Graham Nash David Crosby by David Crosby and Graham Nash (Vinyl record album review)

Record basics

• Album name: Graham Nash David Crosby
• Artist names: David Crosby and Graham Nash
• Year: 1972
• Number of discs: one
• Label: Atlantic Records
• Collection: Brenner / Gessner
• Who owned it: I’m not sure who owned this, but I think I would guess that it was my mother’s.
• Buy it on Amazon: $13.79

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I don’t think I’ve ever heard this record before and don’t recognize any songs on it by name, but it’s the third that I’ll be reviewing specifically from the David Crosby and Graham Nash partnership. The previous two were:

• Wind on the Water (1975): 2/5
• Whistling Down the Wire (1976): 2/5

It’s also the thirteenth that I’ll be reviewing that is by either Crosby or Nash, or Crosby and Nash, including groups in which they participated. The previous twelve were:

• Preflyte by the Byrds (1964 / 1969): 4/5
• Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969): 5/5
• Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More (1970): 4/5
• Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970): 5/5
• 4 Way Street by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1971): 5/5
• Songs for Beginners by Graham Nash (1971): 4/5
• The Hollies’ Greatest Hits (1973): 5/5
• So Far by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (1974): 4/5
• Wind on the Water by Crosby & Nash (1975): 2/5
• Whistling Down the Wire by Crosby & Nash (1976): 2/5
• CSN by Crosby, Stills & Nash (1977): 2/5
• Daylight Again by Crosby, Stills & Nash (1982): 1/5

What I expected

Folk rock.

What it was actually like

Southbound Train was the most CSN-like song, especially in its vocal style, and the harmonica was pretty good and sounded like a Bob Dylan song.

Immigration Man in a was similar style, with hilariously goofy lyrics that could only have been written by Graham Nash^[1]:

There I was at the immigration scene
Shining and feeling clean
Could it be a sin?
I got stopped by the immigration man
He says he doesn’t know if he can
Let me in-let me in-immigration man
…
There he was with his immigration face
Giving me a paper chase
…
Here I am with my immigration form
It’s big enough to keep me warm

Most of the rest of these songs were easy listening and I disliked a lot of them. Two of the worst were Page 43 and Games.

Frozen Smiles was slightly Oompa Loompa and relatively lively, complex and interesting. I considered it the best on the record.

Also, while I was listening, this news appeared in my RSS feed: Graham Nash Says David Crosby Died After Contracting COVID-19. So sad.

Grade

2/5: bad, but I was able to listen to the whole thing