Album: Déjà Vu
Artist: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Born: Laurel Canyon, California
Released: March 1970
Genre: Americana
Influenced: Carole King, Wilco, Rilo Kiley, Jonathan Wilson
I miss the days of going to a record store and getting a great recommendation. Back in my schooldays, I was in Cruisin' Records (in Welling) one lunchtime and got chatting to the owner about what I was into at that time, namely The Byrds, and he said I should try this record, so I bought the CD. I didn't know much about Neil Young back then, but that soon changed.
Déjà Vu was a real collaborative effort and would provide a huge boost to each of the CSNY members' respective solo albums following its release. Those harmonies are in evidence on album opener, Carry On, which also highlights Stills' talents as a guitarist and songwriter. Teach Your Children and Our House, the two contributions from Graham Nash, reveal his pop sensibilities and hippie idealism and (understandably) might be considered a little twee, but that doesn't prevent me enjoying them, especially Our House (as it reminds me of those Halifax TV ads in the 90s).
Two of the best moments on the album belong to Neil Young, chief among them Helpless. The song moves at a stately pace and is full of the country-tinged melancholy that Young excels and, for me, beats anything on the album (Harvest) that would see him develop this sound fully. Country Girl is one of the most complex and interesting cuts on the album, pointing to Young's skill as a composer. I don't have much time for the angry, slightly self-indulgent Crosby contributions, but I'm a big fan of Stills' 4 + 20 and the group performance of Joni Mitchell's song, Woodstock. Mitchell, like Neil Young and The Band, was Canadian and it's no little irony that often outsiders would write the songs and create the sound of America exploring its roots.
I miss the days of going to a record store and getting a great recommendation. Back in my schooldays, I was in Cruisin' Records (in Welling) one lunchtime and got chatting to the owner about what I was into at that time, namely The Byrds, and he said I should try this record, so I bought the CD. I didn't know much about Neil Young back then, but that soon changed.
When the album was released, Young was still relatively unknown despite the quality of his work with Crazy Horse, while Crosby (The Byrds), Stills (Buffalo Springfield) & Nash (The Hollies) had all enhanced their profiles with the release of their first album together, earlier in 1969. That contained some great songs, like Suite: Judy Blue Eyes and Wooden Ships, but wasn't as consistently brilliant as Déjà Vu, their follow-up with Young. One of the best aspects of both albums is the melodies, and the bass playing of Greg Reeves is also superb.
Déjà Vu was a real collaborative effort and would provide a huge boost to each of the CSNY members' respective solo albums following its release. Those harmonies are in evidence on album opener, Carry On, which also highlights Stills' talents as a guitarist and songwriter. Teach Your Children and Our House, the two contributions from Graham Nash, reveal his pop sensibilities and hippie idealism and (understandably) might be considered a little twee, but that doesn't prevent me enjoying them, especially Our House (as it reminds me of those Halifax TV ads in the 90s).
Two of the best moments on the album belong to Neil Young, chief among them Helpless. The song moves at a stately pace and is full of the country-tinged melancholy that Young excels and, for me, beats anything on the album (Harvest) that would see him develop this sound fully. Country Girl is one of the most complex and interesting cuts on the album, pointing to Young's skill as a composer. I don't have much time for the angry, slightly self-indulgent Crosby contributions, but I'm a big fan of Stills' 4 + 20 and the group performance of Joni Mitchell's song, Woodstock. Mitchell, like Neil Young and The Band, was Canadian and it's no little irony that often outsiders would write the songs and create the sound of America exploring its roots.
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