R.I.P. David Crosby - "David Van Cortlandt Crosby", the founding member of The Byrds and also Crosby, Stills And Nash, died January 18th, at age 81 Additional discographical, biographical information was added by Lawrence Azrin; check out the links at your leisure.
Time
Performer [Composer]
Song
Album [Format]
Misc
Misc –
REQ:Request
BED:Music Played Whilst Talking
NEW:New Release
( ):Label, Year Rec/Rel
Jeff Blackburn died Jan 6th, at age 77. He started out in the folkie male/ female duo "Blackburn & Snow" (Sherry Snow). / * - actually David Crosby // * - Full title: 'Sounds Of The Sixties San Francisco - Part 1'
The lead guitar solo was played by McGuinn on David Crosby's 'Gretsch Country Gentleman' guitar. / Click on the Link above, left to view the original single, with a color picture sleeve
* - This song was written and composed in 1968 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a boat named "The Mayan", owned by Crosby, who composed the music, while Kantner and Stills wrote most of the lyrics // Click on the Link above, left to view the original album, with a gatefold cover
Original release of this song - on Jerry Garcia's first solo album 'Garcia' (Warner Brothers, Jan 1972) /
Click on the Link above, left to view the album
Although recorded by The Byrds in Aug 1967 and performing it live during a September 1967 engagement at the Whisky a Go Go, it was not included on "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" album. According to Crosby, bandmates Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman felt that its subject matter was too controversial, with McGuinn allegedly deriding the song as a "freak-out orgy tune". Following his departure from the Byrds, Crosby gave the song to the Jefferson Airplane.
.... This is the _only_ song penned solely by Crosby to appear on the A-side of a Byrds' single (although their lowest-charting single to date) , and the first release of this song in Stereo. / * - However, this stereo version also included overdubbed drums, and fan reaction to the new drumming was almost universally negative, with many listeners feeling that the addition of then-modern sounding drums was completely inappropriate and incongruous.
This song was first on the 'Preflyte' album (Together label, July 1969), from demos by the Byrds (then the "Jet Set"), recorded at World Pacific Studios in Los Angeles during Aug 1964 - Jan 1965.
Comment:
This next set feartures David Crosby singing HARMONY VOCALS:
The song is about music agent David Geffen, a close friend of Mitchell in the early 1970s, and describes Geffen during a trip the two made to Paris. While Geffen is never mentioned by name, Mitchell describes how he works hard creating hits and launching careers but can find some peace while vacationing in Paris.
... Instrumental backing was provided by "The Section", which included guitarist Danny Kortchmar, drummer Russell Kunkel, multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, and was known as 'The Mighty Jitters' when on tour with the duo.
Commenting on the album to "Hit Parader" magazine in 1971, Stephen Stills stated "getting that second album out of us was like pulling teeth, there was song after song that didn't make it. The track "Déjà Vu" must have meant 100 takes in the studio."
... The second single released as by "Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young", June 1970 / Click on the Link above, left to view the track listing for this release.
[Original release, on their 1st LP:] • (Atlantic, May 1969)
Comment:
* - This was the SECOND TIME EVER that they had performed live. First time was August 16, 1969, at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, with Joni Mitchell as their opening act.
[Original release, LP:] • (Atlantic, May 29, 1969)
Comment:
In a Rolling Stone interview, Crosby remarked concerning this song: "It's about three women that I loved. One of whom was Christine Hinton - the girl who got killed who was my girlfriend - and one of whom was Joni Mitchell, and the other one is somebody that I can't tell. It might be my best song."
Original album release - Feb 6th, 1966 // This song was disliked by the other band members and derided by McGuinn as having no "rhythm, meter, or rhyme".
* - but probably known to The Byrds, through its use in the then-recent (Jan 1964) film "Doctor Strangelove" / In 2003, the album was #232 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"
