"Allies"

1983 Atlantic

 

  

 

PERSONAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

Released 20th June 1983, "Allies" was received with mixed reviews, especially this side of the Atlantic where it was released to coincide with CSN's European summer tour.

The album consists of two studio tracks, recorded without Crosby while he was touring as a solo artist, and live tracks recorded in 1977 and 1982.

I'm going to come into a lot of stick for my next comments especially from our cousins across the pond...but, hey these are my opinions!!

This album totally epitomises what went wrong with CSN in the eighties. Gift wrapped and commercialised, this album is my second most hated of their recordings...can you guess the first?!?

Recorded, or rather released, as David Crosby was being murdered by the press all over the world for his tragic addiction to free-base cocaine, this album did little to win back the CSN buying public.

What drew the English public to the fab three/four was their enigmatic approach to the end of an era that changed popular music forever. The way they had such diverse tastes and egos. The way they sounded on "4 Way Street". Of course, the hardened fans went to see them play at Wembley that year, I did!! But if they/I were honest with their opinions of the shows, they'd tell a woeful tale. It was my first CSN show and I'd already seen it in my mind. Imagining it to be like "4 Way Street" minus Neil, I was expecting a small quiet stage, dimly lit, the three of them with acoustic guitars sitting on stools regally placed upon an old Turkish carpet, as described by my father in 1974. But no, it was all "flying V" electric's and mysterious solo sets whilst David left the stage. Sorry, I've drifted from the subject matter here...or have I?

This album is full of "if only's". If only they'd been more like they were in 74, if only they'd just had a successful album released, if only Crosby hadn't been out of his mind on cocaine...if only they'd been CSN!!

One...umm...no, just one good track here, the beautifully sung "He played real good for free". Crosby does the Joan Mitchell song credit here, unlike the '..we turned it into a CSN song!!' cover of "Blackbird".

I'd say this album was more of an American CSN album than a European one. Too bland and 'rock-star' for the UK market, this album was soon deleted and only became available in second hand shops and then on Japanese imported CD.

A word of warning, if you have a friend who hasn't heard any CSN stuff before...don't play them this one first!! It's a shame...but I still loved them!!