Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash

Crosby, Stills & Nash is the debut studio album by American British supergroup Crosby, Stills, & Nash, originally released in May 1969 via Atlantic Records.

Crosby, Stills & Nash spawned two Top 40 hit singles, "Marrakesh Express" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”, which peaked respectively at #28 the week of August 23, 1969, and at #21 the week of December 6, 1969, on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The album itself peaked at #6 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart.

The enduring charm, contemporary relevance, and harmonic convergence of Crosby, Stills & Nash's fabled self-titled debut owe not only to impeccably played songs and resonant lyrics, but to career-defining performances by music's first genuine supergroup.

Crosby, Stills & Nash lingers as an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Factor in phenomenal studio production and acoustic-based architecture that served as guideposts for myriad albums that followed, and popular music would never be the same.

The backstory of how Crosby, Stills & Nash came to be nearly matches the import of its content. Already a renowned multi-instrumental virtuoso, Stephen Stills sought a fresh beginning after Buffalo Springfield splintered. Similarly, vocal powerhouse David Crosby arrived after leaving the Byrds and gaining a reputation for being difficult. Graham Nash drifted over after a frustrating stint in the Hollies. He met his new mates at a party.

When the three sang together informally for the first time, their fate was sealed. To further tie their fortunes together, the singers used each of their surnames to identify the group to ensure the collective could not exist or continue on without all three members.

From the opening of the lead track, the multi-part ''Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,'' written for Judy Collins, it's apparent the trio's dynamic cannot be replicated or substituted.

Stills trades in folk, country, and rock accents while handing a majority of the instrumental duties (organ, bass, and lead guitar included). Crosby paints with mood and atmosphere, as well as direct political commentary. Nash ties everything together with accessible pop melodies.

More than five decades later, the ensemble's mellifluous singing and homespun arrangements continue to soar. The evidence pervades Crosby, Stills & Nash, whose magnetism reflects in standards such as the breezy ''Marrakesh Express”, protesting ''Long Time Gone”, poignant ''Helplessly Hoping”, and poetic ''Wooden Ships”.

No wonder the trio's chemistry (as well as the distinctive traits of each member's singing, interwoven guitar parts, and contrasting personalities) became a permanent part of an American culture dealing with conflicting themes of peace and war, love and violence, and change and status quo.

This album is a 2023 Atlantic 75 series reissue on crystal clear coloured vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve, pressed in Europe via Atlantic Records.