Crosby, Stills and Nash – Demos

With former band mate Neil Young finally unleashing the first part of his Archives later on this year, it seems David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash are keen to get their hands a little dusty and dig out some of the tapes from their early years as well, an ideal release prior to their induction in to their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame later this month.While pegged as a Crosby Stills and Nash album, in actual fact over half of Demos actually consists of demos cut for respective solo albums following on from Deja Vu; Nash’s Song’s for Beginers, Still’s self titled record and Crosby’s If Only I Could Remember My Name. For the most part the record sees solo acoustic readings of familiar songs, with only opener 'Marrakesh Express' featuring all three members. Showcasing the harmonies that were to become their trademark, the demo version,and lacking it’s trademark keys and rolling bass line none the less it sparkles as an example of Graham Nash’s nack for writing sprightly melodies.Perhaps most interesting of all though is David Crosby’s solo take on 'Almost Cut My Hair'. Stripped of the indignant rage and the ragged guitar that appears on Deja Vu’s finished version, it becomes a minimal, introspective rumination on an America that was soon to turn on itself. It’s powerful stuff, a calm before the storm of the final cut. Less effective however, is 'Deja Vu' itself, which, without harmonies and an elongated section of scat singing is more interesting as an observation of an artist at work than it is actually as a listening experience. 'Music Is Love' was co-written by Crosby, Nash and Neil Young, who appears to add his reedy vocals here, and consists mostly of the song title being sung in a round by the collected voices, almost mantra like for the first few minutes, before the trademarked harmonies kick in again, only to peter our shortly afterwards.Graham Nash’s solo efforts on 'Sleep Song' and 'Be Yourself' err on the sentimental side of songwriting, following on from the schmaltzy pop of 'Our House'. It is clear to see why he is he sometimes referred to as the “McCartney” of the group. The explicitly political call to arms of 'Chicago' is somewhat better, however, and sees Nash gamely bashing out chords on his piano. While the final version replaces the piano lines with an organ, it is clear to see the direction he was heading in.Stephen Still’s contribution to Demos could very well be seen as a continuation of his previously released demo record, highlighting as it does his distinctive fingerpicking, blues infused style. Album closer 'Love The One You’re With' is preceded with Stills’ saying "This is really a fun game". A raw, strummed version of arguably Stills’ biggest solo hit follows, showing that even stripped of the jubilant organs and celebrity choir, it is still a brilliant pop song.Albums of out-takes and demos are hard to criticise, littered with imperfections as they are. While only 'Almost Cut My Hair' is the only thing here that can match the quality of Still’s 'Just Roll Tape', Demos presents an interesting, intimate insight in to the workings of three of the finest songwriters of a generation. At times it feels as if they have just come around your garden, sat down with an acoustic guitar and started playing. And that is just the way it should be. 76%