Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"I Watched You Go Through Changes That No Man Should Face Alone...", 19 Oct 2008
With Stephen Stills and David Crosby having produced absolute storming debut albums in November 1970 and March 1971, Graham Nash's quietly lovely opener didn't disappoint either - in fact in the early Seventies - it seemed like everything the combined and individual talents of CSYN did was magical. This October 2008 DELUXE EDITION celebrates "Songs For Beginners" with a Remastered Stereo Remix of the album on the stand alone first disc, while the second disc is a 5.1 DVD Audio Mix (you need a DVD Audio player to hear it on) with an added DVD Interview about his Photography featuring a Gallery of Stills, Photo-Backed Lyrics & Web Links etc.
"Songs For Beginners" was released in June 1971 on Atlantic SD 7204 in the USA and Atlantic 2401 011 in the UK. The album featured many famous guests (one is uncredited), so here's a detailed breakdown (33:47 minutes):
1. Military Madness [DAVE MASON of Traffic on Guitar with RITA COOLIDGE on Backing Vocals]
2. Better Days [NEIL YOUNG (credited as Joe Yankee) on Piano, SEEMON POSTHUMA of THE FOOL on Clarinet, RITA COOLIDGE on Backing Vocals with DALLAS TAYLOR of CSYN and MANASSAS on Drums]
3. Wounded Bird [GN all instruments and voices]
4. I Used To Be A King [NEIL YOUNG (credited as Joe Yankee) on Piano, JERRY GARCIA on Steel Guitar with PHIL LESH on Bass (both of THE GRATEFUL DEAD) and DAVID CROSBY on Electric Guitar]
5. Be Yourself [RITA COOLIDGE on Piano, Electric Piano and Backing Vocals]
6. Simple Man [DAVID LINDLEY on Fiddle, DORIAN RUDNYTSKY of THE NEW YORK ROCK & ROLL ENSEMBLE on Cello with RITA COOLIDGE on backing Vocals]
7. Man In The Mirror [NEIL YOUNG [credited as Joe Yankee] on Piano, JERRY GARCIA of THE GRATEFUL DEAD on Steel Guitar, CHRIS ETHERIDGE of THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS on Bass]
8. There's Only One [RITA COOLIDGE on Piano & Backing Vocals, CHRIS ETHERIDGE on Bass, BOBBY KEYS on Saxophone with VANETTA FIELDS, SHIRLEY MATTHEWS, CLYDIE KING & DOROTHY MORRISON on Backing Vocals (The Blackberries)]
9. Sleep Song [DAVE MASON on Guitar with RITA COOLIDGE on Backing Vocals]
10. Chicago [DORIAN RUDNYTSKY on Cello]
11. We Can Change The World [RITA COOLIDGE, VANETTA FIELDS...DOROTHY MORRISON on Backing Vocals]
The 20-page booklet has an essay on the album and its star-studded background by noted writer DAVID FRICKE - it features Session Photos, Lyrics, Detailed recording and reissue credits - and even a picture of the master tapes.
But for fans the big news is the SOUND. The CD album has been Stereo Remixed & Remastered and the quality isn't just good - it's fabulous - BREATHTAKING. "Better Days" has a very quiet Piano and Vocal Intro - it's spotlessly clean - and when the band kicks in - it's an absolute wow! The mastering is credited to DOUG SAX and SANGWOOK NAM at The Mastering Lab, Ojai - and they should both be Grammy nominated for it. "Days" is followed by the Acoustic and Vocal-only of "Wounded Bird" (a song for Stephen Stills and Judy Collins and their troubled relationship) and it's a lovely as it gets - BEAUTIFULLY restored. The delicately aching Cello work of Dorian Rudnytsky combines with Rita Coolidge's Backing Vocals on "Simple Man" to genuinely touching effect, while Jerry Garcia's Steel Guitar on "Man In the Mirror" adds a lot from an instrument you wouldn't expect from him. And on three tracks there's Neil Young - plinking away - putting in genuinely superb Piano work (he was credited as Joe Yankee for legal reasons).
I find the 2nd disc, however, problematic. I don't have a DVD AUDIO player and 99% of the planet doesn't either - it's a dead format. Disc 2 features the entire album in Advanced Resolution 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital & DTS - wonderful stuff guys - if I could play it! But the really disappointing part is the complete lack of anything new - no outtakes, no demos - not even a live recording. However - and although it's completely unrelated to the album - things improve on the DVD part of the disc - it contains an interview with Nash about his lifetime obsession with black and white photography - and its fascinating - a lovely man, intelligent, sensitive - and you suspect a real peacekeeper among huge egos that often got out of hand. Then there's the gallery of images (he explains many of them in the interview) - I won't spoil it too much for those who are going to buy this except to say that there are captured moments on here of Joni, Neil, Stills and especially his lifetime pal David Crosby that will reduce some people to tears.
To sum up - a beautifully realized first disc - with a slightly odd and unrepresentative 2nd. Still - for fans of the album - this is a no brainer - the gorgeous remaster means you simply have to own it. Recommended.
PS: Note to Rhino - Deluxe Editions please of "Stephen Stills", "Harvest" and "Manassas"
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning is not a strong enough word, 18 Nov 2008
A great review (as always) from Mark Barry but I have to disagree with the comments regarding DVD Audio. I would guess a large proportion of people whom these types of reissues are aimed at DO have the ability to play high res formats such as DVD-A and SACD. I'm one of those people and i'm pleased that a major label still thinks it's viable to issue archive releases in this format. The standard CD may be good (and it certainly is) but the high resolution version on the DVD-A is absolutely spectacular. I have never heard stereo imaging so accurate and the clarity of each instrument is possibly the best I have experienced on ANY format. This flies in the face of current mastering trends where everything is made artificially loud, destroying all musicality. Doug Sax is renowned for his attention to detail and I agree, he should get an award for this. It's THAT good.
The music itself is thoughtful, relaxing, mellow and harks back to a kinder world of which will never be experienced again. I don't agree with those who say Nash was the poor relation to the rest of CSNY. And what a nice guy he comes across as (on the DVD). What a refreshing change from the pompous, self-congratulatory attitude of many 'advancing age' musicians.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As good as it gets., 20 Oct 2008
There is plenty of space in the music and the harmonies are what you would expect from Graham Nash. A string of Guest musicians and some very strong song writing make this an essential purchase.
I only purchased this for the DVDA the fact is that this deluxe editions comes with a CD as well so great stuff a disc for the car and a disc for home. The DVDA which makes this set so special is as good as it gets and can be played on ANY DVD player, though to get the best you should get a DVDA player. Anyone with a surround system at home can listen to this very good surround mix. The surround is not aggressive but ultimately compliments the music and enhances the original stereo in many ways.
The music is wonderful and complimentary to David Crosby's `if I could only remember my name' released last year as a similar CD/DVD package, and shows that these two friends were very much at the top of their games in the early 70's. Now Warner can we see some Crosby Stills and Nash Discs done in the same format?
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