From The Byrds to CPR: David Crosby’s 10 Greatest Recordings | David Crosby

[ad_1]

Birds – turn! Turn! Turn! (For everything there is a season) (1965)

Byrds: Turn around! Turn! Turn! (For everything there is a season) – Video

Crosby co-founded the Byrds, cementing his position as a key architect of the folk rock movement of the 1960s. The title track of the second California LP—a Pete Seeger cover with lyrics drawn largely from The University Book—invokes peace while reflecting on the sometimes bittersweet cyclical nature of life. The song also showcases Crosby’s gift for musical virtuosity: he begins the song with elegiac guitar featuring subtle percussive movements and then displays an almost supernatural ability to sing along with his bandmates, finding the harmonic sweet spot like a magnet clicking into place.

The Byrds – Eight Miles High (1966)

Byrds: Eight Mile Hike – Video

In addition to transforming rock and roll by merging country and folk music, the Byrds released one of psychedelic rock’s greatest hits, Eight Miles High. Crosby co-wrote the song with Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn. Depending on who you ask, the song was inspired by the band’s first flight or drug use. Musically, however, Eight Miles High absorbed the influences of John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar, resulting in a fusion of smoldering guitar and jazz vibe befitting Crosby’s percussive innovation. The Byrds’ vocal harmonies sound like those of a haunted church choir and tap into the confusion and paranoia that simmers just below the surface of the song.

The Byrds – Lady Friend (1967)

Byrds: Lady Friend – Video

One of Crosby’s last major contributions to the Byrds was writing the indie song “Lady Friend”, an underrated psychedelic pop gem. A song about bracing yourself for the loneliness of a painful breakup — Crosby compares it to surmounting it with a wave while away from the beach — reveals his talent for vulnerable lyrics and memorable melodies. To this simple foundation, the rest of the Byrds add brassy guitar riffs, soulful horns, and a snappy beat, turning something melancholic and vulnerable into a supple song about maintaining a solid upper lip.

Crosby, Stills & Nash – Wooden Ships (1969)

Crosby, Stills & Nash: Wooden Ships – Video

Two big things Crosby did after being fired from the Byrds: He bought a sailboat called the Mayans and started hanging out with Stephen Stills. On one occasion, the two men with Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airline in Florida were on the boat and worked on building wooden ships. A sprawling rocker, an anti-war song, it describes the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse, as survivors try to figure out where to go. Crosby’s fluid tenor takes center stage in his solo verses, as if a sage-like narrator were describing the scene. However, his vocal harmonies with Stills laid the blueprint for Crosby, Stills & Nash greatness.

Crosby, Stills & Nash – Jennifer (1969)

Crosby, Stills & Nash: Guinnevere – Video

Crosby contributed this folk-rock spotlight to Crosby, Stills & Nash’s 1969 debut album. He wrote about three women in his life – Joni Mitchell; Late girlfriend Christine Hinton who died in a car accident. and a mystery woman who he declined to name during a 2008 Rolling Stone interview—Jennifer illustrates Crosby’s evolution into a more sophisticated songwriter. Lyrically, the three women’s interwoven stories contain moments of immense beauty and bewitching mystery. Musically, Crosby treats this narrative with respect, using a restrained vocal delivery matched by the guitar’s slick chords and harmonies.

John Sebastian, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell and David Crosby during the Big Sur Folk Festival in September 1969. Photo: Robert Altman/Getty Images Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Ohio (1970)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Ohio – Video

Written by Neil Young after the shooting of four Kent State University students by the Ohio National Guard, the song is an angry indictment of not only the violent event, but also the Vietnam War and those abusing positions of power. Crosby privately expressed his anger and frustration at the time, exclaiming “How many more?” And why?” When the song ends. He never lost that haunting feeling: In the years leading up to the pandemic, Crosby performed Ohio as the last song in his live sets, a stark reminder that neither the tragic event nor the lives of the students should be forgotten.

Get music news, bold reviews, and unexpected additions. Every genre, every age, every week

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements, and content funded by third parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Deja Vu – Video

The title track on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s second album is quite literally—Crosby said he wrote it after a sailing trip that felt familiar. Déjà Vu matches this confusing ideology: it’s quirky and adventurous, with multiple movements dabbling in vocals, thumping vocals, mild jazz, pastoral folk, and psychedelic rock.

David Crosby – The Laugh (1971)

David Crosby: Laughs – Video

Crosby was dealing with dual traumas during the production of his 1971 solo album, If I Could Only Remember My Name: Addressing the Breakup of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and getting over the grief from Hinton’s 1969 death. George Harrison on the wisdom of a teacher. “The kid who laughs in the sun knows more about God than I do,” he told Rolling Stone in 2021. The accompanying music is lean and introspective, absorbing the guiding influence of Jerry Garcia from the Grateful Dead (an integral part of the recording sessions) and a gentle psychedelic vibe.

CPR – Morrison (1998)

CPR: Morrison – Video

Crosby’s career took him in all kinds of unexpected directions in the ’80s and ’90s, including singing backup for the Indigo Girls and Phil Collins and forming the jazz trio Crosby, Pevar & Raymond. Known as CPR, the group included guitarist Jeff Bevar and Crosby’s son, keyboardist James Raymond. Morrison’s elegant, piano-driven tune isn’t about Crosby’s notorious dislike of The Doors, but the perceptive song confirms that Oliver Stone’s 1991 movie about the band didn’t match up to the Jim Morrison Crosby knew — and serves as a stoic. A cautionary tale about fame and legacy.

David Crosby – Rodriguez For The Night (2021)

David Crosby: Rodriguez for the night – video

Crosby has enjoyed a burst of creativity late in his career, releasing several solo records in 2010 and beyond that find him collaborating with Michael McDonald, the members of Snarky Puppy, and one of his favorites: Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen. The latter wrote Rodriguez’s lyrics on a night out, about a man who cannot compete romantically with the brat Lothario. In contrast, Crosby and his band concoct a very funky, very Steely Dan-esque song with saxophones, trumpets, heaps of keyboards, and one of Croz’s smoothest, most impassioned vocal performances.

[ad_2]