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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Change Partners |
| 2. Nothin' To Do But Today |
| 3. Fishes And Scorpions |
| 4. Sugar Babe |
| 5. Know You Got To Run |
| 6. Open Secret |
| 7. Relaxing Town |
| 8. Singin' Call |
| 9. Ecology Song |
| 10. Word Game |
| 11. Marianne |
| 12. Bluebird Revisited |
Product Description
Original 1971 Atlantic Recordings, 12 tracks remastered in 1991
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This was another sterling effort by Stephen Stills, following the acclaim he recieved for his first solo effort in 1970. This second album, from 1971, is much of the same, although Stills uses horns and brass sections to greater effect, working beautifully on pieces like 'Open Secret'
and the climatic finale 'Bluebird Revisited.'
Elsewhere, he continues to impress as an acoustic player - the simplistic joy of 'Singing Call', the epic 'Wordgame' and the reflective 'Know You Got To Run'. The album does feature the odd guest star or two (Nils Longfren, David Crosby) and the presence of Eric Clapton together with Stills playing blistering dueling guitar on 'Nothing To Do'. Not forgetting the popular songs 'Change Partners' & 'Marianne' this is another accomplished effort from the Texan who would go on to complete the even-greater 'Manassas' album in 1972.
and the climatic finale 'Bluebird Revisited.'
Elsewhere, he continues to impress as an acoustic player - the simplistic joy of 'Singing Call', the epic 'Wordgame' and the reflective 'Know You Got To Run'. The album does feature the odd guest star or two (Nils Longfren, David Crosby) and the presence of Eric Clapton together with Stills playing blistering dueling guitar on 'Nothing To Do'. Not forgetting the popular songs 'Change Partners' & 'Marianne' this is another accomplished effort from the Texan who would go on to complete the even-greater 'Manassas' album in 1972.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Sandwiched between his excellent first solo album 'Stephen Stills' and the career best 'Manassas', this second solo venture falls a little short by comparison. Whereas those albums sound and feel very cohesive, with barely a single average track on them, 'Stephen Stills 2' is a little patchy and unbalanced. Perhaps this is due to his restlessness and need to stretch out musicially but the result is uneven.
Things start well with a typically bright piece of Stills folk rock in 'Change Partners', charting the complex romances and relationships within the CSNY camp. Nice acoustic guitars and harmonies throughout that anticipate his collaborations with Chris Hillman in the future Manassas. 'Nothin' To Do But Today' is a very funky guitar workout with the kind of social/political lyrics we had come to expect from him since the BS days. 'Fishes and Scorpians' is a lovely soft acoustic arrangement that builds towards a spine tingling Eric Clapton solo and remains one of my favourite Stills tracks 35 years later. So far, so very good.
Then comes 'Sugar Babe' (probably written about Rita Coolridge)featuring a big sound with the Memphis Horns. Stills is no doubt a gifted arranger, but to me this now sounds a little bombastic and overblown. He has rarely featured brass on any albums since SS2 so maybe he had to experiment and get this out of his system. Anyway, 'Open Secret', 'Relaxing Town' and 'Ecology Song' tred the same path with much the same effect, the latter being a bit like a sledgehammer to crack a nut, making up with what it lacks in subtlety with energy.
In between we have 'Know You've Got To Run', a nice banjo led slice of blues that Stills does so well and the rural 'Singing Call' which would have fit perfectly on the first solo. The last really good song on the album is 'Word Game' - another classic stripped-down Stills acoustic blues about racism and bigotry. He positively spits and rants on this one, and whilst not to everyone's taste, for me this is what socially aware music was about in the early 70's. An important part of his live set over the coming years.
The sense of anti-climax is realised on the last two tracks.'Marianne' is a catchy but forgetable slice of pop that echoes of the Hollies in places and sounds totally out-of-place on a Stills album. 'Bluebird Revisted' quite simply shouldn't have been! A slow, turgid reworking of the Springfield gem, replete with horns and proof that some things just shouldn't be messed with.
In the next year Stills would hook up with Hillman and produce one of the best albums of the 70's and one to stand toe-to-toe with anything produced by CSN, CSN & Y and any combination thereof. At the time, SS2 was regarded as an extension of his first solo, but in retrospect, it was a poor relation. Better was to come so don't expect too much here. If you are getting into Stills late in the day, don't start here as only half the album has stood the test of time and does him justice.
Things start well with a typically bright piece of Stills folk rock in 'Change Partners', charting the complex romances and relationships within the CSNY camp. Nice acoustic guitars and harmonies throughout that anticipate his collaborations with Chris Hillman in the future Manassas. 'Nothin' To Do But Today' is a very funky guitar workout with the kind of social/political lyrics we had come to expect from him since the BS days. 'Fishes and Scorpians' is a lovely soft acoustic arrangement that builds towards a spine tingling Eric Clapton solo and remains one of my favourite Stills tracks 35 years later. So far, so very good.
Then comes 'Sugar Babe' (probably written about Rita Coolridge)featuring a big sound with the Memphis Horns. Stills is no doubt a gifted arranger, but to me this now sounds a little bombastic and overblown. He has rarely featured brass on any albums since SS2 so maybe he had to experiment and get this out of his system. Anyway, 'Open Secret', 'Relaxing Town' and 'Ecology Song' tred the same path with much the same effect, the latter being a bit like a sledgehammer to crack a nut, making up with what it lacks in subtlety with energy.
In between we have 'Know You've Got To Run', a nice banjo led slice of blues that Stills does so well and the rural 'Singing Call' which would have fit perfectly on the first solo. The last really good song on the album is 'Word Game' - another classic stripped-down Stills acoustic blues about racism and bigotry. He positively spits and rants on this one, and whilst not to everyone's taste, for me this is what socially aware music was about in the early 70's. An important part of his live set over the coming years.
The sense of anti-climax is realised on the last two tracks.'Marianne' is a catchy but forgetable slice of pop that echoes of the Hollies in places and sounds totally out-of-place on a Stills album. 'Bluebird Revisted' quite simply shouldn't have been! A slow, turgid reworking of the Springfield gem, replete with horns and proof that some things just shouldn't be messed with.
In the next year Stills would hook up with Hillman and produce one of the best albums of the 70's and one to stand toe-to-toe with anything produced by CSN, CSN & Y and any combination thereof. At the time, SS2 was regarded as an extension of his first solo, but in retrospect, it was a poor relation. Better was to come so don't expect too much here. If you are getting into Stills late in the day, don't start here as only half the album has stood the test of time and does him justice.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Stephen Stills has done it again with this album. A blend of the most chilled out sounds in 'Fishes and Scorpions' to the funkiest beats in 'Marianne', with the old favourite 'Change Partners' thrown in for good measure. Spine tinglingly good!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Punchy brass adorns a classic album - no problem!
Don't know what Andy's problem with the horns is. Brassy arrangements were very much "in" in the early seventies (Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, Joe Cocker's band on Mad Dogs and,... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Terry Starr
OK For Stills Fans
I agree with most of what Andy Clare says in his review. This album isn't as good as Stephen Stills debut album and doesn't come anywhere near as good as the first Manassas album. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2009 by N. Clarke
Simply, great!
I bought this back in '72, I was a kid. I looked at the album cover and thought 'that's for me' - I was implusive back then. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2009 by Rufus
dire
I don't know which album the other reviewers were listening to, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Stick to Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Published on 31 Aug 2003 by French legal translator
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