On 28th June 1969 the self-titled album by Crosby, Stills & Nash entered the US charts. It reached #6 and stayed around for an impressive 100 weeks. Two singles were released—Nash’s jaunty ‘Marrakesh Express’ and Stills’ extended ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’—both reaching the Top 30.
So much for the data. What makes this album so important is not revealed in the above statistics.
David Crosby had already tasted fame, fortune and fandom with the massively influential Byrds. Graham Nash was an integral part of British Invasion band The Hollies, while Stephen Stills was part of Buffalo Springfield with Neil Young.
Naturally they were immediately labelled a ‘supergroup’, though in this case the epithet was apt. By the time they joined the throng at Woodstock their self-titled debut album had been out almost three months and in the charts for almost two. Yet they were not exactly road-tested when they performed for those hardy souls who had made it through to 3:00am on the final Monday morning on Max Yasgur’s farm.
Crosby: This is our second gig.
Stills: This is the second time we’ve ever played in front of people, man. We’re scared shitless.
Woodstock audience: Hooray!
Although time has been less than kind to a couple of the songs—’Marrakesh Express’ sounds rather twee—much of the album holds up well. With a post-apocalyptic lyric that is both very much of the time and uncomfortably relevant for a period of geopolitical uncertainty, ‘Wooden Ships’ has a killer electric groove and rolling sway that still transports. ‘Long Time Gone’ remains a poignant and engaging observation on the assassination of Robert Kennedy, while the psychedelic undertones of ‘Pre-road Downs’ compliment the acoustic love songs nicely. Of these, Stills’ alliterative ‘Helplessly Hoping’ is slight yet sweet while Crosby’s ‘Guinnevere’ (sic) has an elegiac quality that breathes gentle magic.
The cover is down-beat. The three musicians sit on a careworn couch in front of a simple weather-board house. No costumes, no posturing, no frippery. Not a string of beads in sight. Tones are subdued and earthy. Nash and Crosby stare down the camera lens; Stills’ attention is slightly off-centre, maybe caught by a pigeon on the fence. There is a genuine lack of pretension here that suits the acoustic core of the music down to the ground. This is us, these are our songs. We hope you like them.
The voice, that instrument of our humanity, is what dominates the entire album. The harmonies are intricate, tight and often joyous – as in the coda of Stephen Stills epic ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’. This is the sound of three accomplished singers melding their voices together in the service of each other’s songs.
Maybe that was the true spirit of hippie-dom: a willingness to subjugate image and ego in the service of the song. This starry trio could not maintain an egoless state—who can?—but in this glorious first flowering we glimpse a goal still worthy of aspiration.
*
Sources
Crosby Stills & Nash “Crosby Stills & Nash” [Atlantic, 1969]
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music – The Director’s Cut [Warner Brothers, 1970/1994]
Vinyl Connection Archive Series #1
vinylconnection.com.au 
This is a longtime favorite of mine. I’ve always loved “Wooden Ships”, the lyrics of which, as you note, are rather timely. Interesting that Paul Kantner was a co-writer. (I much prefer CSN’s version to Jefferson Airplane’s). I’m sure I’m not the only one who, upon first hearing “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” name checked by a radio DJ, imagined it was “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes.” And I’ll never *not* sing along to that joyous coda whenever I hear it! I can recall, after booking a trip to Morocco over 25 years ago, playing “Marrakesh Express” multiple times to stoke my excitement. Re: the album art: there’s a mysterious fellow peering through the window on the back cover…
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I was, like you, certain it was sweet rather than suite (grin); what we hear, eh? Although it is quite likely it was a little joke from Stephen Stills. Were/are you a fan of Judy Collins?
The slightly distorted lurker on the back cover is drummer Dallas Taylor, who missed the shoot but was ‘added’ later!
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I do like Judy, though she’s always secondary to Joni for me. Again re: the album art: I seem to remember reading/hearing somewhere that, after they decided to call themselves Crosby, Stills and Nash, they realized that they weren’t sitting in that order in the picture. They went back to that house for a re-shoot, but the house had been razed!
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That’s the story I’ve read too. And yes, Joni for sure. 🙂
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What a nice piece (what a nice peace) that had to have felt fun to write and reflect on. Such a lush sound tapestry they made!
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There is a gentleness to this one, you’re on the money there Mr P. When they recruited Neil Young, he added muscle!
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A beautiful album, yes some of it has dated but they were so sincere, I heard Nash being interviewed about the cover, how when they got back and saw th prints they realized they were sat in the wrong order so went back to the couch to take another shot in the right order but the house had been demolished and the couch gone. Of course they are sat in reverse order so there may actually be a conspiracy theory out there about that.
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CSN/CSN&Y was a very good band in the 20th century.
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When I listen to Crosby, Stills & Nash, or Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for that matter, what always fascinates me the most are their incredible vocals. I would argue harmony singing doesn’t get much better. Perhaps the only group I think “beats them” are The Temptations, though it’s also very different music and, as such, a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison.
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Their Deja Vu album which was their first with Neil Young is also a very good album.
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It sure is. Neil added some grunt to the trio.
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One of the first music vinyl record I ever heard and still one of my favorites!
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Spot on, Christian. The harmonies are exceptional.
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