![]() The title track, also by Crosby, took 100 hours to work out and was a better-received successor to such experimental works as "Mind Gardens," from his earlier career with the Byrds, showing his occasional abandonment of a rock beat - or any fixed rhythm at all - in favor of washing over the listener with tones and moods. David Crosby's "Almost Cut My Hair" was a piece of high-energy hippie-era paranoia not too far removed in subject from the Byrds' "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man," only angrier in mood and texture (especially amid the pumping organ and slashing guitars). "Woodstock" and "Carry On" represented the group as a whole, while the rest of the record was a showcase for the individual members. "Carry On" worked as the album's opener when Stills "sacrificed" another copyright, "Questions," which comprised the second half of the track and made it more substantial. Most of the music, apart from the quartet's version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," was done as individual sessions by each of the members when they turned up (they were seldom together), contributing whatever was needed that could be agreed upon. ![]() Young's presence also ratcheted up the range of available voices one notch and added a uniquely idiosyncratic songwriter to the fold, though most of Young's contributions in this area were confined to the second side of the LP. There were also some obvious virtues in evidence - the addition of Neil Young to the Crosby, Stills & Nash lineup added to the level of virtuosity, with Young and Stephen Stills rising to new levels of complexity and volume on their guitars. Déjà Vu worked as an album, a product of four potent musical talents who were all ascending to the top of their game, coupled with some very skilled production, engineering, and editing. Those achievements are all the more astonishing given the fact that the group barely held together through the estimated 800 hours it took to record Déjà Vu, and scarcely functioned as a group for most of that time. “Helpless,” “Carry On” and “Teach Your Children” are excellent songs, well performed.One of the most hotly awaited second albums in history - right up there with those by the Beatles and the Band - Déjà Vu lived up to its expectations and rose to number one on the charts. There is much on this album of real merit. But a closer inspection reveals that its tap root is firmly implanted in the urban commercial asphalt. Deja Vu would like to convince you that it has roots deep in the American soil. “Now then, which of you desperados is next?” And, of course, the pretty gold leaf lettering turns out to be yellow Reynolds Wrap. What a milestone - fake leatherette! The grainy portrait of the “Old West” characters on the cover looks less like Billy the Kid, the James Gang and Buffalo Bill than the waiting room for unemployed extras for Frontier Atmosphere Inc. The heralded leather cover turns out to be nothing more than crimpled cardboard. One’s disappointment with the album is heightened by the absurdity of its pretensions. Taylor Swift Is Helping Truck Drivers Buy First Homes With $100,000 Bonuses C, S, N and Y could probably do the best version of “Sweet Adeline” in recorded history. In both this song and the next one, “Everybody I Love You,” Young’s voice is absorbed in the major key barbershop harmonizing of the other singers. Steve Stills’ “4+20” conjures up some quiet enigmas, but with such tepid questions at stake, who really cares? Neil Young’s “Country Girl” continues his tradition of massive production numbers which includes the masterful “Broken Arrow” and “Down By The River.” But compared to his earlier work, the piece is sadly undistinguished. “Our House” by Graham Nash is a flyweight ditty with nothing to say and makes this clear through its simpering melody. David Crosby’s “Deja Vu” has little or no tune and fails totally to capture the eerie feeling that accompanies a real deja vu experience. But are there any truly first rate songs here? If there are, I don’t hear them. Here we have a splendid showcase of all the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young strong points - precision playing, glittering harmonies, a relaxed but forceful rhythm, and impeccable twelve-string guitars. ![]() It’s still too sweet, too soothing, too perfect, and too good to be true. Despite Young’s formidable job on many of the cuts, the basic sound hasn’t changed a whit. Unfortunately, little of this influence carried over into the recording sessions for Déjà Vu. Young’s voice, guitar, compositions and stage presence added elements of darkness and mystery to songs which had previously dripped a kind of saccharine sweetness. Live performances of the group suggested that this had happened. Along with many other people, I had hoped that the addition of Neil Young to Crosby, Stills, and Nash would give their music the guts and substance which the first album lacked. ![]()
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