Essential: a masterpiece of Country-Folk music.
This self-titled release is one of – if not arguably the – most impressive side project to arise from CSN.
He's been part of two huge-selling international superstar rock groups, and recorded some very popular albums on his own and with David Crosby. Yet Graham Nash has never been thought of as a talent in his own right the way that, to varying degrees, either of his three bandmates in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young have. This three-CD, 64-track box set can be seen as both a way of focusing the spotlight on Nash's work both within and outside of his famous bands, and also as a career retrospective of sorts, spanning as it does about 40 years of recordings. Like almost all such box sets, however, it won't be as balanced as everyone would like between his various career phases and contexts, or contain as much in the way of revelatory rarities as some would hope.
After a seven-year hiatus, Graham Nash returned to his solo career on Earth & Sky. While much of the material may have originated as an on-again/off-again collaboration with David Crosby (guitar/vocals), by the time the LP hit the racks in 1980 there were only traces of Crosby's input scattered throughout. One primary contribution highlighting the pair is the organic and acoustic "Out on the Island," and is likewise one of the best sides of the effort. In support of Nash is an all-star ensemble centering on the infamous "Mighty Jitters": Russ Kunkel (drums/percussion), Tim Drummond (bass), Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar (guitars), David Lindley (guitar/violin/vocals), and Craig Doerge (keyboards). The opening title cut, "Earth & Sky" has the earmark of a mid-tempo Jackson Browne rocker and boasts a tasty guitar lead from Joe Walsh.
Graham Nash's second solo effort has been overshadowed by his harmonic heroics as a senior partner in the various Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young configurations. After being lured from the Hollies – where his latter contributions were criminally unappreciated (see, or rather hear Dear Eloise/King Midas in Reverse) – it was Nash who had come up with most of the CSN(Y) hit singles, including "Marrakesh Express," "Our House," and "Teach Your Children." His 1971 debut, Songs for Beginners, was likewise filled with inspired moments such as "I Used to Be a King," "Chicago/We Can Change the World," and "Sleep Song." Topping those efforts would have been superhuman. Such is the way that Wild Tales has been eclipsed and overlooked by enthusiasts of his previous endeavors. Nash gathered a core aggregate of musicians, many of whom were loosely connected to the CSNY family. These include: Johnny Barbata (drums), Tim Drummond (bass), David Lindley (guitar), and Ben Keith (pedal steel guitar/dobro), and, of course David Crosby (vocals).
Live It Up is the tenth album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, their fourth studio album in the trio configuration, released on Atlantic Records in 1990. It peaked at #57 on the Billboard 200 with current sales of 300,000. It is the first of their studio albums not to gain either a gold or platinum certification by the. It was issued in all formats at the time (compact disc, cassette tape, and vinyl record) and was later released for streaming on Spotify and both streaming and download on Qobuz.