It seems unsophisticated and obvious-the directness of the band name Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young-but really, the simple moniker is more significant than that.
Remember the bands from which these storied musicians came: The Byrds. Buffalo Springfield. The Hollies. By the time David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and eventually Neil Young found each other, they were already hardened artists privy to the ailments and trivialities of rock ‘n’ roll.
They knew a band was a band, even after a founding member was kicked out.
And so by using their surnames in this joint venture – not unlike a law firm with its partners – they not only ensured creative control and pinpointed responsibility but stressed the independence of the individual collaborators, the importance of the artist as an equal to the group.
And as CSN&Y traverses the country on this summer’s Freedom of Speech ’06 tour, with stops at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, that dynamic is as potent as ever, with the members drawing from their shared catalogs and individual bodies of work alike.
As songs like “Ohio,” “Teach Your Children,” “Our House” and “Woodstock” bleed together, loosely sculpting the soundtrack for much of the early ’70s, it’s easy to lose track of the individual artists. But here’s a succinct look at the artists behind the name: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Stephen Stills
A stellar guitarist, Stills remains one of the most adventurous songwriters of his era – especially impressive given his ability to craft hits. His “For What It’s Worth” made a name for Buffalo Springfield, and a few years later his “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” written for singer Judy Collins, made a name for CS&N a year before the group invited Y into the fold.
He experimented with a new band, Manassas, in the early-’70s before further pursuing his solo career and pushing his work with CSN&Y. One of the most celebrated records of this period was 1991’s “Stills Alone,” a record that heavily influenced one budding singer-songwriter.
“That record in particular just opened the door just a little bit for me,” singer Ray LaMontagne told The Post in 2005. “And I had to go backward from there, so the record store seemed a logical place to start, and once I got in there and got all the music Stephen Stills had recorded and all the Crosby, Stills and Nash records, it was overwhelming.”
LaMontagne, whose “Trouble” record continues to mystify fans and critics alike, was introduced to Stills through the single “Treetop
Flyer,” the smuggler’s anthem he heard on
the radio one morning. He didn’t go to work that day, and instead he hit the record store where he bought “Stills Alone” and listened to it repeatedly until he realized, “This is what I’m gonna do.”
Graham Nash
Nash has a reputation for being the group’s peacemaker, but he’s also quite the hitmaker, with credits including “Teach Your Children,” “Our House” and “Marrakesh Express.”
Straight from his cohort’s mouth: “Working with Graham is probably the easiest and best it ever gets for me,” Crosby told The Post in 2004. “We understand each other and know how to get the best out of each other, probably because we expect the best out of each other. But Graham is the best harmony singer I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Crosby & Nash have written, recorded and toured as a duo multiple times, most notably with 1975’s “Wind on the Water,” which produced the Nash favorites “Take the Money and Run” and “Fieldworker.”
“His contributions
musically are unbelievable,” said Sean Kelly of The Samples.
David Crosby
Crosby is perhaps the most newsworthy of the group, then and now. Yes, there were the drugs and run-ins with the law. And the endless eccentric politicking, on and off the stage. And the fathering spectacles, including his musical reuniting with James Raymond, the son he’d given up for adoption more than 30 years earlier, and the news that Crosby had fathered Melissa Etheridge’s and Julie Cypher’s children.
But Crosby’s greatest contribution to the world of rock is his unique harmonies and his music.
“His voice is so beautiful, so soulful,” said Kelly, who has always counted CSN&Y as a defining influence in his band, The Samples. “This is the guy who wrote ‘Wooden Ships’ and ‘Triad,’ and I think he’s pretty underrated in the band. I
know he was notorious for getting into a little bit of trouble in the past, but when I had the opportunity to shake his hand, I told him he’s been a terrific role model all these years.”
Neil Young
Unlike his bandmates, Young has mastered the art of sustained relevance.
Young’s recent work, including this year’s excellent “Living With War,” doesn’t position him as an ex-folkie from the ’70s trying to get by in the modern age. Young is as relevant as ever in both his sound – which ranges from sweet to slash-and-burn – and message. And there’s his execution, too: He pulled an “Ohio” and recorded the protest-centric “Living With War” in less than a week, streaming it on his website shortly after it was finished.
“Neil is able to make a record in four days and make it to his satisfaction, that part of his process – speeding up the time between the ideas and inception and execution – is significant,” said Stone Gossard, Pearl Jam’s rhythm guitarist and songwriter. “It says a lot about how he is participating in the world of music and influence and media and all that stuff.”
Pearl Jam, like many of its peers, has adopted Young as a role model – an artist who creates on his own terms.
“When he’s very excited and passionate about another project,” Gossard said, “he’s like a young man in his desire to try new things and break new ground in terms of how he puts records together and what inspires him.”
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
ROCK|Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison; 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday |$54.50-$204.50| tickets for Monday and Tuesday are sold out, but seats for Thursday’s show are available via ticketmaster.com or 303-830-8497.
