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53 of 60 found the following review helpful:
One of my favoritesApr 08, 2000
By Patrick G
I was 10 years old when this album came out, so unlike others who were already contrasting the "aging hippies" with their younger days, I knew nothing of previous CSN. (Or of Crosby's drug problems for that matter.) I simply enjoyed "Wasted on the Way" and "Southern Cross" when listening to Casey Kasem's American Top 40, right alongside efforts by Michael Jackson. It never occurred to me that CSN was an "older" group ; I simply loved both of those songs, great singles then, great songs now. I think this goes to show how much more enjoyable music can be when we actually listen to it innocently for its own sake, rather than getting wrapped up into who's "in," "out," "old," or "young."Anyhow, I officially became a true CSN fan in 1989 at 17, and listened to about half of the songs on this album tirelessly. I think half of the songs are great, if not flat out killer songs that represent CSN/Y at their best, while the other half are just weak filler that are not unlike what we have (sadly) come to expect from this band. The best moments here are "Delta" (my favorite CSN/Y song ever) the two previously mentioned singles, "Song for Susan," "You are Alive," "Might as Well Have a Good Time," and "Daylight Again." The rest I can do without, but anyone who has only listened to the two singles really should give this album another spin because there really are some gems here. These are the type of songs that to me are so soothing and beautiful and unique and eternal, that it's really hard for me to imagine the egos behind the scenes getting into their fights, etc. I experience such serenity when listening to CSN. In the end I think there are three phases of CSN/Y studio albums : 1) Crosby Stills and Nash (1969) and Deja Vu (1970) - both killer albums from beginning to end 2) CSN (1977) and Daylight Again (1982) - 1/2 gems mixed with 1/2 junk 3) American Dream (1988) Live it Up (1990) After the Storm (1994) Looking Forward (1999) - almost entirely trash, some rare good moments in each at best. Maybe this album seemed disappointing at the time relative to the first album in 1969 and Déjà Vu in 1970, but wouldn't CSN/Y fans do anything for something like this now? Can you imagine Stills once again managing to write something as good as "Southern Cross"? Why do they (CSNY) keep telling us that they think they are getting better? Even Crosby seems to be apologizing during the CSNY concerts when he explains that "we like the old songs too, but the new songs keep us alive." Go for Daylight Again if you are in any way a fan of CSN's music. And pray that they will make an album like this again someday.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES!Aug 24, 2000
By BeatleBangs1964
I love this collection. "Southern Cross" is my single favorite song on this collection and as one reviewer aptly noted, it is the music that keeps us alive (to a certain extent). Crosby, Stills & Nash show great growth and development in this collection, while they remain true to the gentle sounds that made us love them. "Song for Susan" and "Might as Well Have a Good Time" and "Delta" are songs of extraordinarily high caliber. They did a nice job. And like another reviewer stated, we'll pray for them to do something like this again. This CD has a place of honor for car listening as well as home listening. And yes, I do have my 1982 original (from the stone age before CDs). CROSBY, STILLS & NASH ARE MY ALL TIME FAVORITES!
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
It's better than nothingJul 09, 2004
By David H. Sharrett
I go this DVD as soon as it became available. Working my way through the menu I began to listen to the songs I really wanted to hear. It was tough because there are so many great covers of their stuff on this concert. Wooden Ships shows Stills just blistering the guitar. I had my 15 & 24 year old watch it with me and just waited to hear them respond. They DID. Then i took them to Suite Judy Blue Eyes and that floored them as well. Same with Southern Cross and Wasted on the Way, especially the vocals. Stills' voice is so strong on this, as is Nash's. Stills is clearly in control both vocally and musically. When i first saw the DVD it appeared that Crosby was stoned out of his mind. When i checked the date of the concert i realized this was just before I saw him at The Wax Museum (an irony for his present condition) in Washington, DC. He was barely coherant then and kept leaving the stage to do whatever it was he was doing to stay high. He had the same look in this concert. His voice is tentative and he comes across as almost terrified to be on stage. Nash's harmonies are heavenly as usual. The song selection and delivery is well worth the investment. The back and forth between Stills and Finnegan during Wooden Ships is amazing.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Much Better Concert DVD Than Critiqued By ManyJan 22, 2006
By WEG
Because of the largely negative reviews from many reviewers at Amazon, I actually avoided purchasing this for over 2 years. However, after getting it for just $12 on sale, I couldn't resist, and I'm so glad I finally resisted to temptation and my own better judgement. Sure, the concert and this tour was perhaps the low point in Crosby's career, and he had very little voice (and looked awful). However, that just about wraps up the only thing negative about this DVD.
I have well over 70 concert DVDs and an excellent surround sound system, and I would rate this concert well within the top quartile. For starters, the 5.1 surround sound audio is outstanding. Second, you will rarely find a CSN set list so comprehensive, top notch and extensive...21 songs spanning 110 minutes and covering their entire catalogue...Of the 21 songs, at most 3 could be considered "fillers", and the rest are all amongst their classics-- including somewhat rare performances of Chicago, You Don't Have To Cry, and the Beatles' Blackbird, the latter two done accoustically with just Stills' career-best guitar work. Third, though David Crosby was hurting, Stephen Still has never been better in concert-- both in voice and in musicianship (he lost his voice soon after), and Graham Nash (though bouncing around as if he was on greenies) was top notch, as well.
Net, net-- I'd fully recommend this concert DVD to any CSN fan-- avid or casual in nature. It's a perfect compliment to the early 1990s recorded Accoustic Concert DVD, as in that one, both Crosby and Nash bring their "A games", whereas Stills has by that time lost his clear voice (though his guitar work was also excellent in that one).
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Here's the odd one where the bonus tracks improve the originalFeb 22, 2006
By o dubhthaigh
Truth to tell, this was really more a Stills-Nash record as Crosby by his own admission was either missing or barely a participant in the creative and recording process. Look at the DVD of the Daylight Again Tour to see just how scarey a shape Cros is in. In any case, the first half of this CD was a plea to David to get clean and get himsloef in order before he lost his life. Even the incredible "Delta" was Crosby's own acknowledgement of his fsacination with staring into the deep of the river taking his life away. The second half of the original disc never impressed me - too saccarine and sentimental in the case of Nash, too bombast with Stills, and oddly redeemed by Crosby's "Might as well".
The good news here is that the inclusion of three Stills' ottakes and an acosutic demo of "Might as well" take this CD elsewhere altogether. In hindsight, they came up with a much better record. Go figure. They never did it the easy way.
So, I'd highly recommend this disc. Now, if they could just lose that stupid cover art, and get a Henry Diltz photo of early morning in Manassas or the Shenandoah Valley, they might really have something here.
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