I’ve been delaying writing about any combination of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young for quite some time because I don’t even know how to correctly pay homage to these incredible artists and their incredible works of art. It all started what feels like a lifetime ago (last month) when I heard these fateful lyrics:
Almost cut my hair
It happened just the other day
It was gettin’ kinda long
Last March, I crazily chopped my hair into a spectacularly short bob that could’ve been considered a pixie cut if you wanted it to be. The chop was wonderful in the moment, but almost out of rebellion against how short it was, I haven’t cut my hair since. So yes, I would say the opening lines to CSNY’s “Almost Cut My Hair” resonated quite spiritually with me. Aside from my hippie hair awakening, this song led me to fall in love with David Crosby’s messy vocals. I needed to hear more, leading to my introduction to the entire album: Déjà Vu.
In March of 1970 (55 years before my ridiculous haircut), the “folk rock supergroup” of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young came together to release their second studio album, Déjà Vu. Produced by all four band members, they estimated that it took 800 hours to record. And those 800 well-spent hours initially landed this album at number 148 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2003. It has since been bumped down to 220 in 2020, which leads me to really wonder what 72 top-tier albums suddenly came to the forefront to be placed above this one. Just food for thought. Moving on…
The most-played song on the album, and the only one I knew before this year, was “Our House.” It has nice harmonies but sounds a little too much like the Beatles (who I have never really gotten into), which I think led me to not really explore this band much further. Luckily, “Almost Cut My Hair” came into my life, and those predispositions were squashed. This is probably one of the sickest songs I’ve ever heard, comparable only to the energy Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry” or The Cars’ “Moving In Stereo” gives. Like, genuinely, I think this is a top 10 song—it’ll take a while for me to get tired of it. And the funny part: Crosby (whose spectacular vocals are featured) stated, “I kept ‘Almost Cut My Hair’ in there over the protestations of Stephen, who didn’t want to leave it in ’cause he thought it was a bad vocal.’”
After reading up on the album, this band, and the members, it sounds like most decisions were made over much protestation. Some songs took over 100 takes (like “Déjà Vu”), and others just eight hours to make (“Carry On”). I guess what were you supposed to expect from four incredibly talented hippie rock stars? Young would record his parts individually, go in and grab the others’ parts, then mash them together on his own. Hey, for some people it works. Maybe that’s why these voices that I never thought would sound good together create some of the most beautiful harmonies I’ve ever heard—just listen to “Carry On.”
Some more of my favorites are the title track, “Déjà Vu,” for its rollercoaster of ad-libs and moods. “4 + 20” is another sweet little interlude that leads straight into Young’s “Country Girl.” Great, impactful song after great, impactful song.
Each of these band members came from and built up more success—Crosby from the Byrds, Stills and Young from Buffalo Springfield—and this production is still each of their best-selling albums. That speaks volumes. I’ve been trapped in a Buffalo Springfield and CSN loop since happening upon Déjà Vu. While I really think “Rock & Roll Woman” is a standout song and Crosby, Stills & Nash is another five-star production, something about this fearsome four trumps them.
So please, if you have any interest at all in getting trapped in a late ’60s/early ’70s hole of revolutionary hippie music and want to let your “freak flag fly,” give this album a shot.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9j%C3%A0_Vu_(Crosby,_Stills,_Nash_%26_Young_album)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosby,_Stills,_Nash_%26_Young
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