Article: The Best Version Of… Crosby, Stills & Nash Self-Titled Debut

[firedog]

2 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Not for long!

Price has already gone up and fewer are available. I did get one for a reasonable price.

[Mr Wensleydale]

Thanks Josh - another wonderful article. 

 

Amazon UK have the Gastwirt mastering here for £6.49. Just picked up a copy. 

[DuckToller]

Thank you Josh,
 

another chapter to a masterful book I will definately buy in the future, even if it's just to inherit it together with my music archive to my sons (and, eventually, then existing grandkids).
"A must have/read guide to the important music recordings of the 20th and 21st. century"  I will note for them! "You'll find the best version in the archive. Trust him!!!"

All the best from France,
Tom

[audiobomber]

Crosby Stills & Nash were boring without Neil Young's rock edge.

[firedog]

38 minutes ago, audiobomber said:

Crosby Stills & Nash were boring without Neil Young's rock edge.

Disagree. I love Neil, but their two best albums are the first one and 1977’s CSN. Without Neil they had a kind of unity that they didn’t have with him. He changed the balance of the band and turned it into something else, something that seemed more like 4 guys - each a solo act with three band members. I prefer the band concept. 

[Ralf11]

I prefer the with Neil (or "under the thumb of Neil") albums...

 

He was a bit like Steve Jobs, a giant force that took over or at least affected the surrounding space, which consisted of musicians, not Higgs particles.

 

In the future, denizens of some distant galaxy will detect his gravity waves.

[Josh Mound]

6 hours ago, DuckToller said:

Thank you Josh,
 

another chapter to a masterful book I will definately buy in the future, even if it's just to inherit it together with my music archive to my sons (and, eventually, then existing grandkids).
"A must have/read guide to the important music recordings of the 20th and 21st. century"  I will note for them! "You'll find the best version in the archive. Trust him!!!"

All the best from France,
Tom

 

Thanks so much! It’s so nice to know the TBVOs are appreciated. 

[ray-dude]

 

Fun!

 

http://www.popspotsnyc.com/crosby_stills_nash/

 

 

 

[Josh Mound]

6 hours ago, audiobomber said:

Crosby Stills & Nash were boring without Neil Young's rock edge.

 

5 hours ago, firedog said:

Disagree. I love Neil, but their two best albums are the first one and 1977’s CSN. Without Neil they had a kind of unity that they didn’t have with him. He changed the balance of the band and turned it into something else, something that seemed more like 4 guys - each a solo act with three band members. I prefer the band concept. 

 

4 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

I prefer the with Neil (or "under the thumb of Neil") albums...

 

He was a bit like Steve Jobs, a giant force that took over or at least affected the surrounding space, which consisted of musicians, not Higgs particles.

 

In the future, denizens of some distant galaxy will detect his gravity waves.

 

Neil is one of my favorite artists of all time, way above CSN. (It’s pointless to do a TBVO on any of his classic albums, though, since his own hi-res remasters are all so good.)

 

But I don’t know that I like CSN as a band better with him. Deja Vu isn’t as good overall as the debut, IMO. That said, I don’t think it’s Neil’s fault that the band fell apart. While I think Neil did throw off the chemistry, I think Stills’s cocaine use was the primary cause of CSN(Y)’s failure to live up to its promise. 

 

Even with Crosby’s own substance issues, I think the best post-debut CSN-related stuff (aside from Deja Vu and Neil’s solo work) is the first Nash-Crosby album, Crosby’s first solo album, and Nash’s first solo album. 

[TubeLover]

Josh,

 

Another absolutely superb article. Thank you again for this superlative continuing series. Your taste as to which albums to write about is equally matchless. Each one has been one of what I consider to be amongst the finest achievements of their era, and all of rock history.

 

JC

[Josh Mound]

12 hours ago, TubeLover said:

Josh,

 

Another absolutely superb article. Thank you again for this superlative continuing series. Your taste as to which albums to write about is equally matchless. Each one has been one of what I consider to be amongst the finest achievements of their era, and all of rock history.

 

JC

 

Thank you! I’m always looking for suggestions, too, if you have ideas. I have a very long master list that I work from, and I’m happy to add albums to it if they’re not already on there. 

 

I usually start research two or so columns ahead of time. Right now, I think Electric Warrior is next. Innervisions likely will follow that. But Wish You Were Here and Blue are also in various stages of research. 

 

I try to aim for albums that are classic, have interesting production stories, and have enough digital masterings to keep things interesting on the analysis front. (Unfortunately a lot of albums I’d love to write about fail the last category.)

[firedog]

19 minutes ago, JoshM said:

I try to aim for albums that are classic, have interesting production stories, and have enough digital masterings to keep things interesting on the analysis front. (Unfortunately a lot of albums I’d love to write about fail the last category.)

 

Derek and the Dominos - Layla. I think it will fit your criteria.

[MarkS]

This is a great series!  Thanks. 

 

I paid $22 😒

[Doak]

My fave version: 

 

[TubeLover]

2 hours ago, Doak said:

My fave version: 

 

I remember the day I bought that album, just after it was released, as though it was yesterday. I bought Deja Vu on the way to a weekend retreat with some monks that was sponsored by the Catholic School that I went to, for high school sophomores. Not only was that record the hit of the weekend, providing the musical soundtrack for the event, but even the monks got into it and kept asking me to replay it! 

 

JC

[firedog]

7 minutes ago, TubeLover said:

I remember the day I bought that album, just after it was released, as though it was yesterday. I bought Deja Vu on the way to a weekend retreat with some monks that was sponsored by the Catholic School that I went to, for high school sophomores. Not only was that record the hit of the weekend, providing the musical soundtrack for the event, but even the monks got into it and kept asking me to replay it! 

 

JC

And I bet you were playing it on a really high quality table and cartridge that preserved it in a pristine manner (of course it also got cleaned before each spin)..... seven inch platter?

[TubeLover]

11 hours ago, JoshM said:

 

Thank you! I’m always looking for suggestions, too, if you have ideas. I have a very long master list that I work from, and I’m happy to add albums to it if they’re not already on there. 

 

I usually start research two or so columns ahead of time. Right now, I think Electric Warrior is next. Innervisions likely will follow that. But Wish You Were Here and Blue are also in various stages of research. 

 

I try to aim for albums that are classic, have interesting production stories, and have enough digital masterings to keep things interesting on the analysis front. (Unfortunately a lot of albums I’d love to write about fail the last category.)

Well, thus far, you've been right in my wheelhouse, for the most part, since Hounds of Love, So, Surrealistic Pillow and the Crosby Stills and Nash debut album are all in my twenty five best rock era albums ever, and Aja isn't far behind. 

 

Things that immediately come to mind are Close To The Edge, by Yes, Electric Ladyland by Hendrix, Who's Next, and The Moody Blues, "Days of The Future Passed. I'll admit that your plans for Joni Mitchell's Blue have me very interested too. 

 

JC

 

[TubeLover]

15 minutes ago, firedog said:

And I bet you were playing it on a really high quality table and cartridge that preserved it in a pristine manner (of course it also got cleaned before each spin)..... seven inch platter?

It wasn't absolute crap, but yes, certainly not remotely a high quality table and cartridge, heck, I was only 15! I did try to clean the discs though, based on someone telling me I should. 

 

JC

[Josh Mound]

20 hours ago, TubeLover said:

Well, thus far, you've been right in my wheelhouse, for the most part, since Hounds of Love, So, Surrealistic Pillow and the Crosby Stills and Nash debut album are all in my twenty five best rock era albums ever, and Aja isn't far behind. 

 

Things that immediately come to mind are Close To The Edge, by Yes, Electric Ladyland by Hendrix, Who's Next, and The Moody Blues, "Days of The Future Passed. I'll admit that your plans for Joni Mitchell's Blue have me very interested too. 

 

JC

 

 

On 8/8/2019 at 1:51 PM, firedog said:

 

Derek and the Dominos - Layla. I think it will fit your criteria.

 

Layla is on my list, as are albums from Yes, Hendrix, and The Who. Close to the Edge is in the lead for Yes, and I’ve already done some preliminary stuff (ordering books and CDs) moving in that direction. For The Who, I’m torn between Who’s Next, which is more iconic, and Quadrophenia, which is my personal favorite. The Hendrix decision will be hard, too. 

[Ralf11]

if we get to vote, I vote Layla

[TubeLover]

2 hours ago, JoshM said:

 

 

Layla is on my list, as are albums from Yes, Hendrix, and The Who. Close to the Edge is in the lead for Yes, and I’ve already done some preliminary stuff (ordering books and CDs) moving in that direction. For The Who, I’m torn between Who’s Next, which is more iconic, and Quadrophenia, which is my personal favorite. The Hendrix decision will be hard, too. 

I understand, Josh, we are dealing with some of the greatest examples of musical art ever produced. Though, with Jimi Hendrix, it simply has to be Electric Ladyland. That was his zenith. And as for choosing between Who's Next, and Quadrophenia, a very difficult choice. Though I think Who's Next was a significantly more important work, historically, as much as I love Quadrophenia. As for Yes, I was fortunate enough to follow them from the beginning, and to see the Fragile, Close to The Edge and all later tours of significance. If you chose Fragile over Close, I would understand. 

 

JC

[firedog]

3 hours ago, JoshM said:

 

 

Layla is on my list, as are albums from Yes, Hendrix, and The Who. Close to the Edge is in the lead for Yes, and I’ve already done some preliminary stuff (ordering books and CDs) moving in that direction. For The Who, I’m torn between Who’s Next, which is more iconic, and Quadrophenia, which is my personal favorite. The Hendrix decision will be hard, too. 

Acoustic Sounds has been showing for about a year a "coming soon" graphic for an SACD/DSD version of "Are you Experienced" in both mono and stereo, made from the master tape. If you are considering that one, you might want to wait for their remaster.
As far as the Who and "Layla" - a lot of people like the Japanese SHM remasters - you  might those to be on your list.
 

I also have 24.192  Japanese versions of  Quadrophenia and Tommy  from about 6 years ago sold by Onkyo that aren't available anymore. Think they sound great. AFAIK they are from a master tape transfer, but it isn't clear if it's a new tape transfer or from  a new DSD conversion of the tape made back then. 

[Le Concombre Masqué]

On 8/7/2019 at 10:07 PM, JoshM said:

 

Thanks so much! It’s so nice to know the TBVOs are appreciated. 

very much ; especially when you turn the projector on versions I have overlooked

[Le Concombre Masqué]

35 minutes ago, TubeLover said:

I understand, Josh, we are dealing with some of the greatest examples of musical art ever produced. Though, with Jimi Hendrix, it simply has to be Electric Ladyland. That was his zenith. And as for choosing between Who's Next, and Quadrophenia, a very difficult choice. Though I think Who's Next was a significantly more important work, historically, as much as I love Quadrophenia. As for Yes, I was fortunate enough to follow them from the beginning, and to see the Fragile, Close to The Edge and all later tours of significance. If you chose Fragile over Close, I would understand. 

 

JC

if you do Electric Ladyland, include the MCH. Thanks to HQP's matrix I can play it on my stereo system and it's a blast

[Josh Mound]

On 8/6/2019 at 8:09 PM, MikeyFresh said:

 

Correct, older than 1993 is the Diament mastering, with the possible exception of the original 1987 Japanese CD release of this title (credited to Bernie Grundman and Stanley Johnston).

 

I finally received the 1987 Japan CD, and it is the Diament mastering.