STEPHEN STILLS – STEPHEN STILLS LP – Nr MINT US ATLANTIC 2009 REMASTER  CSNY

Stephen Stills
 (Atlantic Records  2009   SD7202)
2009 Remaster

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition

Sleeve in Nr MINT condition

Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American singer and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Beginning his professional career with Buffalo Springfield, he composed their only hit “For What It’s Worth,” which became one of the most recognizable songs of the decade. Other notable songs he contributed to the band were “Sit Down, I Think I Love You,” “Bluebird” and “Rock & Roll Woman.” According to Richie Furay, he was “the heart and soul of Buffalo Springfield.”

After Buffalo Springfield broke up, Stills began working with David Crosby and Graham Nash on their debut album. Stills, in addition to writing much of the album, played bass, guitar, and keyboards on most of the album. The album sold over four million copies and at that point, had outsold anything from the three members’ prior bands: The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Hollies. The album won the trio a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Neil Young, formerly of Buffalo Springfield, joined CSN months later for their second concert at Woodstock and subsequent album Déjà Vu. The album found Stills again as a leader of the group. Living up to his nickname “Captain Many Hands” he played bass, guitar and keyboard on the title track, and electric guitar and piano on Helpless. The album became a huge success and sold over eight million copies. In its wake all four members of CSNY released solo albums that reached the top 20.

Stills’ first solo album Stephen Stills went gold and is the only album to feature both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Its hit single, “Love The One You’re With” became his biggest solo hit peaking at No. 14 in the Billboard Hot 100. A string of solo albums, and a band with Chris Hillman called Manassas followed in 1972. In the summer of 1974 Young reunited with CSN after a four-year hiatus for a concert tour which was recorded and released in 2014 as CSNY 1974. It was one of the first ever stadium tours, and the largest tour the band has done to date. CSN reunited in 1977 for their album CSN which became the trio’s best selling record. CSN(Y) continued to have platinum albums through the 1980s. Stills’ solo career and bands have combined sales of over 35 million albums to date.

Stills was ranked #28 in Rolling Stone Magazine‘s 2003 list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and #47 in the 2011 list. Stills became the first person to be inducted twice on the same night into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with CSN and Buffalo Springfield. According to Neil Young, “Stephen is a genius.”

Stephen Stills is an eponymous rock album by Stephen Stills, famous for his long-time membership in Crosby, Stills, & Nash. It consists of songs written by Stills and is one of four high-profile albums released by each member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their 1970 chart-topping album Déjà Vu.

The album features an array of well-known guest musicians, including David Crosby and Graham Nash, who contributed vocals. Ringo Starr drums on two tracks under the pseudonym “Richie,” which he also used for his contribution to the London Sessions album by American bluesman Howlin’ Wolf, recorded in England the same year. Stills’ album is also the only album in rock and roll history to which both Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix supplied guitar work. Hendrix died before the album was released—Stills dedicated the album to “James Marshall Hendrix.”

The song “We Are Not Helpless” was written in response to Neil Young’s song “Helpless” from the Déjà Vu album and both “Black Queen” and “Love the One You’re With” have remained in the performing repertoire of both Stills and CSN. “Love the One You’re With,” Stills’ biggest solo hit single to date, peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 19, 1970, and another single pulled from the album, “Sit Yourself Down,” went to #37 on March 27, 1971.

The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in the week of December 5, 1970. It was reissued by WEA after being digitally remastered using the HDCD process on December 5, 1995. “We Are Not Helpless” and “Love the One You’re With” were first performed in concert on May 12, 1970 during Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Déjà Vu tour. In 2009 Crosby, Stills, & Nash released Demos featuring an early demo of “Love the One You’re With”.

Reviews of the album were decidedly mixed ranging from positive to lukewarm. Allmusic calls it “a jaw-dropping experience” just short of Crosby, Stills & Nash and Déjà Vu while others such as Rolling Stone were less effusive qualifying the somewhat negative tone by writing “I’m not saying I don’t like this album.”

Track listing

All songs written by Stephen Stills.

Side 1

1. “Love the One You’re With” – 3:04
2. “Do for the Others” – 2:52
3. “Church (Part of Someone) – 4:05
4. “Old Times Good Times” – 3:39
5. “Go Back Home” – 5:54

Side 2

1. “Sit Yourself Down” – 3:05
2. “To a Flame” – 3:08
3. “Black Queen” – 5:26
4. “Cherokee” – 3:23
5. “We Are Not Helpless” – 4:20

Personnel

Additional personnel

• Bill Halverson – producer
• Andy Johns – engineer
• Gary Burden – art direction, photography
• Charles John Quarto – sleeve poem
• Joe Gastwirt – digital remastering