finetune artist: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

David Crosby (b. 14 August 1941, Los Angeles, California, USA), Stephen Stills (b. 3 January 1945, Dallas, Texas, USA) and Graham Nash (b. 2 February 1942, Blackpool, Lancashire, England) first came together in the 1969 supergroup Crosby, Stills And Nash before recruiting Neil Young (b. 12 November 1945, Toronto, Ontario, Canada). Ex-Clear Light member Dallas Taylor (b. 1948, Denver, Colorado, USA) who had played on the debut album from Crosby, Stills And Nash became the full-time drummer. Ex-Tamla-Motown session man Greg Reeves joined as bass player, but both Taylor and Reeves were only hired hands. That same year, the quartet appeared at the Woodstock festival and established a format of playing two sets, one acoustic and one electric, which showed off their musicianship to remarkable effect. Instant superstars, their 1970 album, Dj Vu, was one of the biggest sellers of the year and one of the most celebrated works of the early 70s. Its power came from the combined brilliance of the contributors and included some of their finest material, at a time when they were at their most inventive. Stills, the maestro, offered the startling "Carry On" with its driving rhythm and staggering high harmony, plus the stark melancholia of "4+20". Young contributed the suitably maudlin "Helpless" and an ambitious song suite, "Country Girl", which remains one of his most underrated songs. Nash's "Teach Your Children", with Jerry Garcia on steel guitar, was the group's personal favourite and remained a permanent number in their live set over the years. Finally, Crosby provided the jazz-influenced title track and the raw, searing "Almost Cut My Hair", one of the great anti-establishment songs of the period. There was even a US Top 10 single, courtesy of their reading of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock".

Listen to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at Finetune.

(1999) Looking Forward
(1994) So Far
(1992) 4 Way Street, CD 2
(1992) 4 Way Street
(1992) 4 Way Street

Teach Your Children
Our House
Woodstock
Ohio (Digitally Remastered LP Version)
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes