I got a concert DVD the other day, Daylight Again, performed in 1983 – the 15th anniversary of the first meeting of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. According to the narrative the three met at Cass Elliot’s house in 1968, and the rest is history.
There was no mention of Neil Young whatsoever. Was he at Cass Elliott’s house that day? Was he a later addition that got dumped early?
My sister says she saw some interview with one of CSN who claimed that Young was often a no-show for concert gigs, and never had a decent explanation for absenses, so they got rid of him. Odd that he seems to later had a more successful solo career than any of the others.
It’s been more than 20 years since this anniversary performance – have any of them come to a reconciliation with Neil?
Neil just acts erratic when it comes to working with others. He once left Stills in the lurch in the middle of a concert tour promoting their joint album “Long May You Run.” Sent Stills a telegram in Atlanta “Eat a peach!”
So he has worked off and on with CSN for over 35 years. I saw CSN&Y about 5 years ago in concert. It was great! It could have been 1971 again.
All of them have been friends a long time, friends have trouble, but eventually they are friends again.
Yes, it was at first just the three of them. They made Crosby, Stills & Nash before hooking up with Young almost immediately. Both Young and Stills had been in Buffalo Springfield together, a band that ego tore apart. Even so, they liked playing together and he was a stronger guitar player than any of the others.
The record was made first before they ever had a live date. So by the time they went out in public - Woodstock famously being their second gig ever - the band was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
They made Deja Vu together and put out the live album Four Way Street before breaking up again. You hear a lot of stories about why, but they all boil down to ego and drugs.
The four of them merged and split in all sorts of ways for years. Stills & Young teamed up for a tour which Young did bail out on when he and Stills couldn’t agree on anything.
They finally got back together again for 1988’s American Dream because he had promised to do so if Crosby would get off drugs. He did, barely, but was so out of it, IIRC, that Young finally gave up and walked out again. Crosby is barely noticeable on the album, giving support to that claim.
He did appear with them from time to time, sporadically, but didn’t formally team up again until 1999’s Looking Forward.
Same story as every other rock band: drugs and ego overcoming the music.
Heh, I was just reading this page about them last night. It’s pretty much a review for each and every album put out by the various combinations of the 4 guys.
Fascinating.
Close. Merrill, Lynch was an early incarnation but soon lost the comma. The firm became Merrill Lynch, E. A. Pierce & Cassatt in 1940 and the next year merged with Fenner & Beane to form the classic Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Beane.
It became Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith in 1958. That was the year the Beane counters went on strike. Still no comma, though.
:smack: Nevermind. I finally stopped procrastinating and went off to shower where my brain woke up. And I hurried back here, hoping to slip in ahead of anyone, especially Biffy replying.
And failed, of course.
“If it should ever strike you that I am getting a little over-confident in my powers … kindly whisper ‘Steppan Wolfe’ in my ear, and I shall be infinitely obliged to you.”
