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mortality rates are high in the rock field these days. Even the Beatles-established a mere six years before Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young- produced nearly twenty al- bums before the group announced a parting of the ways. For those who respond to the musical nourishment of- fered by CSNY, the probable death of this group teach Mozart's will continue on his own, one hopes) comes as a par- ticularly regrettable blow. Of the army of groups float- ing around this is the one we cannot afford to lose. But Symphonic Miracles considering the insensitivity of the music business, per- haps they can't afford to go on. Shortly after their first album (an instant hit, kicked Karl Böhm conducts the early works- off by its chart single Marakesh Express), Crosby, Stills, Pablo Casals explores and Nash took on a fourth member: singer /writer/ guitarist Neil Young, already in sympathy with Steve the six late masterpieces Stills from their time together in another group, Buffalo Springfield (in itself a stylistic forerunner of CSNY). Drummer /percussionist Dallas Taylor also appears on by Paul Henry Lang both albums. This group creates its existence not on stage but in the recording studio-yet another characteristic of today's musical climate (though most studio -created groups never approach the level this one has reached). Most or all of WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY contrast Mozart presents on their material appears to be written and arranged in these new recordings: the budding classical symphony someone's smoky living room with the group gathered and its magnificent flowering! The term sinfonia or sym- tightly around one or two acoustical guitars. Later the phony is ancient and has many meanings, though the same mood is transferred to the recording studio, where one current today is as recent as the end of the seven- basic tracks are laid down. followed by countless over - teenth century. It was applied to the Italian opera over- layers of intricate triangular voicings and instrumental ture presenting three brief movements in one, which colors. This group's concentration is superb. Each song established a new species of orchestral music altogether is seen through from beginning to end. Work is slow, different from the suite. This is the visible beginning of knowing, and responsible. There are no goofs. They know the classical symphony, but how music got to this point what they want and they know when they have reached is still one of the mysteries of musical history. We have the sound. In its way, their vocal marriage is every bit no modern comprehensive history of the symphony, and as flawless as that of the Hi -Lo's in the '50s- though what our textbooks say is usually far off the mark, for of course it lacks the slickness that characterized that no scholar has as yet been able to sort out and pull to- earlier, less personal idiom. gether all the ingredients into a logical sequence and Crosby, Stills, Nash. and Young are all song writers, stylistic synthesis. These ingredients are bewildering: individualistic but true to their group identity. David baroque sonata, suite, fugue, concerto, partita, serenade, Crosby contributes two dissimilar tunes here: Almost ballet music-and opera; surely an extraordinarily com- Cut My Hair, which demonstrates the weary paranoid plicated picture. So long as scholars were attempting to humor acquired by all longhairs who must deal with a derive the symphony from purely instrumental anteced- society that still means to make trouble for them. ents they could not arrive at satisfactory results, but Crosby's title tune, Déja vu (with John Sebastian guesting now that it is becoming more and more apparent that on mouth harp), is just that: already seen or haven't I the catalyst was opera, more precisely opera buffo, per- been here before? Steven Stills. my favorite of the four haps we shall be able to clear up this important and writers, has contributed Four and Twenty, a dark and fascinating problem. We still know very little about how loveless two -minute statement performed solo with this music made its way from the stage to the orchestra acoustical guitar. Stills's turbulence and musicality spill pit, but we can follow the symphony from the pit to the out of Carry On, densely group -sung and played. Graham concert hall, as opera symphony becomes concert sym- Nash's writing is less sophisticated than the others. with phony, and with this we are almost at the point of country overtones on Teach Your Children (Jerry Garcia departure for this review. However, the dualism of the on steel guitar) and a homey love song called Our sonata -symphony, the antithetic tonalities and themes, House. Neil Young's songs pop out at you: Helpless and as well as their consequent development and exploita- Country Girl, both passing through endless settings, pro- tion, was still rudimentary with the Italians. though their duce a haunting aftertaste. melodies were rich, the rhythm lively. and the elan of The only outside inclusion is Joni Mitchell's Wood - the orchestra bracing. From our vantage point we can stock, but Miss Mitchell is not really outside. neither see that the Italians could not have developed the sym- musically. emotionally, nor personally. Let's say they phony beyond a certain degree, while the north Germans were raised on the same block. it is fascinating to note could not yet grasp the operatic element-they had little how vastly different Woodstock is treated on this album opera to speak of-so it devolved on a buffer state to as compared to Miss Mitchell's new album (on Warner reconcile and unite the two. It was Austria which Bros.). and then to realize later that. for all the differ- brought about the marriage of the Italian opera- descended ences. the emotional expression is the same. beginnings with the German penchant for "absolute" Crosby, Stills. Nash. and Young is a serious group, music. seriously musical, seriously funny, fragile. sturdy. com- All this is, of course, less than a sketch, for a host of pelling. exciting, profoundly talented and capable. No musicians were involved in this complicated early history other group in rock can touch them. of the symphony, but this much had to be said because the listener, familiar with the great symphonies of Mozart's mature period, may dismiss the first dozen of CROSBY, STILLS, NASH, AND YOUNG: Déja vu. Rock the fifty -odd symphonies as inconsequential, though the quartet, vocals and instrumentals; Dallas Taylor, per- second dozen may elicit a condescending acknowledge- cussion and drums; Greg Reeves, bass. (Country Girl; ment as youthful efforts not without some attraction. Our House; Carry On; seven more.) Atlantic SD 7200. There is much more than that to these works. This Italian JULY 1970 71 www.americanradiohistory.com.

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