Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Deja Vu - Atlantic 1970

Tracks: 1. Carry On / 2. Teach Your Children / 3. Almost Cut My Hair / 4. Helpless / 5. Woodstock / 6. Déjà Vu / 7. Our House / 8. 4 + 20 / 9. Country Girl: Whiskey Boot Hill/Down, Down, Down/"Country Girl" (I Think You're Pretty) / 10. Everybody I Love You

Comments:

Crosby, Stills & Nash released their first album very succesful in 1969, and in 1970 with the addition of Neil Young they were ready to release a second album, "Deja Vu".

The three original members were all experienced songwriters and great singers, and with Neil Young on top of the hat, it could hardly go wrong; and It did not. All four members contribute two songs each. Moreover, the two old friends from Buffalo Springfield, Stills and Young together wrote the finale number, "Everybody I Love You". Finall they recorded a cover-version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" . The Woodstock Festival was an event the four members took an active part in.

There is a lot to go for on this album, not least the beautiful harmony vocal arrangements. The songwriting is also of very high class. Both Nash's contributions are among the best he has written, "Our House" is great and "Teach Your Children" has probably already become a classic, covered by several other artists

Both Neil Young's songs are also very fine - in particular the very moving to "Helpless".

Stills' upbeat "Carry On" is a perfect opening number. A complex composition that shows many different facets of the group. His quiet acoustic "4 and 20" is a sweet little song and one of the simplest on the album.

I've always had it a bit difficult with David Crosby's songs. They often seem somewhat convoluted. "Almost Cut My Hair" is a blues-like number, very well arranged, but with corny hippie-like lyrics. The titletrack is more unconventional - again with a somewhat pretentious lyrics.

The closing-track "Everybody I Love You" - sounds much like a Steve Stills number, almost as good as the opening-track. "Woodstock" is probably the most rocking song on the album - strong but perhaps not as interesting as the group's own original songs.


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