One of the most talented musicians and songwriters of the late 1960s and early ’70s, Stephen Stills is also a confounding one. It’s hard to think of an artist who had a better streak of songwriting from 1966-73 while playing with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills & Nash and CSN & Young, followed by a stunning … Continue reading Pieces of Stephen Stills
Usually when demos make up an album or are included as bonus tracks, you can often expect rough sonics, less than perfect performances and songwriting that is evolving. On Crosby, Stills & Nash’s recently released Demos, produced by Graham Nash and Joel Bernstein, that’s not the case. The sound is pristine, the performances near flawless and … Continue reading Stripped down Crosby, Stills & Nash
Last year I picked five albums I considered the best of the year. This time I’m upping it to 10 with a few bubbling under and some added tidbits. 1. Already Free, The Derek Trucks Band: Traditional blues with modern sensibilities and influences from jazz, roots and world music, all played by an array of accomplished … Continue reading The 10 best for ’09
Bonnie Bramlett came back to singing in earnest in the early 2000’s after years of pursuing an acting career. She started as the first white Ikette with Ike and Tina Turner in the mid-1960s, then played a big role in the highly influencial Delaney & Bonnie and Friends with her husband at the time Delaney Bramlett. The … Continue reading Track of the week: Bonnie Bramlett
I expected to see a good performance from Richie Furay Friday night at Stage One in Fairfield, but I was taken back by just how good. With a five-piece band that includes multi-instrumentalist Scott Sellen and Furay’s daughter Jesse Lynch, Furay played a set that traveled from his past to the present, playing many songs … Continue reading Furay’s little bit of magic
Chris Hillman became a country star as leader of The Desert Rose Band in the 1980s. Before that he had a reputation as being the ultimate sidekick. First to Roger McGuinn and David Crosby in The Byrds, then to Gram Parsons in the seminal country-rock band The Flying Burrito Brothers and to Stephen Stills in … Continue reading Hillman, Pedersen perfect sidekicks
In addition to the three Topanga discs and Early Years (1963-65), I’ve been listening to the Buffalo Springfield disc quite a bit from Neil’s Young’s recently released Archives Box Set. Disc 1 in the 10-disc set, which I have in DVD format, is titled Early Years (1966-68) and is dedicated to the mid-to-late ’60s group … Continue reading Neil Young’s Archive: Buffalo Springfield
I’ve watched quite a few films and videos about The Doors, from various collections to concert footage to Oliver Stone’s twisted yet fascinating motion picture. And I’ve read a number of books from ones written by Jon Densmore to Ray Manzarek to Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarman to the much-maligned Patricia Kennealy. All this and I wasn’t really a … Continue reading Three on DVD: The Doors, The Stones & The Runaways