CSN receive a sonic upgrade on gold disc; Stones 1978 tour DVD
The first Crosby, Stills & Nash album
Crosby, Stills & Nash, “Crosby, Stills & Nash” (Atlantic/Audio Fidelity). 5 stars.
The Rolling Stones, “Some Girls – Live in Texas ‘78” (Eagle Vision - DVD). 4 stars.
Reissue Spotlight
Crosby, Stills & Nash, “Crosby, Stills & Nash” (Atlantic/Audio Fidelity). 5 stars.
Through the years they've been remastered and embellished with bonus cuts and high-definition compatible digital sound (HDCD), but the most amazing thing about any Crosby, Stills & Nash reissues remains the inimitable, celestial harmonies.
And those harmonies arguably have never sounded quite so brilliant as they do on this gold disc edition of their debut disc.
For the record, there were plenty of great rock vocal groups, but none matched the sound of CSN's eponymous debut in 1969. And that album has held up brilliantly, with songs like “Suite: Judy Blues Eyes,” “Wooden Ships,” “Marrakesh Express” and “Long Time Gone,” which all helped provide the soundtrack for a generation.
While this reissue does not contain any bonus cuts – you have to go back to the 2006 Atlantic edition for that – it is as nature intended it to be. They eventually added Neil Young to their lineup for sporadic work through the decade, but this marks the beautiful beginning.
DVD Spotlight
The Rolling Stones, “Some Girls – Live in Texas ‘78” (Eagle Vision). 4 stars.
The companion piece to the greatly expanded studio version of “Some Girls” finds “Mick and the Boys” primed, pumped and ready to rock in this filmed concert from Fort Worth in 1978.
Filmed indoors at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, it’s more intimate than many Stones’ films for that reason alone. But this was a great lineup – with Ronnie Wood and still with Bill Wyman – and Mick Jagger was in staggering shape. He was also particularly impish, at one time approaching Wood for the cigarette dangling from the guitarist’s mouth. When Wood obliges, Jagger promptly take the cigarette and stomps it on the stage floor.
Recently remixed and remastered by Bob Clearmountain, the sound is great on “Some Girls” tracks like “Beast of Burden,” “Miss You,” and “Shattered,” as well as earlier masterworks including “Sweet Little 16,” “Brown Sugar” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
Among several formats, this includes one with a matching CD of the Texas show.
Rating Scale: One Star (poor) to Five Stars (a classic).