The bass player for Jackson Browne (and many other great artists) is Leland Sklar who has his own TH-cam channel. I highly recommend it, full of stories, and songs. Check him out.
The Pretender is one of my favorite Jackson Browne songs. I recall an interpretation was it was about someone who grew up in the 60s and had big dreams of what the future could be. They then lose sight of those dreams as they get older and focus more on just getting by day to day and working to achieve a good life.
Yes! Also Stills got Jimi Hendrix to play guitar on a song on his self-titled (Stephen Stills) album. One of Jimi's very last recordings. I think the song is Old Times Good Times
At last you've discovered Jackson. One of our greatest lyricists and performers since the late sixties until present day. An old friend of Joni, Eagles, CSNY, Warren Zevon, and Linda Ronstadt and a big part of the LA music scene in the early seventies. Try A Song For Adam, In The Shape Of A Heart, Before The Deluge, Rock Me On The Water, Doctor My Eyes or any cut from any of his multiple albums.
Jackson Browne is one of the greatest singer/songwriters. Absolutely amazing lyricist. Never uses cliches. "I'm Alive" is one of my many favorite songs of his.
JB said he noticed his gas gauge was on EMPTY once and got the idea for using that as a metaphor for his life. Great example of how songwriters can turn mundane things into poetry that becomes iconic. Like when Lennon once was asked how he used to write songs and he answered “ you just take a good crap and write a song about it “!
Jackson Browne's "Running On Empty" is an amazing album. Some 'live' songs are recorded in front of an audience, some backstage, some in hotel rooms and one is even recorded on a bus! You can hear the bus motor revving in the background.....but you get used to it and it fits in! Just brilliant.
I assume you know that Joni Mitchell wrote Woodstock. Her version is almost unrecognizable, but so ethereal and gorgeous that I would recommend it heartily. The BBC live version with just her and her piano is mesmerizing.
Regarding Jackson Browne..... In my opinion... he is a poet that happens to also be a gifted singer and songwriter. I have loved his music since the 1960s. " I want to know what became of the changes We waited for love to bring Were they only the fitful dreams Of some greater awakening?" Who, these days, writes like this? It's pure, beautiful poetry.
I was in college in NY from 1975-1978, and played "The Pretender" on my cassette deck every night when I went to bed, with my headphones on. What great memories.
Jackson Browne is one of my top 5 songwriters of all time, he actually wrote Take it Easy while Glenn Frey was his roommate at the time. Late for the Sky, These Days, The Load Out/Stay, Doctor My Eyes…all absolutely brilliant. Worth a deeper dive!!
Jackson was an "almost" Eagle. They all hung and wrote tunes together, but he decided to persue his solo career. If I'm not mistaken, the Eagles "Take it Easy" was a Jackson song.
Glad that you finally discovered Jackson Browne one of the greatest singer/songwriter of the 70's. His lyrics tell beautiful stories which often are introspective and tell of the ups and downs of life's journey. You could say that his songs reflect the universal consciousness of a generation in his lyrics. You have many great songs to hear from his "Dr. My Eyes" to "The Load Out".
David Lindley, Jackson Browne’s faithful sideman on guitar, slide guitar and violin, just died today at the age of 78. He co-wrote and plays on Running On Empty, so the timing of this marathon is very poignant. And we lost David Crosby (who sang on THREE of these songs, including The Pretender!) about six weeks ago. We are losing so many legendary musicians!
David Lindley was a spectacularly talented multi-instrumentalist. He worked with so may of the artists from that SoCal country-rock genre. What an amazing talent he was!!!
Saddled with Stay and Mercury Blues, he was a deeply gifted man. And how good do you need to be to play alongside Curtis Mayfield, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, etc.
Pardon my language, but R.G. this whole marathon kicks ass! A well thought out and put together group of tracks. Highly enjoyed it! Jackson is one of my favorites! Glad to see you enjoy this one Nick!
CSN and Browne were part of the Laurel Canyon scene…..mid to late 60’s, early 70’s….singer/songwriters, folk rock……Joni Mitchell,Cass Elliott of The Mamas and Papas…a close knit music community filled with creativity and cross-fertilization. These songs were a large part of the sound track of my early adult years. And I still love them. Just beautiful music.
Jackson Browne is a deep well of great writing and musical arrangements especially his first five albums Saturate Before Using, For Everyman, Late For The Sky, The Pretender, and Running on Empty.
A monster of a marathon with three of the greatest bands/artists that flooded my world in the 70s and continues to rock my world today! Thank you! Now, let's get back to Traffic...😁
Jackson Browne's LATE FOR THE SKY album, In terms of completeness and perfection, this album is in my top 10 "Must Have On A Desert Island albums top. Although all of the songs are pure masterpieces, four songs touch me every time I hear them - 'Late For The Sky, Befoe The Delegue, For a Dancer, and Fountain of Sorrow. Give any of those a spin, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Powerful lyrics.
Marvellous marathon! Thanks RG! 'Wooden Ships' and 'Woodstock' are integral to CSN&Y's legacy, although interestingly the former was co-written with Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane, and 'Woodstock' was written by Joni, who didn't even go to the festival, let alone play there. Woodstock was CSN&Y's second ever performance together, and Stills nervously told the huge audience 'We're scared shitless!' Joni's version is on her Ladies of the Canyon album and is much slower and hauntingly beautiful. I'm not sure where you heard that 'All That You Dream' is off the Feats' last album Nick, this was from The Last Record Album, oh I get it now, that's the title of the album, not their last album! Thanks again Nick and RG, a great marathon.
I have been an enormous fan of CSN (and Y) since my childhood as a fan of the Buffalo Springfield (S and Y), the Byrds (C), and the Hollies (N). I was musically conscious then due to a jazz pianist mother, and when they came together just before Woodstock, it was an epiphany!! This is such a David Crosby song. Rest in Peace you brilliant troubled soul. Where is your woman?
Great segment Nick, Rg has great taste. Finally, Now your getting into the good stuff, the heart of Americana folk rock. I too grew up with all these bands in high school, CSNY, Little Feat, Jackson Brown. They were at the very epicenter of this genre. Love it!
Wooden Ships is one of the great songs of the 70s, imo. The first voice is Stills, the second voice is David Crosby, when they do harmony it’s all three of them. Stills is lead singer on the rest of the song. This is about The Cold War and post-nuclear annihilation. Stephen Stills played most of the instruments on the studio song version. Stills is a really under appreciated guitarist.
That’s him playing the slide guitar on Running On Empty. He also co-wrote the song with Jackson Browne! A massive talent, who played with Ronstadt, Zevon, even Rod Stewart on a couple of albums.
So excellent you opened with "Wooden Ships". CSN so ahead in the times of their songwriting and their music output. Stephen Stills is ALWAYS extraordinary.
"Running on Empty is the fifth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. Featuring songs themed around life on the road, the entire album was recorded on tour, either live on stage, or in locations associated with touring, such as backstage, on tour buses, or in hotel rooms." google
Never heard of Jackson Browne, that made my day! I was never a huge fan of his but as I grow older and hopefully (doubtful) wiser I appreciate singer/song writers so much more, especially if they can actually play the guitar or piano well. I believe Browne was a young and upper comer in San Francisco when David Crosby took him under his wing and helped him produce his first album as well as providing harmonies on it. In my lifetime David Crosby is in my top five favorite voices of all time.
Jackson Browne had no connection with the San Francisco music scene. Yes, David Crosby added harmony vocals to Jackson's debut album, but David was not the producer.
I consider Wooden Ships to be in the folk-rock genre. You were spot on when you dubbed them "kings of vocal harmony" Southern Cross from 1982 is a similar song and to me these two are the best although they have so many others like, Lady of the Island etc. All great stuff. Thanks, Nick!
You hit another batch of my favourites in this one. I used to fall asleep with the headphones on listening to CSNY 4 Way Street. Little Feat Waiting for Columbus and Jackson Browne Running on Empty were albums from the time where you would sit with a group of people and listen to an entire side together. And, for me, those Waiting for Columbus and Running on Empty are performance where I have bought just about every new media version released over time. Was fortunate to get some of the Feat to sign a double CD I picked up when I saw they a few years back. My remastered DVD-A version of Running on Empty brings you totally into the concert hall, and it's filed in the "pry from my cold dead hands" section of my music library.
FYI, Crosby, Stills, & Nash did the backing vocals for the entire album "The Pretender" which is a masterpiece, imo. They also backed up Jackson Browne playing the title cut in a live show recorded relatively recently. (It's available on TH-cam.) They recalled JB being quite a perfectionist back in 1976. :)
Oh no - did not know about the loss of David Lindley. 😞 Back in about 1973 CSNY , the Band and Joni Mitchell were on the same concert bill - and saw them in London; what was really great was Joni coming out to sing Woodstock with CSNY. yes indeed.
Such a beautiful bass line in The Pretender as well……Leland Sklar at work. Browne does hiw own keys…..Sklar was his bassist, Russ Kunkel was the drummer, and David Lindley his guitarist….who just passed yesterday.
Hey Nick, it's been awhile since I've watched one of your videos (I don't know why), but this is a great one to come back because it is packed with 5 great classic songs by 2 bands and a solo artist that would definitely be on my list of favorites since I was a kid. The Pretender is one of my favorite Jackson Browne songs, as much for the lyrics as the great music. I've always concentrated on the music of songs way more than the lyrics and even though I had heard The Pretender many times over the years and loved it, I had only superficially paid attention to the lyrics up until a couple years when I watched a lyric video. When I finally understood the meaning of the lyrics, I felt like I was punched in the face because the lyrics seemed to be describing my life, from choice of career to the "longing for love". They seemed to be relating my chronic regret from abandoning my childhood dream of pursuing a career as a full-time musician because of self-doubt about my talent, fear of financial instability and an irrational need to "measure up" to my siblings to pursue a career in a "respectable" profession, which I never loved and felt more like a burden each passing year, along with my failed marriage and long-term relationship. Sorry about the long personal diatribe......but after writing that, I feel like I just went through therapy! 😁
I also had that same childhood dream my whole life. I came from a family of part time musicians and my family didn't disapprove of my leaving Iowa for Hollywood. They said follow your dreams when you're young type of thing. I got lucky, and that's all it was, and I found myself in the company of the rich and famous. People I'd watched on movies and TV and whose music I had listened to for years were suddenly friendly acquaintances. It was mind blowing, believe me. I actually ended up getting a job at Graham Nash's recording studio when CSN was recording the album Daylight Again. And of course, the entire thing was just completely mind blowing to me. I wrote and recorded a couple of songs with one of the Doobie Brothers. I did acting in a few TV commercials, I was sort of a model in a magazine ad, I helped record a song for a movie from the Airplane! guys, and more, it was all so freaking unbelievably extraordinary! Even more incredible was I got talked into doing a project with a guy from Virginia and I moved to Virginia for a year to do this thing with a very talented guy, an unknown living with his mom named Dave Matthews. I was called back to LA thinking I'll never see these people again. Two years later I hear this song on the radio and I'm thinking to myself "Wow, this guy really sounds like ...", yes it was the Dave Matthews band, I practically hit a telephone pole! But I had left those guys to go back to LA, where within months I had a life changing car accident thanks to a guy from Mexico who had no license or insurance. My family had to come to LA to bring me back to Iowa and 25 years later, here I still lay, broken, brain damaged, with no life at all. Only a head full of great memories and little else. Maybe if I had lived a responsible life, I would have more in the world now than just a tiny room and a bed. I feel sorry for myself at times and I really wish my life had turned out a lot differently. So you see, I went out and did all those things you regret not doing, but in the end what did it get me? I have regrets just like you do. The thing with watching Dave Matthews live "my life" nagged at me for years, believe me! Anyway.The only thing I know is that you do have to accept whatever twists and turns our lives may take us, because there is meaning behind it all. And we have to forgive ourselves for whatever we may tell ourselves was some weakness or lack of courage and confidence or any other shortcomings we may blame ourselves for. Nobody's perfect. I do know we owe ourselves our forgiveness. I apologize for writing a whole book, it wasn't my intention. I hope you can find peace knowing that whatever happened in the past was the way it was supposed to be and to try to be grateful for it, no matter what it was. I kinda think that's really the most important thing. Acceptance and gratitude no matter what. I think there's something important about that. I wish i could think of something profound and revelatory to say, but i can't. Sorry! Best wishes to you and have a great life.
@@dggydddy59 Thank you for your reply and it wasn't too long because it was interesting! I'm so sorry you have the devastating accident, but you do have a LOT of great memories of your successes while in the music industry n(more broadly, the entertainment industry). I try not to focus on the "what if" scenarios and I've come to accept the course of my life (mostly), but the thoughts of what could have been intermittently creep into my mind.
Listening to Woodstock I'm reminded how far back Young and Stills go with trading guitar licks. They were always great together. Highly recommend you do an album reaction to The Jackson Browne, Running On Empty album, the whole thing is recorded live, and the rest of the songs are in the same class of fantastic as the title track. Especially The Load Out/Stay, but that's best heard at the end of the album, rather than standing on its own, imo.
CSN was one of the best harmonizing trio of all time!The Pretender is one of Jackson’s signature songs. It was a hit and played on the radio often.Nick I am glad that you feel that Woodstock, which is considered one of the all time great songs in history, a good song!😃Little Feat are legends for their live performances rivaling The Allman Brothers and YES as far as live performances go!Running on Empty is one of my favorites of Jackson’s along with Fountain of Sorrow and For a Dancer!
My friend, that is the Royal Family of Laurel Canyon - or some of it. LA Lowell George, Canadians Joni & Neil, England's Graham Nash .. friends, lovers and freaks whose breadcrumbs all led to music heaven in the hills. What a moment in time.
Nothing screams southern counter culture more than Little Feat. They are like having a cool glass of sweet tea with bourbon chaser while sitting on my great Uncles Kimbles Porch in Georgia.
Stellar picks, RG! and great reaction, Nick! These are all favorites from my teens and early 20's. On "Wooden Ships" you hear Stephen Stills in your right ear and David Crosby in your left ear on the verses, then Stills sings lead on the chorus while Crosby and Nash sing harmonies. At the end, that's Crosby singing: "And it's a fair wind...guess I'll set a course and go." The music is by Crosby and lyrics by Stills and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane, (except for the verse starting with "Horror Grips us...", which Crosby wrote.) It was written on Crosby's boat, The Mayan, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Stills plays bass, lead guitar and organ, (the rhythmic one-note riff is brilliant, IMO!) I encourage you to read the Songfacts page about the meaning of the song, it's pretty cool! As far as Jackson Browne goes, he is a wonderful singer/songwriter, and you can't go wrong with anything he's written. I really love his self titled first album, which has his first hit, "Doctor My Eyes." He was part of the Laurel Canyon gang, which included Joni, Carole King, Mama Cass, CSN, Frank Zappa, among others. I agree with Helene Spaulding, who commented on your Joni reaction the other day, that many singer/songwriters are musical poets, and the lyrics are the reason for the songs, so go ahead and read them when you listen. There aren't many Little Feat songs I know (my husband is the big fan and expert), but this is one, and I really like it, especially the bass riff at the beginning that returns later. CSNY's "Woodstock" was the first version I ever heard, followed by Matthew Southern Comfort's (which is pretty and unique, but they leave out some lyrics.) When I finally heard Joni's, it was a revelation- to hear her sing and play it and see what others had done with it! It really is a masterpiece, and kind of an anthem for the Boomer generation, I think. Keep up the great requests everyone, and let's see some new folks sponsoring songs or marathons too!! 🎵❤️🎵 Debbie
What a batch of EPIC songs RG! 😱😱😱 I’ve listened to all of these songs many times and it’s impossible to pick a favorite. 🤔 But I’m gonna pick a favorite and it’s gonna be all that you dream by Little Feat. Nobody has ever captured that kind of groove, style, funk and spontaneous fusion of happiness that they can muster. Great job Nick. 👍 The solo is the Amazing Billy Payne on keyboards one of the surviving members. We lost singer songwriter and slide guitar master Lowell George a long time ago. More recently we lost (funk town)guitarist and singer songwriter Paul Barrere and the great groove drummer Richie Hayward. This lineup of songs is ALL THAT YOU DREAM of ever having!
Thanks. The piano solo on that song was one of the many highlights on that album for me, and that song was replaced on Spotify by a live version with Linda Ronstadt, but no solo, so I went with the album version. At first I thought that the short delay on the piano solo was a very good guitarist doubling the part. John Hall, who I didn't know (from the group Orleans) was listed on the original album cover as a guitarist on the song, so I ended up checking out his solo stuff by mistake (he's O.K.).
CSN harmonies go Graham Nash on top, David Crosby middle and Stephen Stills bottom. Many of their songs (including this one) are formatted similarly: Stills sings “lead” on verses with the other two “answering” with harmonies. Stills plays those terrific sinuous guitar solos.
Nice selection of music. 'Wooden Ships' is one of my favorites from any band. Great anti-war tune. Jackson Browne is classic road music. Little Feat I love (and hate that I missed them in Denver) You know Joni Mitchell wrote 'Woodstock'. She pulled her music from Spotify. Forgot why.
Hey Nick! Grew up with these songs/artists- hearing those songs a few times Every day on the radio! Over and over you’d hear the top 40 songs on the charts! Especially AM radio! Mostly the “easy listening” songs- short and catchy. Then FM came along and Now you’d hear all the great Rock songs..Prog rock included…on the radio! You hear them over and over-depending what stations you had access to! ❤❤ Change the station and your into Funk/Disco or next channel was Beatles, Beach boys, America, Jackson Brown, Jackson 5, so many songs… But honestly…it was Rock all the way!!! CSNY, Doors, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd & YES!!! So many influences growing up!❤❤❤
RIP David Lindley! He passed yesterday! Not sure if it's just a mystical coincidence? (Stephen Still played all the bass and keyboard parts on the first album.) (Well, Beach Boys are known for their harmonies, of course.) (Crosby & Nash sing harmony on, The Pretender!)
(This comment is for "Wooden Ships") I'm sure that singers/group did this style of left/right chanel separation but for some reason this one stands out for me. The mixing and the production value were fantastic especially given the time frame.
Grew up on these bands and songs. Enjoyed your reaction. Another artist from the 70's I think you might like is Dan Fogelberg. His NetherLands album, full album is stellar.
I used to get the Woodstock concert film on 2(?) VHS back in the 80s and 90s. It was a very amazing cool concert in my opinion. So much history. The artists were mostly young of course but some were new. Santana for example had not yet toured the Eastern US so they weren't known. Their set was legendary but because of their lack of history they got like $1000 for the whole band
Neil was pissed because he felt an earlier take of Woodstock that was harder and more ragged was the ultimate take. He said they started nitpicking it and ended up putting this one out to his frustration. This kind of encapsulates why they never stayed together for very long.
I hope that this introduction to Jackson Browne will create a desire to delve more deeply into his catalogue. Such a prolific and outstanding singer/songwriter. Ditto with CSN……That whole first album was outstanding….
amazingly crafted anti war message. they were awesome live as they wandered around the stage deciding what the mood was so as to determine what would be played next
CSN’s Southern Cross is Gorgeous!! Also, check out Linda Ronstadt’s rendition of Willin’ which is a Little Feat song (she and Lowell George were together for awhile). She sings it beautifully!
Linda Ronstadt, who I think was also on the original recording of "All That You Dream", released her own version on the album "Living in the USA" in 1978.
All these tracks are great. The Running On Empty album is a live album with ( I believe ) a couple of studio tracks, also. Absolutely one of my fave live albums.
.Hi Nick, another great marathon. The harmonies on "Wooden Ships" remind me of the group America. Love the 2nd track by CSN&Y - "Woodstock" which I have on the album Deja Vu . I also have it on a single by "Matthew Southern Comfort" and it is just a wonderful if not moreso. Truth be told I prefer that version to this one. [ I really do need to play video first, before I write sometimes ... Nick mentioned America ... after I wrote. Lol ... I should erase what I said and start again ... but that ain't me. ] byee Jim X
I think Wooden Ships might be my fav CSN..I would recommend Spanish Moon live from.their Waiting For Columbus which is one of the greatest live albums ever.
your comments about Woodstock, is spot on. Neil brought an edge to the group just like Joe Walsh did for the Eagles... that's Neil doing the riffs and lead electric.... it was Stephen who took a beautiful song of Joni Mitchell's and turn it into an anthem of the 60's / hippy generation
On Wooden Ships, the vocal starts out with Stills and then Crosby joins into the 'dialogue'. On the chorus, Nash adds his unmistakable high harmony to the mix. Woodstock is in interesting song. Recently Neil Young commented that the band was in the process of trying to get everything perfect when they recorded and produced the song. According to Neil, Stephen Still's earliest shot at the vocal was rougher but much more powerful and, in Neil's opinion, much better than the final version that got recorded.
If you enjoyed the slide lap steel on 'Running On Empty', I'm pretty sure you'll really appreciative David Lindley on his own album 'El Rayo-X'. On Wikipedia it describes Lindley not only as a studio musician and multi-instrumentalist but as a 'Maxi-instrumentalist'. He would seek out exotic instruments from around the world but also gathered and used inexpensive beginner guitars for the unique sounds he could get from them. I got to see him live with a fabulous drummer and ripping slide on the song 'Mercury Blues". You'll also really appreciate the bass guitar playing on this whole album and the arrangements of a few songs that you've probably heard before like 'Twist And Shout' and 'Bye Bye Love'. Oh, according to Wikipedia they have posted that David Lindley has died today, March 3/2023. RIP th-cam.com/video/VzpweHqi1NA/w-d-xo.html
Everybody's got one... - Americana (70s) - Revival- Allman Bros Keep On Truckin- Hot Tuna Glendale Train- New Riders of the Purple Sage Crazy Mama- JJ Cale Easy To Slip- Little Feat
People are usually surprised when you tell them that Southern rock began in California. Woodstock was actually written by Joni Mitchell. Her version is killer in it's own way. A bit Darker
Very nice version of Wooden Ships... crisp, clear sound... a remaster? Wooden Ships ia an iconic song because of Crosby's lyrics, although I believe Paul Kantner, of Jefferson Airplane, shared the writing honors. Paul and David shared counterculture sensibilities, as well. Don't forget the lyrics, Nick! I heard a very nice acoustic version of the song recently... Crosby and Grace Slick... from 2009. Dare I say..... Wooden Ships is a trip?
The CSNY album is Deja Vu. The names you listed are the drummer and bassist. Woodstock is the only song that Neil Young appears on that he didn't write or co-write. Neil had all his music removed from Spotify.
What can you say about CSN that hasn't already been said? I played the hell out of those first two albums: Crosby, Stills, and Nash and DeJa'Vu. Little Feet is a band that might be a bit under-rated. Great musicians and craftsmen. They really stepped it up a notch live. Point of note, Lowell George, the guitar player and founding member, played guitar for Zappa for a bit, and actually took several Zappa musicians with him to form Little Feet. Unfortunately, he died way too young at 34.
I saw this was blocked at first, and didn't know that it had been resolved so soon. The first song was co-written with Paul Kantner of the Jefferson Airplane about the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. The wooden ships wouldn't conduct radioactivity, the silver people were dressed in anti-radiation suits, and the "purple berries" were anti-radiation potassium iodide pills. I'm glad you went to the lyrics on the second song. Very storyteller mode, sort of like Springsteen. I always thought that his use of the term "legal tender" had a double meaning. First, it is a term for currency or money, and also back then it was more frowned upon to be unmarried and in a sexual relationship. Therefore marriage made the "tender" relations legal. In the first CSN album, Stephen Stills played both guitar and organ, so some songs would be impossible to play on tour - so he got his old Buffalo Springfield bandmate Neil Young to join the group. Joni Mitchell was going to be at Woodstock, but it was feared she wouldn't make it back to N.Y.C. in time for her Dick Cavett Show appearance, so she wrote the song "Woodstock" while watching the news reports on TV in a hotel room. Stills played lead gtr. on "W.Ships", and Young on this one. They didn't have the album version of the Little Feat song on Spotify, but a live version which didn't have Bill Payne's piano solo on it. The solo has a delay on it, which at first I thought was a good guitarist doubling the part. The recorded on tour Running On Empty album is interesting if only for the unusual recording locations - on the tour bus, etc. This album has some of my favourite David Lindley lap steel guitar playing on it. Glad you liked the marathon. PS - I always send emails with the song lengths because of what happened with "Crossroads". Clapton's solos on the 1968 live Wheels Of Fire would have been the basis for a request for Jeff Berlin's version where he played Clapton's solos note for note on the bass. But you picked a later, slower performance, so I always include the Spotify song lengths to avoid confusion. - PPS - Speaking of things that can cause confusion - "The Last Record Album" is the name of the Little Feat album, but it wasn't the group's last album - even before singer/slide player Lowell George died.
Hello Nick. Running on Empty (stunning track) needs to be followed by "The Load Out and Stay". That makes the whole story about a traveling band complete!!!
![HIWWHEE | OHM [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OJJLtTLqLag/mqdefault.jpg)
The bass player for Jackson Browne (and many other great artists) is Leland Sklar who has his own TH-cam channel. I highly recommend it, full of stories, and songs. Check him out.
The Pretender is one of my favorite Jackson Browne songs. I recall an interpretation was it was about someone who grew up in the 60s and had big dreams of what the future could be. They then lose sight of those dreams as they get older and focus more on just getting by day to day and working to achieve a good life.
That's Stephen Stills playing the lead guitar, bass and organ tracks on "Wooden Ships". He was really on a roll when they made that album!
Yes! Also Stills got Jimi Hendrix to play guitar on a song on his self-titled (Stephen Stills) album. One of Jimi's very last recordings. I think the song is Old Times Good Times
David and Graham nicknamed him 'Captain Manyhands'.
Stephen is a renowned guitar player by the people in the know but doesn't get his due in the general population.
At last you've discovered Jackson. One of our greatest lyricists and performers since the late sixties until present day. An old friend of Joni, Eagles, CSNY, Warren Zevon, and Linda Ronstadt and a big part of the LA music scene in the early seventies. Try A Song For Adam, In The Shape Of A Heart, Before The Deluge, Rock Me On The Water, Doctor My Eyes or any cut from any of his multiple albums.
Curtis, if you haven't heard Greg Allman's version of "A Song for Adam" from his final album, "Southern Blood" you must!
Your taste is impeccable. These are some of the poet laureates of the 60’s and 70’s. (My generation 👍)
Jackson Browne is one of the greatest singer/songwriters. Absolutely amazing lyricist. Never uses cliches. "I'm Alive" is one of my many favorite songs of his.
The number of rabbit holes you just started down is unbelievable👍
Little Feat was the favorite band of your favorite band back in the 70’s and 80’s. The great Lowell George passed too soon!
JB said he noticed his gas gauge was on EMPTY once and got the idea for using that as a metaphor for his life. Great example of how songwriters can turn mundane things into poetry that becomes iconic. Like when Lennon once was asked how he used to write songs and he answered “ you just take a good crap and write a song about it “!
Wooden Ships my all time favorite CSN song way to go RG! Nick you have to make sure Lex listens to this song. 🙏🏽✌🏽♥️
Jackson Browne's "Running On Empty" is an amazing album. Some 'live' songs are recorded in front of an audience, some backstage, some in hotel rooms and one is even recorded on a bus! You can hear the bus motor revving in the background.....but you get used to it and it fits in! Just brilliant.
I think Running on Empty was the first performance of it live, too.
I assume you know that Joni Mitchell wrote Woodstock. Her version is almost unrecognizable, but so ethereal and gorgeous that I would recommend it heartily. The BBC live version with just her and her piano is mesmerizing.
I have read that she liked CSNY’s version. Is that true?
@@willasacco9898 She was sleeping with Graham Nash at the time. What else would she say?
@@markmurphy558 OK - Thanks for the info.
Matthews Southern Comfort version of "Woodstock" is superior to CSN&Y version and joni own original!
@@dougreed2257 really? Have to listen
Regarding Jackson Browne..... In my opinion... he is a poet that happens to also be a gifted singer and songwriter. I have loved his music since the 1960s.
" I want to know what became of the changes
We waited for love to bring
Were they only the fitful dreams
Of some greater awakening?"
Who, these days, writes like this? It's pure, beautiful poetry.
I was in college in NY from 1975-1978, and played "The Pretender" on my cassette deck every night when I went to bed, with my headphones on. What great memories.
"WOODEN SHIPS" gets me in my 'feels' every time!
Jackson Browne is one of my top 5 songwriters of all time, he actually wrote Take it Easy while Glenn Frey was his roommate at the time. Late for the Sky, These Days, The Load Out/Stay, Doctor My Eyes…all absolutely brilliant. Worth a deeper dive!!
The great slide guitar playing on Running on Empty was done by the great David Lindley, who passed away just yesterday. 😔
Jackson Browne albums are all the type that don't have one bad song. Brilliant singer songwriter!
Love this Marathon. Yes Jackson Brown is a story teller. His lyrics are
always so heartfelt.
David Crosby and Graham Nash are singing background vocals on The Pretender, and Jeff Porcaro of Toto on drums, and Leland Sklar on bass.
Jackson was an "almost" Eagle. They all hung and wrote tunes together, but he decided to persue his solo career. If I'm not mistaken, the Eagles "Take it Easy" was a Jackson song.
Definitely a Jackson song!
The story I heard is that Jackson had MOST of the song …Glenn Frye assisted, helped him finish it as he struggled.
Glad that you finally discovered Jackson Browne one of the greatest singer/songwriter of the 70's. His lyrics tell beautiful stories which often are introspective and tell of the ups and downs of life's journey. You could say that his songs reflect the universal consciousness of a generation in his lyrics. You have many great songs to hear from his "Dr. My Eyes" to "The Load Out".
I echo your sentiments.
BEST MARATHON EVAH!!!!!!
Thanks 🙏 RG. That was gorgeous!
Little Feat's album Waiting For Columbus is a must.
That one is going to the grave with me!!
ABSOLUTELY !
One of THE best live albums!
David Lindley, Jackson Browne’s faithful sideman on guitar, slide guitar and violin, just died today at the age of 78. He co-wrote and plays on Running On Empty, so the timing of this marathon is very poignant. And we lost David Crosby (who sang on THREE of these songs, including The Pretender!) about six weeks ago. We are losing so many legendary musicians!
David Lindley was such a great musician, it is terrible news of his passing. His album El Rayo-X is one of my favorites.
David Lindley was a spectacularly talented multi-instrumentalist. He worked with so may of the artists from that SoCal country-rock genre. What an amazing talent he was!!!
Master slide guitarist. Amazing version of Little Feat's Rocket in My Pocket. th-cam.com/video/BiJMaMn2Bw0/w-d-xo.html
oh gosh...
Saddled with Stay and Mercury Blues, he was a deeply gifted man. And how good do you need to be to play alongside Curtis Mayfield, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, etc.
Pardon my language, but R.G. this whole marathon kicks ass! A well thought out and put together group of tracks. Highly enjoyed it! Jackson is one of my favorites! Glad to see you enjoy this one Nick!
CSN and Browne were part of the Laurel Canyon scene…..mid to late 60’s, early 70’s….singer/songwriters, folk rock……Joni Mitchell,Cass Elliott of The Mamas and Papas…a close knit music community filled with creativity and cross-fertilization. These songs were a large part of the sound track of my early adult years. And I still love them. Just beautiful music.
Jackson Browne is a deep well of great writing and musical arrangements especially his first five albums Saturate Before Using, For Everyman, Late For The Sky, The Pretender, and Running on Empty.
A monster of a marathon with three of the greatest bands/artists that flooded my world in the 70s and continues to rock my world today!
Thank you!
Now, let's get back to Traffic...😁
Jackson Browne's LATE FOR THE SKY album, In terms of completeness and perfection, this album is
in my top 10 "Must Have On A Desert Island albums top. Although all of the songs are pure masterpieces, four songs touch me every time I hear them - 'Late For The Sky, Befoe The Delegue, For a Dancer, and Fountain of Sorrow. Give any of those a spin, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Powerful lyrics.
Marvellous marathon! Thanks RG! 'Wooden Ships' and 'Woodstock' are integral to CSN&Y's legacy, although interestingly the former was co-written with Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane, and 'Woodstock' was written by Joni, who didn't even go to the festival, let alone play there. Woodstock was CSN&Y's second ever performance together, and Stills nervously told the huge audience 'We're scared shitless!' Joni's version is on her Ladies of the Canyon album and is much slower and hauntingly beautiful. I'm not sure where you heard that 'All That You Dream' is off the Feats' last album Nick, this was from The Last Record Album, oh I get it now, that's the title of the album, not their last album! Thanks again Nick and RG, a great marathon.
Crosby & Nash doing backing harmonies on The Pretender . . . so, nice segue from Wooden Ships.
I have been an enormous fan of CSN (and Y) since my childhood as a fan of the Buffalo Springfield (S and Y), the Byrds (C), and the Hollies (N). I was musically conscious then due to a jazz pianist mother, and when they came together just before Woodstock, it was an epiphany!! This is such a David Crosby song. Rest in Peace you brilliant troubled soul. Where is your woman?
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 some applause for RG. Great marathon. More Jackson Browne and CSN (Y) please.
Great segment Nick, Rg has great taste. Finally, Now your getting into the good stuff, the heart of Americana folk rock. I too grew up with all these bands in high school, CSNY, Little Feat, Jackson Brown. They were at the very epicenter of this genre. Love it!
Bringing back memories,
Little Feat is such a groove.
Wooden Ships is one of the great songs of the 70s, imo. The first voice is Stills, the second voice is David Crosby, when they do harmony it’s all three of them. Stills is lead singer on the rest of the song. This is about The Cold War and post-nuclear annihilation. Stephen Stills played most of the instruments on the studio song version. Stills is a really under appreciated guitarist.
Love the Jackson cuts What A rabbit hole to go down love you
Sad to hear David Lindley passed away today ( Jackson Browne guitarist / multi instrumentalist )
Not to mention his solo and session playing
That’s him playing the slide guitar on Running On Empty. He also co-wrote the song with Jackson Browne! A massive talent, who played with Ronstadt, Zevon, even Rod Stewart on a couple of albums.
R.I.P. David Linley!
So excellent you opened with "Wooden Ships". CSN so ahead in the times of their songwriting and their music output. Stephen Stills is ALWAYS extraordinary.
"Running on Empty is the fifth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. Featuring songs themed around life on the road, the entire album was recorded on tour, either live on stage, or in locations associated with touring, such as backstage, on tour buses, or in hotel rooms." google
Never heard of Jackson Browne, that made my day! I was never a huge fan of his but as I grow older and hopefully (doubtful) wiser I appreciate singer/song writers so much more, especially if they can actually play the guitar or piano well. I believe Browne was a young and upper comer in San Francisco when David Crosby took him under his wing and helped him produce his first album as well as providing harmonies on it. In my lifetime David Crosby is in my top five favorite voices of all time.
Jackson Browne had no connection with the San Francisco music scene. Yes, David Crosby added harmony vocals to Jackson's debut album, but David was not the producer.
I consider Wooden Ships to be in the folk-rock genre. You were spot on when you dubbed them "kings of vocal harmony" Southern Cross from 1982 is a similar song and to me these two are the best although they have so many others like, Lady of the Island etc. All great stuff. Thanks, Nick!
You hit another batch of my favourites in this one. I used to fall asleep with the headphones on listening to CSNY 4 Way Street. Little Feat Waiting for Columbus and Jackson Browne Running on Empty were albums from the time where you would sit with a group of people and listen to an entire side together.
And, for me, those Waiting for Columbus and Running on Empty are performance where I have bought just about every new media version released over time.
Was fortunate to get some of the Feat to sign a double CD I picked up when I saw they a few years back.
My remastered DVD-A version of Running on Empty brings you totally into the concert hall, and it's filed in the "pry from my cold dead hands" section of my music library.
The CSNY album is entitled "Deja Vu". Dallas Taylor and Greg Reeves were the rhythm section. Great marathon!
@@kbrewski1 Spotify is a nightmare for the unknowing/unfamiliar
And "The Last Record Album" is the title of that Little Feat album, not their last by any means!
@Tom Mathews Was just about to post a similar comment.
FYI, Crosby, Stills, & Nash did the backing vocals for the entire album "The Pretender" which is a masterpiece, imo. They also backed up Jackson Browne playing the title cut in a live show recorded relatively recently. (It's available on TH-cam.) They recalled JB being quite a perfectionist back in 1976. :)
Running on Empty such a great song. These Days worth checking, written when he was a teenager.
Oh no - did not know about the loss of David Lindley. 😞
Back in about 1973 CSNY , the Band and Joni Mitchell were on the same concert bill - and saw them in London; what was really great was Joni coming out to sing Woodstock with CSNY. yes indeed.
Such a beautiful bass line in The Pretender as well……Leland Sklar at work. Browne does hiw own keys…..Sklar was his bassist, Russ Kunkel was the drummer, and David Lindley his guitarist….who just passed yesterday.
Hey Nick, it's been awhile since I've watched one of your videos (I don't know why), but this is a great one to come back because it is packed with 5 great classic songs by 2 bands and a solo artist that would definitely be on my list of favorites since I was a kid. The Pretender is one of my favorite Jackson Browne songs, as much for the lyrics as the great music. I've always concentrated on the music of songs way more than the lyrics and even though I had heard The Pretender many times over the years and loved it, I had only superficially paid attention to the lyrics up until a couple years when I watched a lyric video. When I finally understood the meaning of the lyrics, I felt like I was punched in the face because the lyrics seemed to be describing my life, from choice of career to the "longing for love". They seemed to be relating my chronic regret from abandoning my childhood dream of pursuing a career as a full-time musician because of self-doubt about my talent, fear of financial instability and an irrational need to "measure up" to my siblings to pursue a career in a "respectable" profession, which I never loved and felt more like a burden each passing year, along with my failed marriage and long-term relationship. Sorry about the long personal diatribe......but after writing that, I feel like I just went through therapy! 😁
Welcome back and thank you truly for opening up and sharing!! 🤘
Music, a healing balm.
I also had that same childhood dream my whole life. I came from a family of part time musicians and my family didn't disapprove of my leaving Iowa for Hollywood. They said follow your dreams when you're young type of thing. I got lucky, and that's all it was, and I found myself in the company of the rich and famous. People I'd watched on movies and TV and whose music I had listened to for years were suddenly friendly acquaintances. It was mind blowing, believe me. I actually ended up getting a job at Graham Nash's recording studio when CSN was recording the album Daylight Again. And of course, the entire thing was just completely mind blowing to me. I wrote and recorded a couple of songs with one of the Doobie Brothers. I did acting in a few TV commercials, I was sort of a model in a magazine ad, I helped record a song for a movie from the Airplane! guys, and more, it was all so freaking unbelievably extraordinary!
Even more incredible was I got talked into doing a project with a guy from Virginia and I moved to Virginia for a year to do this thing with a very talented guy, an unknown living with his mom named Dave Matthews. I was called back to LA thinking I'll never see these people again. Two years later I hear this song on the radio and I'm thinking to myself "Wow, this guy really sounds like ...", yes it was the Dave Matthews band, I practically hit a telephone pole! But I had left those guys to go back to LA, where within months I had a life changing car accident thanks to a guy from Mexico who had no license or insurance. My family had to come to LA to bring me back to Iowa and 25 years later, here I still lay, broken, brain damaged, with no life at all. Only a head full of great memories and little else. Maybe if I had lived a responsible life, I would have more in the world now than just a tiny room and a bed. I feel sorry for myself at times and I really wish my life had turned out a lot differently. So you see, I went out and did all those things you regret not doing, but in the end what did it get me? I have regrets just like you do. The thing with watching Dave Matthews live "my life" nagged at me for years, believe me! Anyway.The only thing I know is that you do have to accept whatever twists and turns our lives may take us, because there is meaning behind it all. And we have to forgive ourselves for whatever we may tell ourselves was some weakness or lack of courage and confidence or any other shortcomings we may blame ourselves for. Nobody's perfect. I do know we owe ourselves our forgiveness. I apologize for writing a whole book, it wasn't my intention. I hope you can find peace knowing that whatever happened in the past was the way it was supposed to be and to try to be grateful for it, no matter what it was. I kinda think that's really the most important thing. Acceptance and gratitude no matter what. I think there's something important about that. I wish i could think of something profound and revelatory to say, but i can't. Sorry! Best wishes to you and have a great life.
@@dggydddy59 Thank you for your reply and it wasn't too long because it was interesting! I'm so sorry you have the devastating accident, but you do have a LOT of great memories of your successes while in the music industry n(more broadly, the entertainment industry). I try not to focus on the "what if" scenarios and I've come to accept the course of my life (mostly), but the thoughts of what could have been intermittently creep into my mind.
Listening to Woodstock I'm reminded how far back Young and Stills go with trading guitar licks. They were always great together. Highly recommend you do an album reaction to The Jackson Browne, Running On Empty album, the whole thing is recorded live, and the rest of the songs are in the same class of fantastic as the title track. Especially The Load Out/Stay, but that's best heard at the end of the album, rather than standing on its own, imo.
CSN was one of the best harmonizing trio of all time!The Pretender is one of Jackson’s signature songs. It was a hit and played on the radio often.Nick I am glad that you feel that Woodstock, which is considered one of the all time great songs in history, a good song!😃Little Feat are legends for their live performances rivaling The Allman Brothers and YES as far as live performances go!Running on Empty is one of my favorites of Jackson’s along with Fountain of Sorrow and For a Dancer!
Nice set. Sad that some of these artists have recently left us.
I could listen to these bands all day and never hear a bad song. CSNY and Jaçkson Brown have huge catalogs to go through.❤
My friend, that is the Royal Family of Laurel Canyon - or some of it. LA Lowell George, Canadians Joni & Neil, England's Graham Nash .. friends, lovers and freaks whose breadcrumbs all led to music heaven in the hills. What a moment in time.
Woodstock is a Joni song..her version is so different and great
The song "All That You Dream" appeared on Little Feat's fifth album entitled "The Last Record Album". They released many more albums after that.
It's Little Feat.. the Lowell George years, for me. I feel the same way about Genesis and Peter Gabriel.
Nothing screams southern counter culture more than Little Feat. They are like having a cool glass of sweet tea with bourbon chaser while sitting on my great Uncles Kimbles Porch in Georgia.
Stellar picks, RG! and great reaction, Nick! These are all favorites from my teens and early 20's.
On "Wooden Ships" you hear Stephen Stills in your right ear and David Crosby in your left ear on the verses, then Stills sings lead on the chorus while Crosby and Nash sing harmonies. At the end, that's Crosby singing: "And it's a fair wind...guess I'll set a course and go." The music is by Crosby and lyrics by Stills and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane, (except for the verse starting with "Horror Grips us...", which Crosby wrote.) It was written on Crosby's boat, The Mayan, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Stills plays bass, lead guitar and organ, (the rhythmic one-note riff is brilliant, IMO!) I encourage you to read the Songfacts page about the meaning of the song, it's pretty cool!
As far as Jackson Browne goes, he is a wonderful singer/songwriter, and you can't go wrong with anything he's written. I really love his self titled first album, which has his first hit, "Doctor My Eyes." He was part of the Laurel Canyon gang, which included Joni, Carole King, Mama Cass, CSN, Frank Zappa, among others. I agree with Helene Spaulding, who commented on your Joni reaction the other day, that many singer/songwriters are musical poets, and the lyrics are the reason for the songs, so go ahead and read them when you listen.
There aren't many Little Feat songs I know (my husband is the big fan and expert), but this is one, and I really like it, especially the bass riff at the beginning that returns later.
CSNY's "Woodstock" was the first version I ever heard, followed by Matthew Southern Comfort's (which is pretty and unique, but they leave out some lyrics.) When I finally heard Joni's, it was a revelation- to hear her sing and play it and see what others had done with it! It really is a masterpiece, and kind of an anthem for the Boomer generation, I think.
Keep up the great requests everyone, and let's see some new folks sponsoring songs or marathons too!!
🎵❤️🎵 Debbie
What a batch of EPIC songs RG! 😱😱😱
I’ve listened to all of these songs many times and it’s impossible to pick a favorite. 🤔 But I’m gonna pick a favorite and it’s gonna be all that you dream by Little Feat. Nobody has ever captured that kind of groove, style, funk and spontaneous fusion of happiness that they can muster. Great job Nick. 👍
The solo is the Amazing Billy Payne on keyboards one of the surviving members. We lost singer songwriter and slide guitar master Lowell George a long time ago. More recently we lost (funk town)guitarist and singer songwriter Paul Barrere and the great groove drummer Richie Hayward. This lineup of songs is ALL THAT YOU DREAM of ever having!
Thanks. The piano solo on that song was one of the many highlights on that album for me, and that song was replaced on Spotify by a live version with Linda Ronstadt, but no solo, so I went with the album version. At first I thought that the short delay on the piano solo was a very good guitarist doubling the part. John Hall, who I didn't know (from the group Orleans) was listed on the original album cover as a guitarist on the song, so I ended up checking out his solo stuff by mistake (he's O.K.).
Great marathon Nick! Brought back a lot of memories.🌿 Thanks so much for posting these great songs.🦋
CSN harmonies go Graham Nash on top, David Crosby middle and Stephen Stills bottom.
Many of their songs (including this one) are formatted similarly: Stills sings “lead” on verses with the other two “answering” with harmonies.
Stills plays those terrific sinuous guitar solos.
Jackson Browne is STILL writing great songs. Check out A Little Soon to Say from a couple of years ago. Definitely an all time great.
Nice selection of music. 'Wooden Ships' is one of my favorites from any band. Great anti-war tune. Jackson Browne is classic road music. Little Feat I love (and hate that I missed them in Denver) You know Joni Mitchell wrote 'Woodstock'. She pulled her music from Spotify. Forgot why.
The reason was Joe Rogan.
You mention great harmonies? Nick- this was the 60s and 70s. Best music and harmonies ever...
"Wooden Ships"... It's a post-apocalyptic story. Google the meaning behind the words. Incredible!
Hey Nick! Grew up with these songs/artists- hearing those songs a few times Every day on the radio! Over and over you’d hear the top 40 songs on the charts! Especially AM radio! Mostly the “easy listening” songs- short and catchy.
Then FM came along and Now you’d hear all the great Rock songs..Prog rock included…on the radio! You hear them over and over-depending what stations you had access to! ❤❤
Change the station and your into Funk/Disco or next channel was Beatles, Beach boys, America, Jackson Brown, Jackson 5, so many songs…
But honestly…it was Rock all the way!!! CSNY, Doors, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd & YES!!! So many influences growing up!❤❤❤
RIP David Lindley! He passed yesterday! Not sure if it's just a mystical coincidence? (Stephen Still played all the bass and keyboard parts on the first album.) (Well, Beach Boys are known for their harmonies, of course.) (Crosby & Nash sing harmony on, The Pretender!)
Joni wrote "Woodstock" which she never quite got to. What a difference in the arrangements!
Love all the songs in this reaction. You know Joni Mitchell wrote Woodstock for them. You should listen to her version also.
(This comment is for "Wooden Ships") I'm sure that singers/group did this style of left/right chanel separation but for some reason this one stands out for me. The mixing and the production value were fantastic especially given the time frame.
The studio version of Yes' Perpetual Change is another great example of effective left/right channel separation.
Grew up on these bands and songs. Enjoyed your reaction. Another artist from the 70's I think you might like is Dan Fogelberg. His NetherLands album, full album is stellar.
Nick just did a DF reaction this past week or so.
Excellent idea.
"Souvenirs" "Captured Angel" "The Innocent Age" "High Country Snows" albums ......so much great music from Fogelberg! I miss him!
Yes, as B Mac said, Nick reacted to Dan’s “Tucson, Arizona” recently.
@@JKonstage He did...but that's just scratching at the surface of a very deep artist.
Wooden ships!❤
I used to get the Woodstock concert film on 2(?) VHS back in the 80s and 90s. It was a very amazing cool concert in my opinion. So much history. The artists were mostly young of course but some were new. Santana for example had not yet toured the Eastern US so they weren't known. Their set was legendary but because of their lack of history they got like $1000 for the whole band
Neil was pissed because he felt an earlier take of Woodstock that was harder and more ragged was the ultimate take. He said they started nitpicking it and ended up putting this one out to his frustration. This kind of encapsulates why they never stayed together for very long.
I hope that this introduction to Jackson Browne will create a desire to delve more deeply into his catalogue. Such a prolific and outstanding singer/songwriter. Ditto with CSN……That whole first album was outstanding….
amazingly crafted anti war message. they were awesome live as they wandered around the stage deciding what the mood was so as to determine what would be played next
CSN’s Southern Cross is Gorgeous!! Also, check out Linda Ronstadt’s rendition of Willin’ which is a Little Feat song (she and Lowell George were together for awhile). She sings it beautifully!
Anything by Linda Ronstadt ( including her Latin album) is a win win. That woman's voice was something special.
I once heard a radio DJ announce them as Crosby, Stills, Nash, and sometimes Young. Like the vowels A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y.
Linda Ronstadt, who I think was also on the original recording of "All That You Dream", released her own version on the album "Living in the USA" in 1978.
She wasn't on the original, but was on a live recording of it.
All these tracks are great. The Running On Empty album is a live album with ( I believe ) a couple of studio tracks, also. Absolutely one of my fave live albums.
.Hi Nick, another great marathon. The harmonies on "Wooden Ships" remind me of the group America. Love the 2nd track by CSN&Y - "Woodstock" which I have on the album Deja Vu . I also have it on a single by "Matthew Southern Comfort" and it is just a wonderful if not moreso. Truth be told I prefer that version to this one. [ I really do need to play video first, before I write sometimes ... Nick mentioned America ... after I wrote. Lol ... I should erase what I said and start again ... but that ain't me. ] byee Jim X
I think Wooden Ships might be my fav CSN..I would recommend Spanish Moon live from.their Waiting For Columbus which is one of the greatest live albums ever.
Filthy good!
your comments about Woodstock, is spot on. Neil brought an edge to the group just like Joe Walsh did for the Eagles... that's Neil doing the riffs and lead electric.... it was Stephen who took a beautiful song of Joni Mitchell's and turn it into an anthem of the 60's / hippy generation
6:56 Glad you took that comment as intended. I do get the hiss. We all have some version of it. It’s for when words fail, right?
On Wooden Ships, the vocal starts out with Stills and then Crosby joins into the 'dialogue'. On the chorus, Nash adds his unmistakable high harmony to the mix. Woodstock is in interesting song. Recently Neil Young commented that the band was in the process of trying to get everything perfect when they recorded and produced the song. According to Neil, Stephen Still's earliest shot at the vocal was rougher but much more powerful and, in Neil's opinion, much better than the final version that got recorded.
Nice selection. The CSN debut album is still stunning!
Great mix !!! Love that bass on Wooden Ships !!
If you enjoyed the slide lap steel on 'Running On Empty', I'm pretty sure you'll really appreciative David Lindley on his own album 'El Rayo-X'. On Wikipedia it describes Lindley not only as a studio musician and multi-instrumentalist but as a 'Maxi-instrumentalist'. He would seek out exotic instruments from around the world but also gathered and used inexpensive beginner guitars for the unique sounds he could get from them. I got to see him live with a fabulous drummer and ripping slide on the song 'Mercury Blues". You'll also really appreciate the bass guitar playing on this whole album and the arrangements of a few songs that you've probably heard before like 'Twist And Shout' and 'Bye Bye Love'. Oh, according to Wikipedia they have posted that David Lindley has died today, March 3/2023. RIP th-cam.com/video/VzpweHqi1NA/w-d-xo.html
Everybody's got one...
- Americana (70s) -
Revival- Allman Bros
Keep On Truckin- Hot Tuna
Glendale Train- New Riders of the Purple Sage
Crazy Mama- JJ Cale
Easy To Slip- Little Feat
All great choices there!
Great choice of legendary tunes!
People are usually surprised when you tell them that Southern rock began in California. Woodstock was actually written by Joni Mitchell. Her version is killer in it's own way. A bit Darker
CSB is NOT southern Rock
Rock with some folk/country infused, but not Southern Rock
Because Southern Rock didn't begin in California.
Very nice version of Wooden Ships... crisp, clear sound... a remaster?
Wooden Ships ia an iconic song because of Crosby's lyrics, although I believe Paul Kantner, of Jefferson Airplane, shared the writing honors.
Paul and David shared counterculture sensibilities, as well.
Don't forget the lyrics, Nick!
I heard a very nice acoustic version of the song recently... Crosby and Grace Slick... from 2009.
Dare I say..... Wooden Ships is a trip?
The CSNY album is Deja Vu. The names you listed are the drummer and bassist. Woodstock is the only song that Neil Young appears on that he didn't write or co-write. Neil had all his music removed from Spotify.
What can you say about CSN that hasn't already been said? I played the hell out of those first two albums: Crosby, Stills, and Nash and DeJa'Vu. Little Feet is a band that might be a bit under-rated. Great musicians and craftsmen. They really stepped it up a notch live. Point of note, Lowell George, the guitar player and founding member, played guitar for Zappa for a bit, and actually took several Zappa musicians with him to form Little Feet. Unfortunately, he died way too young at 34.
I saw this was blocked at first, and didn't know that it had been resolved so soon. The first song was co-written with Paul Kantner of the Jefferson Airplane about the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. The wooden ships wouldn't conduct radioactivity, the silver people were dressed in anti-radiation suits, and the "purple berries" were anti-radiation potassium iodide pills. I'm glad you went to the lyrics on the second song. Very storyteller mode, sort of like Springsteen. I always thought that his use of the term "legal tender" had a double meaning. First, it is a term for currency or money, and also back then it was more frowned upon to be unmarried and in a sexual relationship. Therefore marriage made the "tender" relations legal. In the first CSN album, Stephen Stills played both guitar and organ, so some songs would be impossible to play on tour - so he got his old Buffalo Springfield bandmate Neil Young to join the group. Joni Mitchell was going to be at Woodstock, but it was feared she wouldn't make it back to N.Y.C. in time for her Dick Cavett Show appearance, so she wrote the song "Woodstock" while watching the news reports on TV in a hotel room. Stills played lead gtr. on "W.Ships", and Young on this one. They didn't have the album version of the Little Feat song on Spotify, but a live version which didn't have Bill Payne's piano solo on it. The solo has a delay on it, which at first I thought was a good guitarist doubling the part. The recorded on tour Running On Empty album is interesting if only for the unusual recording locations - on the tour bus, etc. This album has some of my favourite David Lindley lap steel guitar playing on it. Glad you liked the marathon. PS - I always send emails with the song lengths because of what happened with "Crossroads". Clapton's solos on the 1968 live Wheels Of Fire would have been the basis for a request for Jeff Berlin's version where he played Clapton's solos note for note on the bass. But you picked a later, slower performance, so I always include the Spotify song lengths to avoid confusion. - PPS - Speaking of things that can cause confusion - "The Last Record Album" is the name of the Little Feat album, but it wasn't the group's last album - even before singer/slide player Lowell George died.
I was hoping someone would explain the meaning of "Wooden Ships" being about the aftermath of a Nuclear Holocaust.
Thank you.
If my memory is still working, one of the songs on the Running On Empty album was recorded on the tour bus.
Hello Nick. Running on Empty (stunning track) needs to be followed by "The Load Out and Stay". That makes the whole story about a traveling band complete!!!