"Deja Vu"

1970 Atlantic

 

Musicians

Vocals: David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash & Neil Young

Guitars: David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash & Neil Young

Lead Guitars: Stephen Stills & Neil Young

Steel Guitar: Jerry Garcia

Mouth Harp: John Sebastian

Bass: Stephen Stills & Greg reeves

Organ: Neil Young

Pianno: Neil Young & Graham Nash

Drums: Dallas Taylor

PERSONAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

This was their first, and almost their last studio outing as a foursome. Again regarded as one of the (I quote) "The best albums of the sixties, that epitomises an era of love and peace". This is strange really considering it wasn't released until 1970!!

It is a good album, full of great songs and powerful lyrics. But the recording of this album was dogged by personal wranglings over relationships and musical differences. In fact, it's a small wonder that this album did get finished. It did and was released on 23rd March 1970. It was received to much critical acclaim. In fact so much acclaim, that for a while the four members of this, the first 'Super-Group', couldn't put a foot wrong. All four subsequently released solo albums in the coming year (for Young it was to be his third). All were Kings sitting on top of the heady mountain left by the demise of Beatlemania. Despite all of their successes it would take them nearly twenty years to record and release another album together.

I personally find this album a mixture of good and bad vibes. The single unity that gave the "Crosby, Stills & Nash" album a feeling of 'one cause, three voices' is missing on this album. Yes, the three part harmonies were sometimes improved by the additional voice, but the whole album is missing something. It felt, to me, that it was just a collection of solo efforts intended for solo albums, the exception perhaps being the title track.

My own favourite from this album is "4+20". This song, again a complete solo recording, is without a doubt one of the best songs ever written.

As I said, we would have to wait for nearly twenty years for them to resurrect this spirit again...read on!!