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From the Vault...
12/26/2004
#922 |
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info
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
"American Dream"
© Atlantic Records
Rating:
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track listing
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American Dream
Got It Made
Name Of Love
Don't Say Good-bye
This Old House
Nighttime For Generals
Shadowland
Drivin' Thunder
Clear Blue Skies
That Girl
Compass
Soldiers Of Peace
Feel Your Love
Night Song
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Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
"American Dream"
Crosby, Stills Nash and/or Young marks their debut on the WSVNRadio website
this week, with their 1988 reunion release, American Dream. Most popular
in the late 1960s and throughout the next 20 years, CSN&Y's wonderful harmonies
and laid back soft-rock songs have dominated fans, enjoying their music at the
popular rock concerts Woodstock in 1969, and Live Aid in 1985. American
Dream may not be highly ranked as their previous decades' albums, it brought
back CSN&Y at a time where many artists of the past 2 decades were reuniting and/or
being rediscovered.
Two songs from this released received moderate radio airplay, the title
track, written and sung by Neil Young, and the Stills/Young penned "Got It
Made." The lyrics "you're all washed up" is heard in the title track, yet
after listening to this album, CSN&Y is anything but. "Got It Made" is
a great pop song, having a very nice feel and sound, ending the 1980s decade.
Neil Young's "Name Of Love" shows Young's voice in fine form; a
very well-done composiion including his fellow bandmates' voices gives a nice
harmonic touch. "Don't Say Goodbye" is a beautiful piano ballad,
co-written by Graham Nash -- his voice is beautifully crafted, and the harmonies
are equally blended in fine form. Neil Young's folkish "This Old House"
has a Harvest sound (a very popular solo album Young released in the early
1970s), and the harmonies makes this song exceptional.
"Nighttime For Generals" co-written by Stills, has a far different
sound and harder rock feel. It may not be easily recognized as CSN&Y by sound and
vocal style. "Shadowland" is another different sounding song for CSN&Y,
it definitely has the 1980s pop sound, co-written by Graham Nash.
"Drivin' Thunder" co-written by Stills & Nash, has a harder rock
feel, more as in Neil Young's direction. "Clear Blue Skies" is a very
good Graham Nash pop song, again easily fitting the pop sound of the 1980s,
and easily recognizing the lead vocalist as Nash. Co-written by Stills, the
lead vocals on "That Girl" has harmonies that are easily recognized as CSN
and/or Y -- a very good upbeat rock styled song.
David Crosby's "Compass" brings back the early sound of CSN&Y,
having a more acoustical sound, and very well-crafted. "Soldiers Of Peace"
co-written by Nash, is not an exact song about defending the war, yet it has
a very strong sound for representing any current war in progress. With lyrics
such as:
Soldiers of peace are not fighting a war,
Are not looking for enemies behind every door,
Are not looking for people to kill or to maim,
Soldiers of peace are just changing the game.
... It's easy to see how CSN&Y still sing as they did in their heyday, of antiwar.
"Feel Your Love" is easily recognized as Neil Young, either solo
or with his fellow bandmates. The album's closing track, was written by Stills
& Young -- "Night Song" has a good rock feel, and may not be easily
recognized as CSN&Y at first. Definitely having a late 1980s feel, songs such
as this one, "Shadowland" and "Nighttime For Generals" could
easily be used as soundtrack music for the popular TV show at the time,
Miami Vice.
CSN&Y proves on American Dream they are NOT all washed up...
Definitely updating their music to the 1980s decades styles and trends, songs
on this album reflects on the sound at the time, and also bringing back their
common styles from the previous two decades. There's not a bad track on this
release, it's easily enjoyable with each listen. Reunited bands from the past
(or "super groups" consisting of rock's past legends [such as The Firm]) shows
that being reunited again can "feel so good" and that you're never too old to
rock & roll.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Atlantic Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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