CSNY 1974 is the newly-released, retrospective
live album of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s infamous 1974 stadium tour, a
tour which many rock historians consider to be the first major stadium rock
tour. This live retrospective is being released in several formats, something
which is pretty standard these days for nostalgia releases like this one. I
managed to get my hands on the cheaper single disc release, although you can
upgrade to the more expensive deluxe and super deluxe editions which contain multiple
discs of the entire set-list, as well as god knows what else. What’s the point
I say unless you are a collector, or like to look at photocopies of old
tickets. For me anyway a standard one disc version does the trick just nicely.
The tracks on
this album were recorded at various concerts across the tour and according to
Graham Nash who supervised and helped produce this release, some cutting and
pasting of songs took place, although you wouldn’t know from listening as the
production and sound quality is pretty good I must say. This comes as a relief as
there is nothing worse than a live album with poor sound quality, something
which is often the case with live albums, especially from decades gone by where
the technology was not as good.
So what is
the music like? I for one was quite intrigued when I heard this album was
coming out as I have always thought about how CSNY would sound live, given how
good they sound on record. Thankfully there is plenty on here to satisfy and
interest the listener and there are little moments which do make the listener
take notice. For example, one thing I did like was hearing Young’s backing
vocals on tracks he did not originally appear on. So obviously I am talking CSN
tracks here and some of the solo material from the other three. Likewise, it
was great hearing Crosby, Stills & Nash sing in harmony together on Young’s
solo stuff, “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and “Old Man” were two particular
standouts. The ending to “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” provided one of the
high points of the album when the four of them sang the final verse a cappella
in what can only be described as a spine tingling moment. The version on here
of “Teach Your Children” was also another great moment, with the voices
moulding so well together, something which in itself amazes me considering the
noise that would come from playing in front of fifty-plus thousand people.
Album closer “Ohio” was the icing on the cake. A stellar version which included
some amazing guitar dulling between Stills and Young, two six-string maestros
going at full tilt in what really was a moment of 70s rock ecstasy and the
perfect way to end on.
All in all a
very interesting retrospective look into CSNY live as they were in 1974, and as
they could have continued to be if they actually liked each other. As a live
recording it’s not going to blow any of the great live albums out of the water,
but there were some nice moments amidst some lesser ones as well, something
which maybe comes down to song quality and the difference between Stills and
Young, who are frankly better song-writers, and the other two. In the end
definitely worthwhile as an historical exercise and worth a release, all be it
forty years later.
B
- Sam
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