One of the most sickeningly underrated guitarists and songwriters in history. He was and is the heart and soul of CSN&Y. His art was transcendent. I hope, someday, he gets due recognition.
one of the best solo releases ever in my opinion is Chris Robinson's first release. The guitarist in the songs must be a Stephen Stills fan; sounds a lot like him in places.
@@222Lightning do you mean from Black Crowes? I don't believe I've heard it. I know he was with another band (something with mud), but I'd love some details so I can follow up. Thanks 👍🏽.
I agree 120% with you my friend. He was the body and soul of CSN. The most talented by far. Can play any instrument. Played all on his first solo album. Had a couple guest artists on it most notebly Jimi, on one cut. Still is my favorite guitarist of all time.
After Black Crowes Chris Robinson did a solo release in like 2003...wow it was that long ago! Mudcrutch? Don't believe he was in that....or any of the Black Crowes..but speaking of MudCrutch...I got to find that CD to listen to in my car that has a cd player. @@ijitdunn
One afternoon,my boss came up to me,knowing I've studied CSN &Y religiously,and handed a cassette tape of this track. He said "I flew in Vietnam over the treeline. My job was to flush out the V.C for the Cobra boys above to blow to hell" Steve was and is one hell of a guy and he loved this song because it brought back alot of memories.I never ask a Vet about their time in war,as I'm sure we all know not to. But he said his hitch in Nam was his duty to his country And that's all right by me. Love to all you Tree Top boys...and to your brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice. MIA/POW🇺🇸❤💪🇺🇸 We love you and respect you always.
Lol you’re fucking stupid it’s about how he was flying low to avoid radars to ship crates of illegal marijuana across the border . (Rip a man of the Columbia fields)
@@arimoreno2968 It’s literally in reference to ex-Vietnam pilots who came home from war and found a niche in the cottage industry of smuggling via small planes.
This was one of my father's favorite songs. Because I was twelve at the time I couldn't understand why; many moons later, I get it, I love it, and I play it by his grave a few times per year.
“Treetop Flyer” is from 1991's Stills Alone album, a recording of nearly all unaccompanied mostly-original acoustic songs. The album got mixed reviews, many from people who took issue with the processed sound of Stills’ Martin guitar. But a great song is a great song, and “Treetop Flyer” is one of Stills’ finest. It’s the story of a Vietnam vet who came home from the war with a marketable new skill: the ability to fly under the radar. When these pilots returned from combat to a public that often shunned them, and wouldn’t give them a job or help them deal with what they’d been through, they found a way to make money with this skill in running drugs, guns, and whatever other contraband someone would pay them to deliver. Stills sings in the first person for this song’s six verses - no chorus, no bridge - and really sounds like he is the “Treetop Flyer,” or as if he definitely knows someone who was. This song has conflict, greed, danger, and a romantic relationship - all the pieces that make a song important and memorable. At least one troubadour of the current generation was so influenced by this song that he decided to make music his career. Ray LaMontagne credits Stills’ song with prompting him to make the decision that his life would be music and nothing else. “It was ‘Treetop Flyer’ off a solo record that Stills had done, which really knocked me out,” LaMontagne told NPR. “Treetop Flyer” stands out as one of Stills’ best pieces of work. He still sometimes performs this song live with his band The Rides, with guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd. A word of caution if you decide you want to learn how to play this song. Before you drive yourself nuts trying to figure it out: Stills’ guitar is tuned to the DADGAD tuning, sometimes known as Celtic tuning or Bensusan (as in Pierre Bensusan) tuning. And beware of lyric sites that say the words in the fifth verse are “I get the shit down, I tie it fast” - Stills is really singing “ship,” not “shit.”
My sister and I grew up in Juneau, Alaska. My dad was a firefighter and bush pilot and my mom was a veterinarian. When my mom would do 10 day clinics in the small communities of southeast AK, my dad would take time off work and load my sister and I into his Toyota pickup and we’d take the ferry from Juneau to Skagway and drive up to Whitehorse, Yukon where we’d stay at a hot springs out side of town for a few days. This song was part of a mixtape cassette a friend of my dad’s had made for him. I cannot listen to this incredible song without thinking of my dad, and driving in that old Toyota up into northern Canada. It’s been nearly 30 years since those days, and my dad battles with Parkinson’s disease now and things have changed, however this song will always remind me of a time in my life when my dad was “the man”… truly the epitome of an Alaskan man, and I’m thankful Treetop Flyer will always be there to take me back to those memories with him.
I had the good fortune to work as an airline pilot for twenty plus years. You can believe that I wasn't the only one to hum this tune in tight spots. The guitar solo is one of the best pieces ever!
Those bars "Aint going to die, I ain't goin' to get caught /'Cause I'm a flyin' fool / and my aeroplane is just too hot" hit like a goddamn atom bomb 🔥
Stephen Stills is a legend , of course Crosby stills Nash and Young as a group is also very very good but this right here shows Stephen Stills sheer talent
"The government taught me, and they taught me right, stay down under the treeline; ya might be alright." I'm a treetop flyer.. Born survivor.. -and we work alone...
This was one of my dad’s favorite songs.He was a painter and developed ataxia and couldn’t walk or control his hands/legs later in his life due to inhaling paint/sandblast fumes etc. he didn’t ever wear proper equipment because he learned from old school painters in the late 80s/early 90s. He never paid taxes and definitely never did business that didn’t make him smile! ❤ he told me many times over the years he was probably going to federal prison. He did not go to prison, but he did have a stroke on July 4th of this year and ultimately passed away at the age of only 56 after an almost 3 week long fight in neuro icu and ltac. I love you daddy. I listen to your music every day and I appreciate it so much more now that you’re gone unfortunately.. 😢❤
This song is actually a true story. It’s written by a fella named Jimmy, I’m not going to put his last name down but he is from Florida, the St. Pete area. He was one of the biggest Pot smugglers in the 60s and the 70s that ever was. There’s a few books out there, that actually talk about him. He was a Vietnam pilot. I had the opportunity and luxury of meeting him probably about 15 years ago. His stories were just so fascinating. He was the real deal. This is back when marijuana was considered to be a very bad drug, kind of like the way it was depicted in fear and loathing in Las Vegas, the book of course. Jimmy passed away a few years back. But this song was written about him. I am sure, there is a few people out there besides myself that know of this man. I am also sure, there is going to be the foolish ones that are going to argue differently. With that being said; rest in peace Jimmy, I’m sorry life took a turn for the worse for you. I will never forget the stories you told me, it was a pleasure meeting you. In my eyes you were a true legend. Rest in peace ole friend!
@@Cthomas5678 . That could very well have been the same person. That was around the same time frame. Because there was only a few in that era that were big time like they were.
@@maxnix346 , it's nice to meet you. I believe it was called "Stringed instrument" in Psalms. Technically a guitar. So, would you be willing to agree to disagree? Greetings from Colorado Springs CO. Thank you my friend.
This song was played throughout my childhood. My father owned the CD “Stills Alone.” I loved the song then and I love the song now. Since then, I’ve dug into the discography of Steven Stills and he’s really one of the best musicians, singers, and songwriters of all time. Multiple successful bands, countless successful records and songs. Stills really is incomparable.
Also: what a fantastic song -- lyrically and musically -- from a timeless artist who paints a vivid snapshot of A time, A heritage, An era, An individual...
In the late 1990s, a guy named Ray was working in a shoe factory. One morning he woke up to his alarm clock playing "Treetop Flyer" on the radio, and he decided right then to quit his job and make a living through music. Today Ray LaMontagne is a widely respected (and Grammy-winning) singer/songwriter in his own right.
+NorthWriter The first song that I heard by Ray LaMontagne is called 'Be Right Here'. Immediately I was attracted to his style. His life story is very inspiring.
Reminds me of my ole science teacher/football coach of the 1960's. Coach Asby, who was a WWII Navy pilot, did crop dusting on the side during 50's & 60's. More than once I saw him fly his bi-plane crop duster between electric high lines and a barbed wire fence!
This song puts me in a beautiful trance. Move my hips wherever i am...Vietnam era folks understand this in their bones. Stephen's "Black Queen" from his LP "Manassas" is killer blues too
This has to be the best smuggling song ever written. Immortal words from an immortal time. For a very few of us those days have never ended. They ( Thank God.) continue to this very day. Thank your Uncle Charlie. Peace.
Finger picking in double drop d and singing at the same time and he never makes the top 50 guitarists. My opinion is hes up there with hendrix and page as far as talent goes.
Had the honor to be roomates with an older man while working at a Salmon factory in Ketchikan Alaska. Tom had this song as his alarm clock in honor of his father who would smuggle birth control into Mexico and weed back into the states. Rest in Peace Uncle Tom. God bless the Treetop Flyers.
Just ck'd out this unbelievable song again after all these yrs. 'cause I needed a"lift"-- & man did it bring me a smile & a sing-along & helped to set me off to a shower & my bed ------ LOVE YA' WITH ALL MY HEART STEPHEN STILLS!!!!
Went and saw CSNY live in 1998 at the Tacoma dome in Tacoma,WA I was 16 years old, I remember people passing around pints of Jack and smoking weed in the crowd with sage burning across the whole front of the stage, it was epic. I was sippin on JD and puffin weed watching some of the greats
@@TheGuitarMan71 I watch a lot of different music on TH-cam and it makes suggestions based on what I'm into, at that moment I was enjoying a nostalgia trip with some 60's songs and Treetop Flyer popped up. I really enjoy discovering any songs that instantly go on my list of favourites, this is one of them. It took me a while to make the Crosby, Stills and Nash connection LOL 😁 I'm a big Zeppelin fan by the way Mr Page 💜🎸🎵
Beautiful man! I remember first hearing this song back in the nineties on a great local radio station when I lived in Portland, OR. I have never heard it played again. Its a classic song which deserves more airtime.
Stephen, you still HAVE A STRONG HOLD on my heart....I was in Vietnam as a nurse back in 1967...made it back in time to sit up in Woodstock to see you and your group CSNY... breaks my heart you all broke up and are unhappy with David C....you are all better than THAT...step up, forgive...and revisit that lovely woven cloth that made ALL OF YOU the strong representation of music you shared....I survived 'Nam.... surely you can survive your differences and be friends again... David would love for you all to come back together as friends...I would relish that thought... hugs to you, Stephen...
regardless of what others say, there are great songs being produced these days. They are VERY few and FAR between, but they exist. Sadly only the young nostalgic generation will get to enjoy them in twenty years, when they get popular. Blame the recording companies, and more importantly the death of free radio.
I just got turned on to this song tonight buy an old Nam vet buddy of mine that was in Air Cav for a few tours in Nam. What a story, and what a song.. Bless em
There's raw talent and there's spiritual inspiration, Steven has both!, to our benefit. Beautiful song, turns senses on, don't mind! Lil' piece from the beautiful side for us😊
First time I heard this song was as a tribute/cover by Jimmy Buffett. Love'em both. I'd say the only difference is that Stills' soul was soaked in whiskey, while Buffett's was in rum.
I do have this CD and love this song. When I first heard it I thought it was a 12-string guitar, but nope all that complexity from a 6-string Martin. Love the ‘walk downs’ and just every aspect of it. Just got a pair of Sennheiser headphones so went to heaven for awhile.
From the first time I heard Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" in the Spring of 1967, and heard those perfect notes on Stephen Still's guitar, I knew that life would never be the same.
Most folks think Stephen did this with a capo enabled 12 string. But peeps, it was a straight six string and extreme talent. I love my aeroplane. Twin Pratt & Whitney turbos. Glass cockpit. TWAS. Stormscope. 218 knot cruising speed. And leaves sucked up into the turbochargers...
Beech 18. JATOS. R-985 Pratt & Whitney radials. Two ADF's. 1800 pounds, La Peninsula de la Guajira to the Everglades. Fuck that turbine bullshit. Sure, I later flew Hercs & 747's worldwide, but I love that Beech 18 the most. I'm the only one left alive that I know of. Read Sir John Masefield's poem, Spanish Waters, and you'll catch my drift.
My grandfather was no treetop flyer, but a navigator on a KC-130. I'd like to think he helped out some of those treetop flyers with the mid-air refueling. I never met him, he's still there.
You all might like the words to the song,"Horse with no Name", my favorite line is,"The sea is but a desert with its life underground and the perfect disguise above. " Great song back in the day. Right?
This was my dads favorite song and he had me play it for him a month before he passed away from cancer. Thanks for posting this it really brings me back to that 4 minutes of sitting in the truck with my dad.
![ร้อยพ่อพันแม่ - WanMai [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XY2pNYASEbg/mqdefault.jpg)
Those two dislikes are probably DEA agents?
Laughing to hard to comment..haha
CIA
Lol
Probably so they all they tend to be sore loosers and all just as crooked as rattlesnakes.
Hahaha! Yep🥂
As a Huey crewchief in Vietnam with a lot of bootleg stick time and a fixed wing pilot, this song gets to me like no other can...
Respect to you for your service. This song gives me chills.
As a Purple Heart Vietnam veteran I salute you brother. Hope your life is going well. I know what you mean about this song. It speaks to me as well.
@@johnlinnemeier9624 thanks bribery. My grandpa was an Air Force mechanic. They dropped bombs on no one. Lies
Thank you for your service.
@@johnlinnemeier9624 Thank you for your service.
One of the most sickeningly underrated guitarists and songwriters in history.
He was and is the heart and soul of CSN&Y.
His art was transcendent.
I hope, someday, he gets due recognition.
one of the best solo releases ever in my opinion is Chris Robinson's first release. The guitarist in the songs must be a Stephen Stills fan; sounds a lot like him in places.
@@222Lightning do you mean from Black Crowes? I don't believe I've heard it. I know he was with another band (something with mud), but I'd love some details so I can follow up. Thanks 👍🏽.
I agree 120% with you my friend. He was the body and soul of CSN. The most talented by far. Can play any instrument. Played all on his first solo album. Had a couple guest artists on it most notebly Jimi, on one cut. Still is my favorite guitarist of all time.
After Black Crowes Chris Robinson did a solo release in like 2003...wow it was that long ago! Mudcrutch? Don't believe he was in that....or any of the Black Crowes..but speaking of MudCrutch...I got to find that CD to listen to in my car that has a cd player. @@ijitdunn
Buffalo Springfield and Manassas too! RPG.🚯☢
Incredible. One man. One voice. One guitar. One helluva memory.
AMEN
@@patrickcunningham7413 I second that ….. amen brother !!!
Stephen is Stills the best
Seen 1986 oks zoo ampatjereater
1 is the loneliest number, at least it has the memories to keep the Music coming.
One afternoon,my boss came up to me,knowing I've studied CSN &Y religiously,and handed a cassette tape of this track. He said "I flew in Vietnam over the treeline. My job was to flush out the V.C for the Cobra boys above to blow to hell" Steve was and is one hell of a guy and he loved this song because it brought back alot of memories.I never ask a Vet about their time in war,as I'm sure we all know not to. But he said his hitch in Nam was his duty to his country And that's all right by me. Love to all you Tree Top boys...and to your brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice. MIA/POW🇺🇸❤💪🇺🇸 We love you and respect you always.
Lol you’re fucking stupid it’s about how he was flying low to avoid radars to ship crates of illegal marijuana across the border . (Rip a man of the Columbia fields)
Mary Ann Weldon. I understand what you are saying. Thank God my brother came home
@@arimoreno2968 It’s literally in reference to ex-Vietnam pilots who came home from war and found a niche in the cottage industry of smuggling via small planes.
@@arimoreno2968 WOW
@@arimoreno2968 actually you're the fucking moron... His description is spot on. You know it's OK to be wrong once in a while.
Stephen, you were my guitar idol as a teenager, now that I am 71, you are my LEGEND! God I miss this music…
This was one of my father's favorite songs. Because I was twelve at the time I couldn't understand why; many moons later, I get it, I love it, and I play it by his grave a few times per year.
Hi Phil are you the same person who went to Morton Memorial HS , Knightstown ?
This is Keith Jordan .
Volumes spoken....
I like your Dad 😊
Ain't no easy runs. Peace in the stars. X❤
Ital
"I don't do business that don't make me smile" are words to live by, FR
Agreed!
I do (now that I'm retired)
🌎 #1
radio plays “hotel California” 6+ times a day
play shit like this more !!!
Fuck Yes! Play more of this!!
Yessir
Was introduced to this song on the radio this morning, and I couldn't be happier
yup. This is a bad ass track.
Ditto!
“Treetop Flyer” is from 1991's Stills Alone album, a recording of nearly all unaccompanied mostly-original acoustic songs. The album got mixed reviews, many from people who took issue with the processed sound of Stills’ Martin guitar. But a great song is a great song, and “Treetop Flyer” is one of Stills’ finest. It’s the story of a Vietnam vet who came home from the war with a marketable new skill: the ability to fly under the radar. When these pilots returned from combat to a public that often shunned them, and wouldn’t give them a job or help them deal with what they’d been through, they found a way to make money with this skill in running drugs, guns, and whatever other contraband someone would pay them to deliver.
Stills sings in the first person for this song’s six verses - no chorus, no bridge - and really sounds like he is the “Treetop Flyer,” or as if he definitely knows someone who was. This song has conflict, greed, danger, and a romantic relationship - all the pieces that make a song important and memorable. At least one troubadour of the current generation was so influenced by this song that he decided to make music his career. Ray LaMontagne credits Stills’ song with prompting him to make the decision that his life would be music and nothing else. “It was ‘Treetop Flyer’ off a solo record that Stills had done, which really knocked me out,” LaMontagne told NPR.
“Treetop Flyer” stands out as one of Stills’ best pieces of work. He still sometimes performs this song live with his band The Rides, with guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
A word of caution if you decide you want to learn how to play this song. Before you drive yourself nuts trying to figure it out: Stills’ guitar is tuned to the DADGAD tuning, sometimes known as Celtic tuning or Bensusan (as in Pierre Bensusan) tuning. And beware of lyric sites that say the words in the fifth verse are “I get the shit down, I tie it fast” - Stills is really singing “ship,” not “shit.”
Gracias, info excellente.
Most folks have never had the pleasure to hear a martin in live play ... 😁
Thank you for the Intel.
excellent!!!!
Nice to see someone else has been listening.
My sister and I grew up in Juneau, Alaska. My dad was a firefighter and bush pilot and my mom was a veterinarian. When my mom would do 10 day clinics in the small communities of southeast AK, my dad would take time off work and load my sister and I into his Toyota pickup and we’d take the ferry from Juneau to Skagway and drive up to Whitehorse, Yukon where we’d stay at a hot springs out side of town for a few days. This song was part of a mixtape cassette a friend of my dad’s had made for him.
I cannot listen to this incredible song without thinking of my dad, and driving in that old Toyota up into northern Canada.
It’s been nearly 30 years since those days, and my dad battles with Parkinson’s disease now and things have changed, however this song will always remind me of a time in my life when my dad was “the man”… truly the epitome of an Alaskan man, and I’m thankful Treetop Flyer will always be there to take me back to those memories with him.
Great story, thanks for sharing! Your memories are truly special ❤
this is seriously one one of the best songs ever, it gives me chills every time I listen, just so amazing
first time i heard it..it was like... damnit man
Sam Moss *one of the most underrated songs ever*
it is !
me too mr. o'b
Hands down one of the BEST Songs EVER!
I had the good fortune to work as an airline pilot for twenty plus years. You can believe that I wasn't the only one to hum this tune in tight spots.
The guitar solo is one of the best pieces ever!
Me too! A321
One of the most bad ass tunes out there.
Right on, Stephen.
Indeed
I would like to briefly dedicate this song to my Brother In Law / Brother ! JIMMY Wilson from Ocala Fl . We Love you Jim.
Those bars "Aint going to die, I ain't goin' to get caught /'Cause I'm a flyin' fool / and my aeroplane is just too hot" hit like a goddamn atom bomb 🔥
Pity you can only upvote this song once. I want to do it every time I hear it.
Stephen Stills is a legend , of course Crosby stills Nash and Young as a group is also very very good but this right here shows Stephen Stills sheer talent
Amazing talent!!
The best of a talented group all around
Like every other great guitarist, his guitar-playing is unique and iconic. What a legend.
Here I am at 33. 27 years after hearing this song for the first time, playing it at the dinner table for my 6 and 2 yr old.
"The government taught me, and they taught me right, stay down under the treeline; ya might be alright." I'm a treetop flyer.. Born survivor..
-and we work alone...
It feels like we are in the 70s it's a time portals what a joy to hear this master piece if beautiful music 🎶 🎵 ❤️ 💜 ♥️ 🙌
Thank yall
Stephen Stills is so gifted, and his voice is Beautiful!!!!!!
He's still alive.
@@steveandrews8301 Steve thanks for calling my attention to that. I knew he was alive, but just used bad Grammar . TC!
My grandfather was a treetop flyer. Miss you pops. Coolest guy i know
Thanks for the tune. This is the best version of this song! No one can top Mr. Stills!
I also love this song and love Stephen Stills music .
This was one of my dad’s favorite songs.He was a painter and developed ataxia and couldn’t walk or control his hands/legs later in his life due to inhaling paint/sandblast fumes etc. he didn’t ever wear proper equipment because he learned from old school painters in the late 80s/early 90s. He never paid taxes and definitely never did business that didn’t make him smile! ❤ he told me many times over the years he was probably going to federal prison. He did not go to prison, but he did have a stroke on July 4th of this year and ultimately passed away at the age of only 56 after an almost 3 week long fight in neuro icu and ltac. I love you daddy. I listen to your music every day and I appreciate it so much more now that you’re gone unfortunately.. 😢❤
Yeah Stephen, America needs this naked rawness of song now more than ever.
He never misses a SINGLE beat! Gives me an eargasam every time I listen.
"Eargasam", I like! Me too.
There's a draft, or demo, it's great as well
This song is actually a true story. It’s written by a fella named Jimmy, I’m not going to put his last name down but he is from Florida, the St. Pete area. He was one of the biggest Pot smugglers in the 60s and the 70s that ever was. There’s a few books out there, that actually talk about him. He was a Vietnam pilot. I had the opportunity and luxury of meeting him probably about 15 years ago. His stories were just so fascinating. He was the real deal. This is back when marijuana was considered to be a very bad drug, kind of like the way it was depicted in fear and loathing in Las Vegas, the book of course. Jimmy passed away a few years back. But this song was written about him. I am sure, there is a few people out there besides myself that know of this man. I am also sure, there is going to be the foolish ones that are going to argue differently. With that being said; rest in peace Jimmy, I’m sorry life took a turn for the worse for you. I will never forget the stories you told me, it was a pleasure meeting you. In my eyes you were a true legend. Rest in peace ole friend!
I knew of a guy who did that too my dad told me about it in the 70’s
@@Cthomas5678 . That could very well have been the same person. That was around the same time frame. Because there was only a few in that era that were big time like they were.
His name was jimmy too! What a coincidence and it was in Florida go figure
Every time I hear this song it reminds me of what my dad told me
Jimmy got a lot of people high that's for sure
Love, love and love this song . Thanks Mr Stills!
SS is the best acoustic blues artist ever - song writing, whiskey soaked singing and that awesome acoustic guitar playing . It’s the whole package
Stills the ultimate acoustic guitar. He is the truth
COLD SQUARE 7: sad that he is almost deaf.
He may be many things, some of them remarkable. The Truth, no. John 14:6.
@@christophersleight19 John did not play guitar. You have no argument.
@@maxnix346 , it's nice to meet you. I believe it was called "Stringed instrument" in Psalms. Technically a guitar.
So, would you be willing to agree to disagree?
Greetings from Colorado Springs CO. Thank you my friend.
@@maxnix346 But Jesus was a Carpenter ☺️♥️🔥💜
Steven Stills had a voice that flew in the treetops just like this song--beautiful. Thanks!
This song was played throughout my childhood. My father owned the CD “Stills Alone.” I loved the song then and I love the song now. Since then, I’ve dug into the discography of Steven Stills and he’s really one of the best musicians, singers, and songwriters of all time. Multiple successful bands, countless successful records and songs. Stills really is incomparable.
Brilliant guitarist and a fantastic track. There should be more of this out there on the airwaves!
Also: what a fantastic song -- lyrically and musically -- from a timeless artist who paints a vivid snapshot of A time, A heritage, An era, An individual...
Hello Terri, How are you doing?
I heard ur response and mine was original we said the same thing
One of the best song's ever created
This is the Stills I want to remember from my youth when we were both thin and lookin' good. Listenin' to great tunes and lovin' the moment!
Must be what Han Solo listens to when he flies the Millennium Falcon. lol
+JDStockcar HAHAHAHAHA awesome
:) LOL Good one :)
JDStockcar great piece of story. Inspiring
JDStockcar
Dork lol
Love a laid back sound like this....such a raw and rich sound that just makes it even more enjoyable...
I was 21 when this came out and I am embarrassed as hell to be hearing this for the first time today. Glad I did, though! Stills rocks the house!
Been playing this on repeat for an hour. Forgot how much I loved this jam.
In the late 1990s, a guy named Ray was working in a shoe factory. One morning he woke up to his alarm clock playing "Treetop Flyer" on the radio, and he decided right then to quit his job and make a living through music. Today Ray LaMontagne is a widely respected (and Grammy-winning) singer/songwriter in his own right.
what led me 2 this song
+NorthWriter The first song that I heard by Ray LaMontagne is called 'Be Right Here'. Immediately I was attracted to his style. His life story is very inspiring.
northwriter that's a great story!
Woody Bayer LaMontagne's biography on Pandora led me to this song haha
What was the first Ray’s last name?
Reminds me of my ole science teacher/football coach of the 1960's. Coach Asby, who was a WWII Navy pilot, did crop dusting on the side during 50's & 60's. More than once I saw him fly his bi-plane crop duster between electric high lines and a barbed wire fence!
This man is one great guitarist,not to mention singer,and songwriter!!!
I don't do business that don't make me smile!
- Stephen Stills
best acoustic guitar . he wrote some great songs
This song puts me in a beautiful trance. Move my hips wherever i am...Vietnam era folks understand this in their bones. Stephen's "Black Queen" from his LP "Manassas" is killer blues too
You mean bidnezz.
This has to be the best smuggling song ever written.
Immortal words from an immortal time. For a very few of us those days have never ended. They ( Thank God.) continue to this very day.
Thank your Uncle Charlie.
Peace.
Just heard this great song for the first time on the radio and I'm 44 years old
Stephen Still has been a very underrated guitar player ..but a great one nonetheless
Who the fuck is Stephen Still?
@@biggawinnacrapsa3870 lol..
Finger picking in double drop d and singing at the same time and he never makes the top 50 guitarists. My opinion is hes up there with hendrix and page as far as talent goes.
Had the honor to be roomates with an older man while working at a Salmon factory in Ketchikan Alaska. Tom had this song as his alarm clock in honor of his father who would smuggle birth control into Mexico and weed back into the states. Rest in Peace Uncle Tom. God bless the Treetop Flyers.
This song has gotten me through some grief.... powerful lyrics, with the background ❤ deep yet healing.
I want to thank all you vets for your service!!! Im praying for you!!!!!
Just ck'd out this unbelievable song again after all these yrs. 'cause I needed a"lift"-- & man did it bring me a smile & a sing-along & helped to set me off to a shower & my bed ------ LOVE YA' WITH ALL MY HEART STEPHEN STILLS!!!!
Yeah Buddy...!!
That's got style and a hella rythem section
This song is SO fucking American on SO many levels. It speaks to the TRUE American soul for sure...
skafia88 this songs about drug smuggulin
marmaladeJamz what?
Not lawlessness, free enterprise.
Also universal on so many levels.
Yeehaw.
this is for my best friend ..Tony Adtkins
passed away today it was his favorite song.. love you bro!!! you will be remembered
Sorry for your loss. We will all have our day of silence. Time will tell.
never get tired of hearing this song. so fine.
Classic tune. That's timeless music...
I can't believe how I missed this song! Yes amazing!!!
Went and saw CSNY live in 1998 at the Tacoma dome in Tacoma,WA I was 16 years old, I remember people passing around pints of Jack and smoking weed in the crowd with sage burning across the whole front of the stage, it was epic. I was sippin on JD and puffin weed watching some of the greats
Sea Hawks i saw them at the Gorge three years later, very similar experience haha
That's how it was back then.
Saw them exactly 10 years earlier at the Tacoma Dome. No Young, but was a helluva show! I'll neither confirm or deny intoxicants at the time...
Wish i was there back them
Under the radar again tree top man bringing goodies when I can. Watching birds and fryin wires living off pure desire. 🌲 top flyer.
I got to watch Stills play this live at the Boulder Theater a few years back. Beautiful song to hear in person.
This song is nowhere but here. Thank you so much for posting it and keeping it up all these years!!🙏🙏
Just discovered Mr Stills by chance and I'm blown away!
Love the simplicity and authenticity of this song.
Lucy Star yay new fans. How did you discover him ?
@@TheGuitarMan71 I watch a lot of different music on TH-cam and it makes suggestions based on what I'm into, at that moment I was enjoying a nostalgia trip with some 60's songs and Treetop Flyer popped up. I really enjoy discovering any songs that instantly go on my list of favourites, this is one of them. It took me a while to make the Crosby, Stills and Nash connection LOL 😁 I'm a big Zeppelin fan by the way Mr Page 💜🎸🎵
I am amazed!! I've clicked on this song at least 20 times in the past 3 weeks and not 1 commercial! Not even once!!!
Thank you! Great tune😀👍
Beautiful man! I remember first hearing this song back in the nineties on a great local radio station when I lived in Portland, OR. I have never heard it played again. Its a classic song which deserves more airtime.
Amen. Thee BEST song you never hear on the radio!
The station I listen to from Cleveland Ohio wncx 98.5 plays this gem pretty much daily.... mostly for the lunch request hour
@@kevin2400 that’s actually where I heard it today for the first time ever love these hidden gems
Stephen, you still HAVE A STRONG HOLD on my heart....I was in Vietnam as a nurse back in 1967...made it back in time to sit up in Woodstock to see you and your group CSNY... breaks my heart you all broke up and are unhappy with David C....you are all better than THAT...step up, forgive...and revisit that lovely woven cloth that made ALL OF YOU the strong representation of music you shared....I survived 'Nam.... surely you can survive your differences and be friends again... David would love for you all to come back together as friends...I would relish that thought... hugs to you, Stephen...
Love this song, they used to play it all the time on the classic rock station in Cleveland, great stuff
Yepp home of the buzzard played this every week
@@davidkerns723 Yes sir, WMMS, that was a great station back in the day
My dad sang me this song to calm me on a plane so we could move to Oregon and now I’m 12 this song reminds me of the good old days
The thumbs down people do not have a clue.
Never have never will! Poor humanity!
Those two dislikes are American patriots,but so are the millions of likes!✌️😁
Where is music like this, nowadays???
Long gone and replaced with SHIT
Breaks my mother effing heart. I am so glad I was born in 1971.
Denise Suzanne Agreed, 1975 here! Great song, LOVE the guitar.
regardless of what others say, there are great songs being produced these days. They are VERY few and FAR between, but they exist. Sadly only the young nostalgic generation will get to enjoy them in twenty years, when they get popular. Blame the recording companies, and more importantly the death of free radio.
My uncle played this for me and my brother back in the day. That was probably 20 years ago now. Thanks Uncle Den.
Bravo! This song will always be a favorite!
this is us brought me here. what a wonderful song!
Simple, pure, melodic. This is music.
I just got turned on to this song tonight buy an old Nam vet buddy of mine that was in Air Cav for a few tours in Nam. What a story, and what a song.. Bless em
There's raw talent and there's spiritual inspiration, Steven has both!, to our benefit. Beautiful song, turns senses on, don't mind!
Lil' piece from the beautiful side for us😊
he is a very kind man who is still working hard to help the world today thank you Stephen Stills.
First time I heard this song was as a tribute/cover by Jimmy Buffett. Love'em both. I'd say the only difference is that Stills' soul was soaked in whiskey, while Buffett's was in rum.
Reminds me of my dad RIP pops. You will always fly low and out of sight.
Mine also
Such a badass song, love his solo stuff!
God bless our troops. Stephen Stills has the perfect voice for this song. Memoroes💝💝
No one will ever write another piece of music quite like this one. Very heartfelt. Love the drop D cord
I believe that Stephen Stills has his guitar tuned to DADGAD for this song.
Could not agree more, dropping that D made you want it more.
my mother likes this song, shes 91
Fitting…as the track was released in 1991…hmm
I do have this CD and love this song. When I first heard it I thought it was a 12-string guitar, but nope all that complexity from a 6-string Martin. Love the ‘walk downs’ and just every aspect of it. Just got a pair of Sennheiser headphones so went to heaven for awhile.
I would have sworn that that was a 12-string guitar. It must be a 6-string dubbed over many times
we need a 70s music revolution,I hate todays music ....it sucks.Thank you Mr Stills for shareing your talent.
One of the great character songs ever written. Phenomenal in every way.
From the first time I heard Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" in the Spring of 1967, and heard those perfect notes on Stephen Still's guitar, I knew that life would never be the same.
Great Stills guitar. Nothing showy, just right.
and people don't like this ??? Jeez, it's fab. Love Stephen, truly great artist.
One of the best acoustic guitar players ever. Great song too.
one of the best of lyrics: "THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS AN EASY RUN." 🙏
I usually work alone❤
Most folks think Stephen did this with a capo enabled 12 string. But peeps, it was a straight six string and extreme talent. I love my aeroplane. Twin Pratt & Whitney turbos. Glass cockpit. TWAS. Stormscope. 218 knot cruising speed. And leaves sucked up into the turbochargers...
+oldsarge101 .....can anyone ELSE say; ADRENALINE RUSH!!!! `taint been where you've been, ...but I can feel it. THANX for YOUR POST!!!
Beech 18. JATOS. R-985 Pratt & Whitney radials. Two ADF's. 1800 pounds, La Peninsula de la Guajira to the Everglades. Fuck that turbine bullshit. Sure, I later flew Hercs & 747's worldwide, but I love that Beech 18 the most. I'm the only one left alive that I know of. Read Sir John Masefield's poem, Spanish Waters, and you'll catch my drift.
It was also in double D tuning... which makes it rather easy to play... if you have any mojo at all...
Ha real tree top flyer mines a harrier jump jet ............OH sorry in my dreams,,,
Did most of my skydiving from a Beech 18. Still love the sound of those radials.
My grandfather was no treetop flyer, but a navigator on a KC-130. I'd like to think he helped out some of those treetop flyers with the mid-air refueling. I never met him, he's still there.
You all might like the words to the song,"Horse with no Name", my favorite line is,"The sea is but a desert with its life underground and the perfect disguise above. "
Great song back in the day. Right?
Miss Darla K. Wolz what does America got to do with Stephen stills?
The songs both address subterfuge
No. Crappy song that had zero meaning.
I LUV THAT SONG 2
Ya sound a little bit CRAAAAZY
This was my dads favorite song and he had me play it for him a month before he passed away from cancer. Thanks for posting this it really brings me back to that 4 minutes of sitting in the truck with my dad.
Clay Putnam sorry for your loss xx.
LOVE STEPHENS GUITAR WORK
Perfect, thanks, Jesus..
great singer. brings back memories of a bygone era.
My long lost friend introduced me to Stephen stills godbless you brother