad track here, and even its weakest one (You Don’t Have to Cry, just for the repeated lyrics) is still pretty good. It’s not a flawless album by any means, but for 3 people to come together, each members of their own bands, and drop an album with this much cohesion & quality, on a first try, is pretty damn remarkable. It’s the type of chemistry you can’t really teach, and arguably the blueprint for other “supergroups” that followed throughout the 70s. While I imagine Neil Young’s inclusion muddled that chemistry for a bit for years afterward, this album is a great showcase of why Neil Young wanted to join these 3 in the first place. I think it’s no less than a 4, and for my tastes, a very easy 5.

you know wat is crazy i have never listened to this band till now

Americana bliss. The simplistic acoustic nature of the songs with unrelenting harmonization sends the endorphins through the roof. Getting absolutely lost in the lyrics and relishing in the joyous nature of the melody is not only welcomed, it is expected when playing this album. The jangly guitars, the falsetto accoutrement, and the dynamic range of music ensures this a delightful experience. Neil was not necessary, he was just a cherry (maybe maple syrup?) on top of the Sunday.

Love this album more than anything

The harmonies on this classic Folk Rock album from 1969 are awesome. Some great tracks including "Marrakesh Express", "Wooden Ships", and the 7 minute "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". The only downside is their version of "Everybody's Talkin'", (a 2006 bonus track), which is nowhere near as good as the version by Harry Nilsson and which featured in the film Midnight Cowboy.

"Helplessly Hoping" is probably in my top 10 favorite songs of all time, and I could wax positively about many of the other songs on here. I've been served several albums in the last few weeks featuring these three skilled musicians (+ Young), but nowhere do they shine like they do when they are together. Five stars.

Such lovely harmonies.

always been a sucker for this type of folk rock

completely masterpiece

Love it! Harmonies were tight. Album progressed thematically.

Шикарно

Sounds like mom. In the best way.

Damn, this whole album just hits so well. Folk Rock at some of its best, I cant say I had even a lull at any point. I was in a bitter mood when I started but it put me in a good space. Beautifully written and composed all the way through.

Much like Sheamus from the WWE, this album is just banger after banger after banger after banger

Ein sehr schönes abwechslungsreiches Album mit wunderschönen Harmonien und Gesang. Ich bin begeistert und habe Young nicht vermisst.

Crosby, Stills & Nash — дебютный студийный альбом американской фолк-рок супергруппы Crosby, Stills & Nash, выпущенный 29 мая 1969 года на лейбле Atlantic Records. Это единственный релиз группы до включения в её состав Нила Янга. очень тонкая и красивая работа, вайб битлз и мамас энд папас, потрясающие гармонии, точно буду слушать еще и еще

Like an aural hug.

These harmonies give you a warm feeling like only the kinda music your dad likes can. Subdued and peaceful, but a touch of keyboard keeps it just lively enough and some sweet riffs before closing hook you back in right on time. No song overstays its welcome, even the nearly seven-and-a-half-minute opener. Really phenomenal. Favorite song: Long Time Gone

Great album

The snap, crackle & pop of gorgeous hippies vocal harmonies.

Without discussing the legendary harmonies that would go on to inspire the many variations of these individual artists, (CSN, CSNY) we cannot rate this album. There are too many parts that make this a must-listen for me, but none like the 6:00 mark of Judy Blue Eyes. I knew this was a 5/5 from the get-go.

RIP Croz, you were a real one. And this album is a bonafide classic, with achingly beautiful harmonies and a potent blend of optimism and world-weariness.

As usual, I only listened to the album’s original sequence with NO bonus tracks. This is the second album I’ve come across in this project that I have previously listened to and own a copy of (through 3 weeks). For as successful and widely recognized and influential that this trio (and later foursome) were, I feel a lot of their work is overall underrated. The record strikes a perfect balance of the 3 amazingly talented singers and songwriters. The harmonies, acoustic guitars and songwriting drive the album and lay the foundation of what would become the “California” or “Laurel Canyon” sound of the late 60s/70s. “Helplessly Hoping” is a favorite of mine. Overall, this record is as enjoyable of a listen as it was influential to the world of music. Always glad to give this record a spin and will do so again soon.

Great songs on this album

I was helplessly hoping for some CSN as I was having some de ja vu. Found myself singing along… GEM!

Love the harmonies these guys do.

Great stuff

A clinic in what’s possible with great vocals and perfect harmonies in rock and roll. Stills provides killer guitar work, arrangements, and often lead vocals, while Nash and Crosby showcase heavenly harmonies throughout the record. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is an all time great opening track and easily one of the best ever from CS&N. Helplessly Hoping is perhaps the best example of their world-class harmonizing. Long Time Gone is another highlight. One of the best albums of 1969, which is arguably one of the best years ever for music.

fantastic folksy, singer-songwriter music

A gorgeous album, I'm so glad I started this one album a day thing because it means I can discover gems like this. Standout tracks: - Judy blue eyes (the guitar in this is gorgeous) 4.5/5 - Guinnevere (SO pretty) 5/5 - You don't have to cry 4.5/5 - listening to this while working overtime getting eye strain was very hard hitting lol - Helplessly hoping 5/5 (on repeat)

A favorite album. Always love the harmonies in this group's work.

ABSOLUTE CLASSIC!

A total joy from start to finish. Will listen to more!

iconic

69 hehe

Not the coolest of bands back in the day (maybe it's the name?) but they did bang out hit after hit. Great singalongs!

Fairly innovative and sounds are smooth, or rounded.. bmvery pleasant

Omg do these boys love their vocal harmonies So so so groovy Almost every song on it is a favorite!

Sweet, heartfelt, and easy to listen to. A great mix of folksy songs for every mood. I definitely felt Nash's songs were a bit weaker, but still great to listen to. An all around great album. Top tracks: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Guinnevere, Helplessly Hoping

Great album - I could listen to this one again and again.

Absolute loved every second of this. I want to live in this album. Helplessly Hoping is such a beautiful song.

I've never gone that crazy for this kind of singer songwriter style music but when it's good it's good you can't deny it

One of my favorites

very cool

One of my fav

so good

This was really good. Not as good as Deja vu though. Still can’t believe I didn’t give that a 5.

Lots of great songs that I knew. 5 stars

I listen to tracks from this album every week. It’s so good I can’t find the words to describe it. Listen to it. Then do it again. Once more. Ok now repeat that. Yeah. You get the idea. Maybe it’s the superb three part vocal harmony. Or the hypnotic finger style guitar. Or the poetic and deep imagery in the lyrics. Or the…wait…let me listen again to be sure. Yeah. That’s it.

Pure uncut harmony; good stuff.

I was expecting this to be a solid 4 for me but I think this deserves a 5. The harmonies are just so, so good. Not only do the vocals sound incredible but so does the instruments as well. The lyrics are great as well have depth and tell stories. I really, really liked this album a lot I would totally listen to it again. It’s a great vibe and such a pleasure to listen to.

One former Byrds + one former Buffalo Springfield + one former Hollies = the late sixties/early seventies folk-rock version of "Avengers Assemble!". Stephen Stills is the star of the show, either Iron Man or Captain America, through iconic opener "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", bucolic and insanely catchy folk cut "You Don't Have To Cry" with its incredible guitar harmonics (so subtly and slyly added to the main riff), nice classic-rock closer "49 Bye-Byes", or the transcendent ballad "Hopelessly Hoping", whose perfect alliterations, ascending chords and soaring vocal harmonies beautifully convey the pains and heartbreak experienced by a lovelorn soul. David Crosby is like a Thor versed in delicate pagan pleasures through more complex, less immediate compositions in the vein of his solo record *If I Could Only Remember My Name*--chiaroscuro cuts named "Guinnevere" and "Long Time Gone", which only yield their off-kilter charms during subsequent listens. Crosby's songwriting chops often make him go through strange little detours, and as such, he acts as a counterpoint to Stills, often favoring clearer and more straightforward lines. Yet the union of the two sixties rock superheroes for the writing of "Wooden Ships", as instantly striking as it is sophisticated on a conceptual level, sure uses the best of the two talents in one single shot. As for Graham Nash, he is the Hawkeye of the story, sometimes going astray in all-too-quaint, sentimental meanderings... but when he hits the mark, as on sensual barebones acoustic number "Lady Of The Island" or country-boogie single "Marrakesh Express", whose patchouli scents are obviously covering far less *legal* smells, it's a clean sweep. Whiffs of the Summer Of Love and Flower Power abound in the record, even if that time period is already viewed through a melancholic, nostalgic lens, which makes the overall themes of the lyrics relatable to this day. And the trademark vocal harmonies are stellar, that's a given at this point. Truly, they're the "Avengers assemble!" moment here, the money shot, automatically warranting a slot for the supergroup debut on this list. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5+4.5) Number of albums left to review: 98 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 389 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 227 Albums from the list I certainly won't include in mine: 286 --------------------- Addendum: Wondering if drummer Dallas Taylor, ominously watching us with a sour look on his face through the window of that derelict house's door in the rear of the album cover, could fill the shoes of Loki or even Thanos... Whatever the case may be, the story didn't end there. In a second phase, another former Buffalo Springfield would join the team for *Avengers 2: Déjà Vu*, which easily beats *Age Of Ultron* out of the park. I was too busy that day to write a proper review when the app suggested this record to me a couple of years ago. So here is the draft of a few notes about the highlights from that subsequent and equally "essential" record, just in case I might need them later on... For *Déjà Vu", the addition of Neil Young to the cast, like a Spiderman shooting his inescapable strings of raw feelings everywhere in sight, sure threatened to throw a shade over Stephen Stills' leading figure--first through timeless ballad "Helpless", probably one of Young's most distinctive compositions, but also through the less known and yet incredible "Country Girl", with its relentless, climactic build-up. That being said, Crosby, Stills and Nash each have at least one moment where they shine as brightly as Young in *Déjà Vu*, whether it's enticing opener "Carry On" for the first, topical and rowdy "Almost Cut My Hair for the second (unless it's the near-psychedelic title-track), or touching and instantly memorable novelty cut "Our House" for the third--where the fine line between excessive naivety and the convincing expression of domestic happiness is probably straddled more gracefully than on "Teach Your Children", another Nash cut with notoriously quaint flavours. But the money shot here, what unites the whole supergroup into one single transcendent effort--including drummer Dallas Taylor and bassist Greg Reeves--is "Woodstock". That syncopated "rock" cover of Joni Mitchell's elegiac folk tune about the famous music festival even manages to equal the original, as vastly different as the latter sounds. And this is no small feat here. Speaking of comparisons, whether warranted or not, I am sad to point out that there won't be the equivalent of *Infinity War/Endgame* in CSN(Y)'s career, quite unfortunately. The only real "infinity war" audiences witnessed after the release of *Déjà Vu* was the constant bickering of those endearing (yet also hopelessly grumpy) granpas of Anglo-American classic rock. More like *Captain America: Civil War* taking place in a nursing home, to be honest. But I guess that's a story for another time, kiddies... Rest in peace, David Crosby.

I'm little over 200 albums in and there's already been a LOT of 60/70ies folk rock that I, in fact, did not necessarily need to hear, but I'm truly grateful to this project for introducing me to 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. Or solidifying a hunch that I should like it, not just this album but in general music David Crosby had a hand in, it seems [See also: → The Byrds]. Beautiful stuff. I love this.