Stephen Stills | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Famed for his work in Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash, two of pop musics most successful and enduring groups, Stephen Stills was born in Dallas, Texas, on January 3, 1945. He became fascinated by music at a young age, and by the age of 15 was playing professionally. He eventually dropped out of college to move to New York City to try his hand as a folk performer before signing on as a guitar player with the Au Go-Go Singers, where he befriended a fellow bandmate named Richie Furay. After a tour of Canada (during which they headlined a bill with the Squires, which featured guitarist Neil Young), Stills left the Au Go-Gos in 1965 for Los Angeles, where he became enmeshed in the citys burgeoning folk-rock community. After a series of session gigs and auditions (including one for the TV series The Monkees), in the spring of 1966 Stills enlisted Young, Furay, bassist Bruce Palmer, and drummer Dewey Martin to form the Herd, later dubbed the Buffalo Springfield. A year later, the group issued their eponymous debut; its Stills-penned single "For What Its Worth," made them stars. Internal problems, ego clashes, and drugs were already tearing the band apart, however, and by the release of 1968s Last Time Around, the Springfield had already dissolved. Stills quickly resurfaced with 1968s Super Session, recorded with fellow guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper. A jam session with ex-Byrd David Crosby and former Hollies member Graham Nash led to the formation of the vocal harmony supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash; released in 1969, their self-titled debut was hugely successful, propelled by the single "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," written by Stills for folksinger Judy Collins. Later that year, Neil Young joined the loose-knit group, and in 1970, as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, they issued Déjà Vu, another major hit. From its inception, CSNY were designed to allow the individual performers great latitude for their solo work, and following the recording of the groups live LP Four Way Street, in late 1970 Stills released his self-titled solo debut. Sparked by the success of the hit single "Love the One Youre With," the album, which featured cameos from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, was another smash, as was his 1971 follow-up Stephen Stills 2. In 1972, Stills began performing with a new backing unit, Manassas, which featured ex-Byrd and Flying Burrito Brother Chris Hillman; both their eponymous debut and 1973s Down the Road continued Stills long string of chart successes. In 1975, he celebrated his signing to Columbia with Stills, followed a year later by Illegal Stills. In the summer of 1976, he planned to tour with Neil Young; however, Young was hampered with throat problems, so Stills took to the road alone, although he and Young did team for the LP Long May You Run. In 1977, Stills reunited with Crosby and Nash for CSN, which sold over four million copies; the following summer, the trio mounted an acoustic tour, and Stills issued the solo record Thoroughfare Gap. CSN continued their reunion throughout the early years of the next decade, teaming in 1980 for Replay and in 1982 for Daylight Again, which featured the hits "Southern Cross" and "Wasted on the Way." Following 1983s live CSN effort Allies, Stills again went solo for 1984s Right by You. In 1985, Crosby was sent to prison on drug possession charges, and Stills spent much of the late 80s out of the public eye. Following Crosbys release, in 1988 the reconstituted Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young recorded American Dream, followed in 1990 by the CSN release Live It Up. In 1991, Stills issued the solo LP Stills Alone, while CSNs After the Storm appeared in 1994. Stills, Young, and Furay finally reunited as Buffalo Springfield for a pair of shows at Youngs annual Bridge School Benefit in the fall of 2010. It wasnt a complete reunion, since bassist Bruce Palmer had died in 2004 and drummer Dewey Martin passed in 2009, but the three singers used drummer Joe Vitale and bassist Rick Rosas to fill in. The same configuration played six concerts in the spring of 2011 but reportedly did no studio work. Afterward, Stills formed the Rides with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Barry Goldberg. Their debut, Cant Get Enough, arrived in 2013; their second album, Pierced Arrow, followed in 2016. In 2017, Stills released Everybody Knows, a duet album with his former muse Judy Collins. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 17 Title: Super Session Released: 1968-07-22 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:17:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Albert’s Shuffle (06:54) 2 Stop (04:18) 3 Man’s Temptation (03:25) 4 His Holy Modal Majesty (09:12) 5 Really (05:26) 6 It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (03:29) 7 Season of the Witch (11:07) 8 You Don’t Love Me (04:10) 9 Harvey’s Tune (02:07) 10 Alberts Shuffle (2002 remix w/o horns) (06:58) 11 Season of the Witch (2002 remix w/o horns) (11:07) 12 Blues for Nothing (session outtake) (04:15) 13 Fat Grey Cloud (live) (04:38) |
| Super Session : Allmusic album Review : As the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) had done a year earlier, Super Session (1968) initially ushered in several new phases in rock & rolls concurrent transformation. In the space of months, the soundscape of rock shifted radically from short, danceable pop songs to comparatively longer works with more attention to technical and musical subtleties. Enter the unlikely all-star triumvirate of Al Kooper (piano/organ/ondioline/vocals/guitars), Mike Bloomfield (guitar), and Stephen Stills (guitar) -- all of whom were concurrently "on hiatus" from their most recent engagements. Kooper had just split after masterminding the groundbreaking Child Is Father to the Man (1968) version of Blood, Sweat & Tears. Bloomfield was fresh from a stint with the likewise brass-driven Electric Flag, while Stills was late of Buffalo Springfield and still a few weeks away from a full-time commitment to David Crosby and Graham Nash. Although the trio never actually performed together, the long-player was notable for idiosyncratically featuring one side led by the team of Kooper/Bloomfield and the other by Kooper/Stills. The band is fleshed out with the powerful rhythm section of Harvey Brooks (bass) and Eddie Hoh (drums) as well as Barry Goldberg (electric piano) on "Alberts Shuffle" and "Stop." The Chicago blues contingency of Bloomfield, Brooks, and Goldberg provide a perfect outlet for the three Kooper/Bloomfield originals -- the first of which commences the project with the languid and groovy "Alberts Shuffle." The guitarists thin tone cascades with empathetic fluidity over the propelling rhythms. Koopers frisky organ solo alternately bops and scats along as he nudges the melody forward. The same can be said of the interpretation of "Stop," which had originally been a minor R&B hit for Howard Tate. Curtis Mayfields "Mans Temptation" is given a soulful reading that might have worked equally well as a Blood, Sweat & Tears cover. At over nine minutes, "His Holy Modal Majesty" is a fun trippy waltz and includes one of the most extended jams on the Kooper/Bloomfield side. The track also features the hurdy-gurdy and Eastern-influenced sound of Koopers electric ondioline, which has a slightly atonal and reedy timbre much like that of John Coltranes tenor sax. Because of some health issues, Bloomfield was unable to complete the recording sessions and Kooper contacted Stills. Immediately his decidedly West Coast sound -- which alternated from a chiming Rickenbacker intonation to a faux pedal steel -- can be heard on the upbeat version of Bob Dylans "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry." One of the albums highlights is the scintillating cover of "Season of the Witch." There is an undeniable synergy between Kooper and Stills, whose energies seems to aurally drive the other into providing some inspired interaction. Updating the blues standard "You Dont Love Me" allows Stills to sport some heavily distorted licks, which come off sounding like Jimi Hendrix. This is one of those albums that seems to get better with age and that gets the full reissue treatment every time a new audio format comes out. This is a super session indeed. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 17 Title: Stephen Stills Released: 1970-11 Tracks: 10 Duration: 38:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Love the One You’re With (03:06) 2 Do for the Others (02:52) 3 Church (Part of Someone) (04:05) 4 Old Times Good Times (03:39) 5 Go Back Home (05:54) 6 Sit Yourself Down (03:05) 7 To a Flame (03:08) 8 Black Queen (05:26) 9 Cherokee (03:23) 10 We Are Not Helpless (04:18) |
| Stephen Stills : Allmusic album Review : Talk about understatement -- theres Stephen Stills on the cover, acoustic guitar in hand, promising a personal singer/songwriter-type statement. And there is some of that -- even a lot of that personal music-making -- on Stephen Stills, but its all couched in astonishingly bold musical terms. Stephen Stills is top-heavy with 1970 sensibilities, to be sure, from the dedication to the memory of Jimi Hendrix to the now piggish-seeming message of "Love the One Youre With." Yet, listening to this album three decades on, its still a jaw-dropping experience, the musical equal to Crosby, Stills & Nash or Déjà Vu, and only a shade less important than either of them. The mix of folk, blues (acoustic and electric), hard rock, and gospel is seamless, and the musicianship and the singing are all so there, in your face, that it just burns your brain (in the nicest, most benevolent possible way) even decades later. Recorded amid the breakup of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Stills first solo album was his effort to put together his own sound and, not surprisingly, its similar to a lot of stuff on the groups two albums. But its also infinitely more personal, as well as harder and bluesier in many key spots; yet, its every bit as soft and as lyrical as the group in other spots, and all laced with a degree of yearning and urgency that far outstrips virtually anything he did with the group. "Love the One Youre With," which started life as a phrase that Stills borrowed from Billy Preston at a party, is the song from this album that everybody knows, but its actually one of the lesser cuts here -- not much more than a riff and an upbeat lyric and mood, albeit all of it infectious. "Do for the Others," by contrast, is one of the prettiest and most moving pieces of music that Stills has ever been associated with, and "Church (Part of Someone)" showed him moving toward gospel and R&B (and good at it, too); and then theres "Old Times Good Times," musically as good a rock song as Stills has ever recorded (even if it borrows a bit from "Pre-Road Downs"), and featuring Jimi Hendrix on lead guitar. "Go Back Home" (which has Eric Clapton on guitar) is fine a piece of bluesy hard rock, while "Sit Yourself Down" features superb singing by Stills and a six-person backing chorus (that includes Cass Elliot, Graham Nash, and David Crosby) around a great tune. "To a Flame" is downright ethereal, while the live "Black Queen" is a superb piece of acoustic blues. All of this is presented by Stills in the best singing voice of his career up to that point, bolder, more outgoing, and more powerful (a result of his contact with Doris Troy) than anything in his previous output. He also plays lots of instruments (à la Crosby, Stills & Nash, which is another reason it sounds so similar to the group in certain ways), though a bit more organ than guitar, thanks to the presence of Hendrix and Clapton on two cuts. If the album has a flaw, its the finale, "We Are Not Helpless," which slightly overstays its welcome. But hey, this was still the late 60s, and excess was the rule, not the exception, and its such modest excess. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 17 Title: Stephen Stills 2 Released: 1971-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Change Partners (03:14) 2 Nothin to Do but Today (02:40) 3 Fishes and Scorpions (03:13) 4 Sugar Babe (04:04) 5 Know You Got to Run (03:50) 6 Open Secret (05:00) 7 Relaxing Town (02:20) 8 Singin Call (03:01) 9 Ecology Song (03:22) 10 Word Game (04:13) 11 Marianne (02:27) 12 Bluebird Revisited (05:23) |
| Stephen Stills 2 : Allmusic album Review : Flushed with the success of his first solo effort and the continuing adulation from his role in the supergroup CSNY, Stephen Stills must have felt like he could do no wrong, and in many instances, his second solo disc proves him right. The superb "Marianne" and "Change Partners" more than satisfy the listener, while the dark and brooding "Know You Got to Run" and the prophetic "Fishes and Scorpions" are prime examples of his power as a singer and a songwriter. But when he misses the mark, as on "Ecology Song," he misses it by a mile and then some. Besides that cut, "Bluebird Revisited" is pure self-indulgence that someone of his craft and technique should have known better than to include here -- or anywhere. But with CD players, one can omit anything offending and concentrate on whats good about Stephen Stills 2. Cut the disc in half, and you have a very enjoyable listening experience. As for the rest, well, lets just say youve been warned. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 17 Title: 2 Originals of Stephen Stills Released: 1973 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:21:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Love the One You’re With (03:06) 2 Do for the Others (02:52) 3 Church (Part of Someone) (04:05) 4 Old Times Good Times (03:39) 5 Go Back Home (05:54) 6 Sit Yourself Down (03:05) 7 To a Flame (03:08) 8 Black Queen (05:26) 9 Cherokee (03:23) 10 We Are Not Helpless (04:18) 1 Change Partners (03:14) 2 Nothin to Do but Today (02:40) 3 Fishes and Scorpions (03:13) 4 Sugar Babe (04:04) 5 Know You Got to Run (03:50) 6 Open Secret (05:00) 7 Relaxing Town (02:20) 8 Singin Call (03:01) 9 Ecology Song (03:22) 10 Word Game (04:13) 11 Marianne (02:27) 12 Bluebird Revisited (05:23) |
 | Album: 5 of 17 Title: Live Released: 1975 Tracks: 9 Duration: 34:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Wooden Ships (06:28) 2 Four Days Gone (03:50) 3 Jet Set (Sigh) / Rocky Mountain Way / Jet Set (Sigh) (05:26) 4 Special Care (03:27) 5 Change Partners (02:50) 6 Crossroads / You Cant Catch Me (04:30) 7 Everybodys Talkin at Me (02:15) 8 4 + 20 (02:11) 9 Word Game (03:58) |
| Live : Allmusic album Review : This live record features Stephen Stills with a great voice that may be a bit weary but is, perhaps, even more emotional and personal. Separated into an acoustic side and an electric side, Stills triumphs during both sets. The electric side is highlighted by the tight "Wooden Ships," while the acoustic side shines with "Change Partners" and a frenetic version of "Crossroads." | ||
 | Album: 6 of 17 Title: Stills Released: 1975-06-17 Tracks: 12 Duration: 38:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Turn Back the Pages (04:04) 2 My Favorite Changes (02:50) 3 My Angel (02:25) 4 In the Way (03:35) 5 Love Story (04:15) 6 To Mama From Christopher and the Old Man (02:16) 7 First Things First (02:10) 8 New Mama (02:30) 9 As I Come of Age (02:37) 10 Shuffle Just as Bad (02:41) 11 Cold, Cold World (04:38) 12 Myth of Sisyphus (04:15) |
| Stills : Allmusic album Review : A new label brought about this lackluster attempt at reviving Stephen Stills career. MOR arrangements capsize such potentially good tunes like "My Favorite Changes," "First Things First," and a cover of Neil Youngs "New Mama." Includes a Crosby, Stills & Nash track, "As I Come of Age," that should have been a hit. Unfortunately, its the only bright spot on a rather dull release. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 17 Title: Right by You Released: 1984 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 50/50 (04:21) 2 Stranger (02:54) 3 Flaming Heart (03:18) 4 Love Again (03:45) 5 No Problem (04:10) 6 Cant Let Go (04:06) 7 Grey to Green (03:10) 8 Only Love Can Break Your Heart (03:05) 9 No Hiding Place (03:56) 10 Right by You (05:03) |
| Right by You : Allmusic album Review : See the racing boat taking off into outer space on the front cover. Flip the jacket over, and see Stephen Stills apparently co-piloting just such a ship, and youll understand why the title of this album is so right. Its "Right by You" in so many ways, although it does contain a good bluegrass tune "No Hiding Place" and lead guitar by one Jimmy Page on several cuts. Maybe this was where Stills thought of sailing off into the sunset. This album didnt help his career. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 17 Title: Stills Alone Released: 1991-09-11 Tracks: 10 Duration: 35:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Isnt It So (03:08) 2 Everybodys Talkin (03:19) 3 Just Isnt Like You (02:27) 4 In My Life (02:32) 5 The Ballad of Hollis Brown (04:12) 6 Singin Call (02:50) 7 The Right Girl (03:19) 8 Blind Fiddler Medley (05:35) 9 Amazonia (03:26) 10 Treetop Flyer (04:54) |
| Stills Alone : Allmusic album Review : This is the disc that Stephen Stills fans always hoped hed make. Stills Alone is just Stephen doing what he does the best, picking and singing in a style all his own. Put this on, and what you have is Stills in your living room playing your very own private concert. From Fred Neils "Everybodys Talkin" to the Beatles "In My Life," right on through to Stephens own compositions, everything here seems to click. Of note is the sensational "Blind Fiddler Medley." From one of the veterans of the rock & roll wars, Stills has put out a spectacular solo effort in the true sense of the word. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 17 Title: Manassas Released: 1996-01-01 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:11:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Song Of Love (03:27) 2 Rock & Roll Crazies / Cuban Bluegrass (03:32) 3 Jet Set (Sigh) (04:23) 4 Anyway (03:19) 5 Both Of Us (Bound To Lose) (03:02) 6 Fallen Eagle (02:05) 7 Jesus Gave Love Away For Free (03:01) 8 Colorado (02:53) 9 So Begins The Task (03:59) 10 Hide It So Deep (02:46) 11 Dont Look At My Shadow (02:30) 12 It Doesnt Matter (02:30) 13 Johnnys Garden (02:46) 14 Bound To Fall (01:53) 15 How Far (02:52) 16 Move Around (04:15) 17 The Love Gangster (02:52) 18 What To Do (04:45) 19 Right Now (02:59) 20 The Treasure (Take One) (08:05) 21 Blues Man (04:04) |
| Manassas : Allmusic album Review : A sprawling masterpiece, akin to the Beatles White Album, the Stones Exile on Main St., or Wilcos Being There in its makeup, if not its sound. Rock, folk, blues, country, Latin, and bluegrass have all been styles touched on in Stephen Stills career, and the skilled, energetic musicians he had gathered in Manassas played them all on this album. What could have been a disorganized mess in other hands, though, here all gelled together and formed a cohesive musical statement. The songs are thematically grouped: part one (side one on the original vinyl release) is titled "The Raven," and is a composite of rock and Latin sounds that the group would often perform in full live. "The Wilderness" mainly centers on country and bluegrass (Chris Hillmans and Al Perkins talents coming to the forefront), with the track "So Begins the Task" later covered by Stills old flame Judy Collins. Part three, "Consider" is largely folk and folk-rock. "Johnnys Garden," reportedly for the caretaker at Stills English manor house and not for John Lennon as is often thought, is a particular highlight. Two other notables from the "Consider" section are "It Doesnt Matter" (later redone with different lyrics by the songs uncredited co-writer Rick Roberts on the first Firefall album) and "Move Around," which features some of the first synthesizer used in a rock context. The closing section, titled "Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay," is a rock and blues set with one of the landmarks of Manassas short life, the epic "The Treasure." A sort of Zen-like meditation on love and "oneness," enlivened by the bands most inspired recorded playing it evolves into a bluesy groove washed in Stills fierce electric slide playing. The delineation lines of the four themed song groupings arent cut in stone, though, and one of the strengths of the album is that there is a lot of overlap in styles throughout. The CD reissues remastered sound is excellent, though missed is the foldout poster and handwritten lyrics from the original vinyl release. Unfortunately, the album has been somewhat overlooked over the years, even though Stills considers it some of the best work he has done. Bill Wyman (who guested on "The Love Gangster") has said he would have quit the Rolling Stones to join Manassas. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 17 Title: Turnin Back the Pages Released: 2003-11-04 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:18:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 As I Come of Age (02:38) 2 In the Way (03:38) 3 New Mama (02:30) 4 Cold Cold World (04:37) 5 Love Story (04:14) 6 Turn Back the Pages (04:06) 7 First Things First (02:17) 8 Stateline Blues (01:59) 9 The Loner (04:16) 10 Buyin Time (03:37) 11 Soldier (03:01) 12 Closer to You (03:37) 13 Ring of Love (04:03) 14 Circlin (04:19) 15 Midnight Rider (03:42) 16 Not Fade Away (03:31) 17 Cant Get No Booty (03:49) 18 Whats the Game? (03:38) 19 Thoroughfare Gap (03:33) 20 Beaucoup Yumbo (03:41) 21 You Dont Love Me (04:10) 22 It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (03:28) |
| Turnin' Back the Pages : Allmusic album Review : Australian reissue label Raven fills in a hole in Stephen Stills catalog by assembling the compilation Turnin Back the Pages, which surveys Stills three-LP stint on Columbia Records, 1976-1978. The first two of Stills Columbia albums, Stills and Illegal Stills, have been issued on CD, but the third, Thoroughfare Gap, has not, so the selections from that disc are making their digital debut here. The 78-plus-minute CD contains more than half of Stills Columbia output, seven of ten tracks from Stills, eight of ten from Illegal Stills, and five of 12 from Thoroughfare Gap. Annotator Glenn A. Baker (who conceived and compiled the collection) points out that Stills solo recording career at the time was damaged by a confusing glut of product: in 1975, Stills had to compete with Stills Live album, issued by Stills previous label, Atlantic; in 1976, Illegal Stills had both the Stills-Young Bands Long May You Run on Reprise and the Atlantic best-of Still Stills: The Best of Stephen Stills to contend with; and Crosby, Stills & Nash re-formed for Atlantics CSN in 1977, which undercut the impact of 1978s Thoroughfare Gap. This is true, but it should be pointed out as well that Stills was contributing songs to the Stills-Young and CSN records, in some cases better ones than he reserved for his solo discs. "As I Come of Age," actually a CSN track from an abortive 1974 session, and "Turn Back the Pages," Stills only charting single on Columbia, were up to his usual standard, but the Columbia albums also found him doing a fair number of unnecessary covers (Neil Youngs "New Mama" and "The Loner," Gregg Allmans "Midnight Rider," Buddy Hollys "Not Fade Away") and even letting co-writer Donnie Dacus take over lead vocals on "Closer to You" and "Ring of Love." Certainly, there are passages on these sides that remind the listener of Stills talents as a guitarist and songwriter, but much of the time he seems to have been putting only his second-best efforts into his solo recordings. The Raven collection chooses well (and the decision to end with two tracks from the 1968 Super Session album with Al Kooper is wise), but there is too much weak material here for the album to revise prevailing opinion about the Columbia albums as minor Stills. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 17 Title: Man Alive! Released: 2005-07-05 Tracks: 13 Duration: 57:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Ain’t It Always (03:25) 2 Feed the People (04:24) 3 Hearts Gate (03:02) 4 ’Round the Bend (05:10) 5 I Don’t Get It (03:36) 6 Around Us (03:48) 7 Ole Man Trouble (04:59) 8 Different Man (02:14) 9 Piece of Me (04:06) 10 Wounded World (03:11) 11 Drivin’ Thunder (04:29) 12 Acadienne (04:07) 13 Spanish Suite (11:20) |
 | Album: 12 of 17 Title: Just Roll Tape: April 26. 1968 Released: 2007 Tracks: 13 Duration: 40:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 All I Know Is What You Tell Me (01:41) 2 So Begins the Task (02:26) 3 Change Partners (03:14) 4 Know Youve Got to Run (03:12) 5 The Doctor Will See You Now (02:38) 6 Black Queen (03:06) 7 Bumblebee (Do You Need a Place to Hide?) (01:54) 8 Judy (02:02) 9 Dreaming of Snakes (01:45) 10 Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (06:33) 11 Helplessly Hoping (02:11) 12 Wooden Ships (02:26) 13 Treetop Flyer (07:04) |
 | Album: 13 of 17 Title: Stills / Illegal Stills / Thoroughfare Gap Released: 2007-03-12 Tracks: 32 Duration: 1:50:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Turn Back the Pages (04:06) 2 My Favorite Changes (02:53) 3 My Angel (02:18) 4 In the Way (03:37) 5 Love Story (04:15) 6 To Mama From Christopher and the Old Man (02:16) 7 First Things First (02:06) 8 New Mama (02:30) 9 As I Come of Age (02:36) 10 Shuffle Just as Bad (02:41) 11 Cold Cold World (04:37) 12 Myth of Sisyphus (04:15) 13 Buyin Time (03:35) 14 Midnight in Paris (04:00) 15 Different Tongues (03:09) 16 Soldier (02:59) 17 The Loner (04:16) 18 Stateline Blues (01:59) 19 Closer to You (03:36) 20 No Me Niegas (03:33) 21 Ring of Love (04:02) 22 Circlin (04:22) 1 You Cant Dance Alone (04:22) 2 Thoroughfare Gap (03:35) 3 We Will Go On (02:47) 4 Beaucoup Yumbo (03:41) 5 Whats the Game (03:38) 6 Midnight Rider (03:42) 7 Woman Lieva (03:16) 8 Lowdown (03:48) 9 Not Fade Away (03:31) 10 Cant Get No Booty (03:49) |
| Stills / Illegal Stills / Thoroughfare Gap : Allmusic album Review : One of the less well-remembered sections of Stephen Stills recording career is chronicled on this two-CD set from British reissue label BGO -- his three-LP stint at Columbia Records in the mid- to late ‘70s. When Stills signed to Columbia in 1975, he was coming off the record-breaking 1974 reunion tour of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Like a professional sports team signing a veteran free-agent player, Columbia seems to have thought it was contracting a major star who could mint gold records. Thats the way it had worked several years earlier; in the wake of the first CSN&Y breakup in 1970, its individual members had all made gold-selling solo albums. What Columbia did not realize was that the second coming of the band, instead of serving as another springboard for each musician, instead produced an expectation in CSN&Ys audience that they would continue to come together and that what they did in their solo careers was just mark time until the next reunion. As ever, Neil Young was an exception to this rule, and David Crosby & Graham Nash as a duo, signing to ABC Records, showed that spinoffs could still sell if the label was aggressive in its promotion, going gold with Wind on the Water (September 1975) and Whistling Down the Wire (July 1976). At Columbia, however, Stills was expected to do the heavy lifting himself. He made a brave attempt with Stills (June 1975), his first album for the company. It was very much in the tradition of his previous solo albums Stephen Stills and Stephen Stills 2, featuring name guest stars including Crosby, Nash, Rick Roberts, and "English Richie" (Ringo Starr), and boasting anthemic folk-rock songs with strong choruses and plenty of tasty guitar work. In his lyrics, Stills reflected on his status as husband to French singer/songwriter Véronique Sanson and father to a son on such songs as "My Favorite Changes" and "To Mama from Christopher and the Old Man." In the same spirit, he also covered a Neil Young song, "New Mama." And he reunited Crosby, Stills & Nash for "As I Come of Age." All of that was enough to push Stills into the Top 20, barely, but the album was not a major hit. Its successor, Illegal Stills (April 1976), followed a mere ten months later and was one of those albums on which the artist hadnt had enough time to craft a full discs worth of good material. There was another Young cover, "The Loner," and Stills leaned heavily on singer/songwriter/guitarist Donnie Dacus, who wrote or co-wrote five songs and actually sang lead vocals on all or parts of three of them, "Midnight in Paris," "Closer to You," and "Ring of Love." In his lyrics, along with the romantic sentiments, Stills examined the failing U.S. economy on "Buyin Time" and, with Dacus, lamented the military victims of Vietnam in "Soldier." Sales were disappointing, with a peak at number 31 in Billboard. In the wake of the album, Stills embarked on an abortive tour with Young that managed to produce an album, Long May You Run (September 1976), and then reunited with Crosby and Nash for the multi-platinum Crosby, Stills & Nash comeback album CSN (June 1977). He still owed one album to Columbia, however, and he fulfilled that commitment with Thoroughfare Gap (October 1978). By now, Dacus was out of the picture and, if the lyrics were any indication, Stills personal life wasnt faring too well. He had always been interested in dance beats, particularly Latin rhythms, so it was no surprise that he jumped on the disco bandwagon with "You Cant Dance Alone," the leadoff track. The title song was an acoustic ballad that was thoughtful but somewhat ambiguous. Elsewhere, Stills expressed his romantic disappointment in self-written songs like "Whats the Game" as well as a cover of the Allman Brothers Bands "Midnight Rider" and a version of Buddy Hollys "Not Fade Away" with rewritten lyrics. On the whole, the album was not one of his better efforts, and it struggled to reach the Top 100. Stills, Illegal Stills, and Thoroughfare Gap have had a spotty presence on CD, and fans will welcome this reissue. They may want to skip John Toblers digressive liner notes, which are littered with factual errors and say next to nothing about these particular albums. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 17 Title: Live at Shepherd’s Bush Released: 2009-10-30 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:19:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Treetop Flyer (06:35) 2 4+20 (03:43) 3 Johnny’s Garden (03:15) 4 Change Partners (02:37) 5 Girl From the North Country (04:06) 6 Blind Fiddler (05:23) 7 Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (09:23) 8 Isn’t It About Time (05:12) 9 Rock & Roll Woman (06:46) 10 Wrong Thing to Do (06:16) 11 Wounded World / Rocky Mountain Way (07:30) 12 Bluebird (06:28) 13 For What It’s Worth (07:18) 14 Love the One You’re with (05:21) |
| Live at Shepherd’s Bush : Allmusic album Review : Stephen Stills October 2008 show at Shepherds Bush was designed as a showcase for the breadth of the singer/songwriters work, opening with acoustic numbers then working toward a full-blown electric set, touching on everything from Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash to Manassas and beyond. Stills doesnt avoid his crowd-pleasers -- "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "For What Its Worth," and "Love the One Youre With" all appear -- but chooses to spend most of his time digging deep, building his set around songs like "Change Partners," "Bluebird," "Rock & Roll Woman," and "Blind Fiddler," throwing in covers of Dylans "Girl from the North Country" and Tom Pettys "Wrong Thing to Do," which is particularly inspired. Stills is sometimes in rough voice, some of the arrangements are just a bit too slick -- a fault most apparent on those crowd-pleasers hes played countless times -- but the whole thing has a warm, engaging vibe; its a pleasing bit of nostalgia. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 17 Title: Carry On Released: 2013-02-26 Tracks: 82 Duration: 4:54:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Travelin’ (02:19) 2 High Flyin’ Bird (02:34) 3 Sit Down I Think I Love You (02:32) 4 Go and Say Goodbye (02:32) 5 For What It’s Worth (02:38) 6 Everydays (02:42) 7 Pretty Girl Why (02:27) 8 Bluebird (04:30) 9 Rock & Roll Woman (02:47) 10 Special Care (03:32) 11 Questions (02:55) 12 Uno Mundo (02:05) 13 Four Days Gone (demo) (03:47) 14 Who Ran Away? (02:20) 15 49 Reasons (02:44) 16 Helplessly Hoping (02:38) 17 You Don’t Have to Cry (02:44) 18 Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (07:24) 19 4 + 20 (02:11) 20 So Begins the Task (03:29) 21 The Lee Shore (02:58) 22 Carry On / Questions (04:26) 23 Woodstock (03:52) 1 Love the One You’re With (03:06) 2 Old Times Good Times (03:41) 3 Black Queen (05:29) 4 No-Name Jam (02:40) 5 Go Back Home (05:56) 6 Marianne (02:29) 7 My Love Is a Gentle Thing (01:24) 8 Fishes and Scorpions (03:17) 9 The Treasure (04:14) 10 To a Flame (03:10) 11 Cherokee (03:26) 12 Song of Love (03:26) 13 Rock & Roll Crazies / Cuban Bluegrass (03:31) 14 Jet Set (Sigh) (03:44) 15 It Doesn’t Matter (02:30) 16 Colorado (02:53) 17 Johnny’s Garden (02:46) 18 Change Partners (03:14) 19 Do for the Others (02:47) 20 Find the Cost of Freedom (02:25) 21 Little Miss Bright Eyes (02:11) 22 Isn’t It About Time (03:01) 1 Turn Back the Pages (04:04) 2 First Things First (02:22) 3 My Angel (02:36) 4 Love Story (04:15) 5 As I Come of Age (02:37) 6 Know You Got to Run (02:58) 7 Black Coral (04:25) 8 I Give You Give Blind (03:20) 9 Crossroads / You Can’t Catch Me (06:39) 10 See the Changes (02:58) 11 Thoroughfare Gap (03:33) 12 Lowdown (03:48) 13 Cuba Al Fin (edit) (04:53) 14 Dear Mr. Fantasy (06:21) 15 Spanish Suite (11:20) 16 Feel Your Love (04:27) 17 Raise a Voice (02:32) 18 Daylight Again (02:28) 1 Southern Cross (04:42) 2 Dark Star (04:52) 3 Turn You Back on Love (05:19) 4 War Games (02:19) 5 50 / 50 (04:21) 6 Welfare Blues (02:02) 7 Church (Part of Someone) (03:42) 8 I Don’t Get It (03:38) 9 Isn’t It So (03:08) 10 Haven’t We Lost Enough? (03:06) 11 The Ballad of Hollis Brown (04:08) 12 Treetop Flyer (04:55) 13 Heart’s Gate (02:59) 14 Girl From the North Country (03:46) 15 Feed the People (04:32) 16 Panama (04:14) 17 No Tears Left (04:54) 18 Ole Man Trouble (05:03) 19 Ain’t It Always (03:31) |
| Carry On : Allmusic album Review : The last of Crosby, Stills & Nash to receive his own multi-disc career retrospective, Stephen Stills is rewarded for his long wait with Carry On, the best of these box sets. Spanning four discs -- one CD longer than the either the 2006 David Crosby or 2009 Graham Nash boxes -- Carry On follows a pattern familiar from those Crosby and Nash sets, balancing unreleased material with all the big hits, deep cuts, and some alternate mixes, but where this set excels is in painting a full, robust portrait of Stills as a songwriter, guitarist, and musical wanderer, chronicling his peaks and valleys without lingering too long on the latter. Certainly, what lasts is Stills restlessness, how he was grounded in folk -- the first cut here finds a teenage Stills alone with his acoustic guitar, essaying "Travelin," not knowing that its restlessness would echo throughout his life -- but also found solace in blues and rock & roll, taking extended guitar sojourns either accompanied by Neil Young in Buffalo Springfield or Jimi Hendrix on his own (the unreleased "No-Name Jam" that pops up on the second disc). Often, Stills skills as a guitarist are underappreciated -- a byproduct of being a cornerstone of perhaps the biggest folk-rock trio of its time -- but his virtuosity is present throughout Carry On, as are his hippie leanings and his almost imperceptible but persistent desire to follow the trends of the time. As the set progresses, Stills follows almost every production of his time, surrounding himself with funky fusion players in the early 70s and eagerly succumbing to glistening synths in the 80s. His passion for Latin music is accentuated -- its there as early as "Uno Mundo" in Buffalo Springfield -- but so is his restless, searching spirit, a hunger that is somewhat dampened by the polished productions of the 80s and 90s, where the sparkle of synthesizers obscures the songs. Nevertheless, Stills acceptance of the precision production of the 80s and 90s is an important part of his story, and its possible to hear this box as a brief unintentional history of his time, as he abandons the earth and dirt of Buffalo Springfield and early CSN(&Y) for a slicker, softer sound. But thats part of what makes Carry On so fascinating: you can hear Stills slipping into an oddly crowd-pleasing mentality yet he still relies on the folk, blues, and rock that have always anchored him, so he never sounds like hes selling out; hes merely adapting to the times. And by not ignoring these flaws, Carry On winds up as a rousing, moving testament to a singer/songwriter/guitarist who often doesnt get the credit hes due. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 17 Title: Transmission Impossible Released: 2017-03-10 Tracks: 45 Duration: 3:29:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Change Partners (03:24) 2 Know You Got To Run (03:41) 3 Treetop Flyer (04:47) 4 Myth Of Sisyphus (03:54) 5 Crossroads/You Cant Catch Me (04:45) 6 4 + 20 (02:25) 7 Word Game (03:32) 8 Crossroads / You Cant Catch Me (05:03) 9 I Give You Give Blind (03:25) 10 Four Days Gone (04:00) 11 Black Coral (04:35) 12 Taken At All (03:35) 13 Stateline Blues (01:33) 14 Helplessly Hoping (02:51) 15 Myth Of Sisyphus (03:49) 16 Make Love To You (06:11) 17 49 Bye - Byes / For What Its Worth (04:24) 18 Everybodys Talkin (03:16) 19 Treetop Flyer (05:08) 1 Love The One Youre With (03:44) 2 Not Fade Away (03:41) 3 One Moment At A Time (05:09) 4 4 + 20 (03:06) 5 Everybodys Talkin (03:23) 6 Colorado (03:28) 7 Take Me Back To Ohio Valley (03:55) 8 Jesus Gave Love Away For Free (04:26) 9 Fallen Eagle (02:46) 10 Ole Man Trouble (08:00) 11 Thoroughfare Gap (03:59) 12 Crossroads / You Cant Catch Me (07:22) 13 49 Bye-Byes / For What Its Worth (16:02) 1 Midnight Rider (02:11) 2 So Begins The Task / Johnnys Garden (04:40) 3 The Ballad Of Hollis Brown (03:57) 4 Daylight Again/Find The Cost Of Freedom (03:40) 5 Love The One Youre With (05:39) 6 Change Partners (05:32) 7 Treetop Flyer (05:27) 8 Born Under A Bad Sign (05:16) 9 Long Time Gone (05:50) 10 Dark Star (07:59) 11 For What Its Worth (05:11) 12 Woodstock (05:58) 13 Born In Chicago (05:00) |
 | Album: 17 of 17 Title: Everybody Knows Released: 2017-09-22 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Handle With Care (03:43) 2 So Begins the Task (03:35) 3 River of Gold (03:36) 4 Judy (04:02) 5 Everybody Knows (05:26) 6 Houses (04:36) 7 Reason to Believe (02:57) 8 Girl From the North Country (03:26) 9 Who Knows Where the Time Goes (05:40) 10 Questions (03:44) |
| Everybody Knows : Allmusic album Review : Judy Collins provided Stephen Stills with the inspiration for "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," a song he composed in 1969 as their relationship was coming to an end. Lovers no more, the two remained friends over the years and decided to strike up a musical partnership nearly 50 years later, releasing Everybody Knows in September of 2017. The album deliberately plays off their past, with the duo reviving songs from their individual albums -- "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" from Collins; "So Begins the Task" from Stills -- and selecting covers from their peers, including the Traveling Wilburys "Handle with Care," Tim Hardins "Reason to Believe," Bob Dylans "Girl from the North Country," and Leonard Cohens "Everybody Knows," which also lends its name to the album title. Its a clean and crisp production, so much so that its transparency reveals the disparity between Collins sweet voice and Stills scraggly singing, a pairing that can sound as smooth as sandpaper. Nevertheless, theres an inherent warmth to Everybody Knows. Stills and Collins have a gentle, easy chemistry and the studio-slick supporting performances provide a nice bed for a project that is less nostalgia than a reassuring reminder of the comfort of growing old together. | ||