Crosby And Nash

CSNY 1974 is the nineteenth album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, their seventh in the quartet configuration, and their fifth live album, the third as a foursome. It consists of concert material recorded in 1974 on the band's tour during the summer of that year.

The occasional supergroup and individual genius collective Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - also known, as and when, as Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crosby and Nash, Crosby and Stills, Crosby, Nash & Young, Stills & Young (and almost certainly every other combination possible), Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young remain the ultimate Rubik’s cube of a group rarely performing or recording with the same collaborators twice in the same period. This new compilation illustrates this tendency superbly, as it features rare tracks, demos and live obscurities by all manner of combinations of the generic band, recorded during the first four years of their collaborative existence. The tracks hereon are from the following sessions and shows, all at once here making for a sublime and delightful rarities collection, which does not duplicate a single cut from the CSNY compilation on Rhino, DEMOS.

This self-titled release is one of – if not arguably the – most impressive side project to arise from CSN. Taken beyond face value, Graham Nash/David Crosby is a direct reflection, if not an extension, of the musical and personal relationship between its co-creators. Likewise, the results remain true, enhancing rather than detracting from the very individualistic styles of Crosby and Nash. The best elements of each are readily available here, punctuated at every turn by their complicated vocal arrangements and air-lock harmonies. In the wake of the enormous successes garnered by the albums Crosby Stills & Nash, Déja Vu, and Four Way Street, the principal members were essentially given carte blanche studio access to pursue solo projects as well.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Déjà Vu was the most-anticipated new album in America in 1970. More than 50 years later, it’s one of the most famous albums in rock history with legendary songs, including “Carry On” and “Teach Your Children,” that still resonate today.

Five Way Street is a 1996 double bootleg CD featuring loads of demos, live versions, and soundtracks by Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young and some of its incarnations. There are some portions of this disc where it sounds as if the person piecing the audio together did not know how to measure things properly. Outside of that personal gripe, this is a very good set of CSNY rarities.