Continuing a monthly goal I set for myself, I recently picked this record up without ever having heard it. Initially I decided to do this once a month for the sake of the blog. It was something to add variety and maybe a little more interest, I've always wanted this blog to be more than just "look at my cool stuff"(I've got some more ideas that will debut soon). So adding these impulse buys and my impressions of them has accomplished that, at least a bit. That said, doing this has so far been a lot of fun for me personally. Music for me has always been a full experience, more than just the auditory. The visuals, presentation, and the emotion and feeling of music can and should be part of it. This feature of the blog has allowed me to focus on the other aspects of record collecting first, before that actual listening.
Without further ado, this month's record is Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Daylight Again". What first caught my eye was obviously the band name plastered across the top in a neon-like font. I love the wonderfully cheesy cover with the 40s style Martian flying saucers too. What actually sealed the deal though, was the back cover and that shot of David Crosby with his glorious mustache and that cat a real lolwut moment; I needed to have it.
I'm a huge fan of the early stuff by this band, the debut and two albums with Neil Young are impeccable classics. This one came out long after their glory days though, after years of personal tension within the band(which led Young to leave shortly after joining), after tons of drug use, and after the 60's folk rock scene had long died. 1982 is the year; Michael Jackson, new wave, and MTV rule the world; is there a place for Crosby, Stills, and Nash? Well the answer is mostly. Upon listening to "Daylight Again" for the first time, I'm reminded of some other band. A band that plays soft rock, a band more like say...the Eagles? The first two songs, "Turn Your Back On Love" and "Wasted on the Way", are not bad by any means but don't sound like the CSN I know. These songs feel almost too 80s, and I understand why they wrote them.
The albums really picks up with "Southern Cross", which is classic CSN and a great song by itself. "Delta" is also a fantastic song. There is almost no guitar, instead being piano driven, and the trademark harmonies soar above the ivory. The emotion that pours out of the keys and the vocal chords really hit me, wow! The rest of the album contains good, adequate songs, yet no real standouts; that is until the closing title track. "Daylight Again" is stripped down, just three voices and an acoustic guitar. The second part of the song is a revisiting of "Find The Cost of Freedom" which was originally the B side to the 1970 single "Ohio", and the two compliment each other beautifully.
All said, "Daylight Again" is a solid album by a great band. What you'll find here is well crafted soft rock, and a touch of folk here and there. You won't find better vocal harmonies than these three guys pull off, and their voices hit you in your core. Because this is the 1980's and not the 1960's, many better albums of this genre have been made(several of them by this band). However, this album stands on it's own well. I'm now 2 for 2 with this feature!
Without further ado, this month's record is Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Daylight Again". What first caught my eye was obviously the band name plastered across the top in a neon-like font. I love the wonderfully cheesy cover with the 40s style Martian flying saucers too. What actually sealed the deal though, was the back cover and that shot of David Crosby with his glorious mustache and that cat a real lolwut moment; I needed to have it.
I'm a huge fan of the early stuff by this band, the debut and two albums with Neil Young are impeccable classics. This one came out long after their glory days though, after years of personal tension within the band(which led Young to leave shortly after joining), after tons of drug use, and after the 60's folk rock scene had long died. 1982 is the year; Michael Jackson, new wave, and MTV rule the world; is there a place for Crosby, Stills, and Nash? Well the answer is mostly. Upon listening to "Daylight Again" for the first time, I'm reminded of some other band. A band that plays soft rock, a band more like say...the Eagles? The first two songs, "Turn Your Back On Love" and "Wasted on the Way", are not bad by any means but don't sound like the CSN I know. These songs feel almost too 80s, and I understand why they wrote them.
The albums really picks up with "Southern Cross", which is classic CSN and a great song by itself. "Delta" is also a fantastic song. There is almost no guitar, instead being piano driven, and the trademark harmonies soar above the ivory. The emotion that pours out of the keys and the vocal chords really hit me, wow! The rest of the album contains good, adequate songs, yet no real standouts; that is until the closing title track. "Daylight Again" is stripped down, just three voices and an acoustic guitar. The second part of the song is a revisiting of "Find The Cost of Freedom" which was originally the B side to the 1970 single "Ohio", and the two compliment each other beautifully.
All said, "Daylight Again" is a solid album by a great band. What you'll find here is well crafted soft rock, and a touch of folk here and there. You won't find better vocal harmonies than these three guys pull off, and their voices hit you in your core. Because this is the 1980's and not the 1960's, many better albums of this genre have been made(several of them by this band). However, this album stands on it's own well. I'm now 2 for 2 with this feature!
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