|
Post by Malc on Jan 20, 2023 6:56:23 GMT
Whatever your views upon Croz, be they positive or otherwise (having encouraged Graham to join him Stateside and leave the Hollies), one cannot deny his phenomenal musical relevance... RIP..
Heartfelt tribute from Graham Nash:
“It is with a deep and profound sadness that I learned that my friend David Crosby has passed. I know people tend to focus on how volatile our relationship has been at times, but what has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together, the sound we discovered with one another, and the deep friendship we shared over all these many long years. David was fearless in life and in music. He leaves behind a tremendous void as far as sheer personality and talent in this world. He spoke his mind, his heart, and his passion through his beautiful music and leaves an incredible legacy. These are the things that matter most. My heart is truly with his wife, Jan, his son, Django, and all of the people he has touched in this world."
|
|
|
Post by Tony Wilkinson on Jan 20, 2023 8:34:50 GMT
Graham will be devastated, I know they had fallen out again but this will have hit Graham hard, I love David's music as much as I love Graham's, and as a duo they produced some really lovely sounds as well as of course with CSN&Y, R.I.P David ....
|
|
|
Post by cameron on Jan 20, 2023 15:21:37 GMT
I do wonder if Graham made amends with Croz before he died, I hope they were at peace with each other, even if they weren't the best friends that they once were. Stephen Stills made a comment in his tribute to Crosby that he was on good terms with him. No word from Neil Young yet, from what I've seen.
It is very sad to hear of his passing. He may have been a deeply flawed person in many ways, but he certainly took accountability for it and I always believed that he came from a good place in later years. I thought the way in which he faced up to his mistakes was admirable, even if it didn't sustain some of his friendships. Strangely, I kind of agreed with what he said to upset Neil Young, as it seemed particularly bad of Neil to leave his wife of 30+ years for a younger woman, especially when she'd been diagnosed with cancer. I believe that was the root of his falling out with Graham too, who did a similar thing. David also went on record calling out Graham's autobiography for being "egotistical and full of bull****", which again, based on Graham's recollections of his Hollies years, I can see David's point. Perhaps with age comes wisdom, and perhaps his friends didn't want to hear the wisdom come from the man who they'd always had to look after...
Musically speaking, I always felt that David Crosby was on a complete other level to Graham, Stephen and even Neil. His knowledge of jazz, chord progressions and alternate tunings made his music so ambitious but also completely unique. I also felt that he had the best voice too, his debut solo LP 'If I Could Only Remember My Name' is one of my favourite records of all time. He seemed to have a way of getting the absolute best out of everyone who played on his records. Even Jerry Garcia said that his guitar work on the track 'Laughing' was one of the best things he ever did. I'd probably pick that track out as being David's best. That final vocal crescendo into the guitar solo with David, Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell harmonising is one of the most etherial pieces of music recorded in the 20th century, IMO.
I love that David got a new lease of life in his later years, turning out an impressive five albums since 2014. I love that he went right back to the sound of 'If I Could Only Remember My Name' with the 2016 album 'Lighthouse' and seemed to progress musically through the next few albums, which he smartly teamed up with younger musicians to help give his material fresh energy. It was such an eclectic mix of material, but always with that raw emotional edge that he was so famous for.
It's funny, despite his drug-addled antics in the 1960s and 1970s, lots of people have a lot of good things to say about him. He seemed to keep a lot of friends from his heady California counter-culture days. He was immensely well connected in that respect. I also admired his unwavering desire to be political, whether you agreed with him or not, he kept the fire stoked and called out a lot of BS. He was fiercely active on Twitter, and his last Tweet was championing Greta Thunberg. All in all, he was one in a million. I'm glad he was in the right place at the right time to make some incredible music, even if he did pinch our beloved Graham from the Hollies!
|
|
|
Post by Gralto on Jan 20, 2023 15:21:38 GMT
It feels like a musical hero from the 1960s is disappearing every week. Yesterday we received the sad news of David Crosby’s passing. Regardless of their latter years in conflict, Nash will be doing it very tough right now. Graham, more than anyone - if all reports from the past are true - is the main reason Crosby managed to live a much longer life than he did, bailing him out of many situations or offering his support to help him get through the latest drug-related calamity.
There’s a sense that Crosby coasted through the prime of his musical career but jeepers, some of what he left behind will be consumed and adored by those yet to be born today and beyond. If I Could Only Remember My Name - his first solo outing - is not easily forgotten, filled with evocative, haunting, reflective moments -sometimes all in the one song. It sounds like a soundtrack to a film that was never made. Thirty years ago I played that album to a mate who had just finished a joint - and as I played the incredible last track ‘I’d Swear There Was Somebody There’ - he stared out the window and said “can you turn that off?” How come? “Cos I’m too scared”. I still think this album has every CSN and solo album covered for beauty, complexity and a keen sense of mystery. Crosby nailed his first release so well and 50+ years on, it still sounds fresh and interesting.
I met Croz as he was known to many for maybe half an hour while backstage at a Melbourne CSN gig in March 2012. It was one of those surreal moments where Graham asked me to join the gang for dinner backstage pre-show; artists, backing group and tech support staff. I sat down opposite Graham on a table for 4 and shortly it was Crosby, Stills, Nash...and me. Yep, I couldn't believe it either. Crosby sat to my left and could only whisper as he had lost his voice. His participation was minimal for the show as a result, and Graham went onstage to announce this and that if anyone wanted to leave, they would receive a full refund. Of course nobody did and the show was a success, with Crosby singing harmony (very softly) on several songs at the end, which had the crowd going nuts. It was certainly interesting seeing CSN utilising autocues for their lyrics.
Earlier, Crosby had given me his email address as he was keen to find a photo of GN back in his earliest days of the Fourtones and Ricky and Dane when in some shows, they would morph into Fred and the Flintstones, returning to the stage in ridiculous costumes. I never found a pic of that but sent him an email anyway to say hi. He was someone who I instantly liked - great sense of humour, astute observations, friendly. He was there of course when Nash played the last Hollies gig in London, Dec 1968 for the Save Rave benefit, recalling how pissed Clarke was that his oldest buddy was about to be stolen away stateside by some recent yankee blow ins.
I mentioned to Crosby how much I loved his first solo album and how I had always imagined that the perfect place for a promotional film clip for 'I'd Swear There Was Somebody There' would be to film at Bryce Canyon in Utah. (I can highly recommend if you've never been and get the chance). Being vaguely intrigued by that, lead to an invitation. "Wanna hear my new solo album?" Next thing we are in his dressing room - just us two - listening to the then-unissued tracks that would become Croz, his 2014 solo outing that is arguably his 2nd best solo record. I heard 2 songs and they both sounded spectacular; polished and contemporary. The listening experience was only curtailed by the tour manager who kicked me out, explaining that Crosby had to rest his voice given his ailment, and that meant no socialising with anyone. Hey, no problem, it was his idea!
What most came out of being backstage was how much Crosby admired Nash - he knew what GN had done to keep him alive, to keep the band together, to keep everything going."He's a great man" he whispered to me at one point. There was no sign then in my eyes of what would happen in the coming years. I hope they reconciled in some way and that Graham got to say goodbye. As Graham has said in SO many interviews for decades about the big move to the USA, "Crosby saved my life". Graham definitely returned that favour. I'm just amazed Crosby made it into his 80s! What a life story - surely there must be a biopic in the coming years? Have any of his musical contemporaries experienced such extraordinary highs and calamitous lows? He lived an astonishing life, and his passing brings to an end a musical partnership that will forever be linked with the rise of the youth counter culture of the late 1960s. Across The Byrds, CSN(Y), with Nash and on his own, he leaves behind a significant body of music.
|
|
|
Post by gee on Jan 20, 2023 23:05:02 GMT
RIP Croz....
|
|
|
Post by The Dude on Jan 22, 2023 11:08:58 GMT
RIP Croz...
|
|
|
Post by Stranger on Jan 24, 2023 15:40:20 GMT
Simon what an amazing experience to have had and reminiscence to be able to share.
We've really lost a legend with Crosby and he leaves behind some great music.
I'll pick this one for now:
|
|
|
Post by cameron on Feb 9, 2023 20:48:49 GMT
Graham has broken his silence since David Crosby’s death with this new interview. It turned out that David did reach out to him in his final weeks to make amends, but Graham never got the call as David had passed by that point… very sad, but a little comforting to know that they tried to end things on good terms. Full interview here: www.aarp.org/entertainment/music/info-2023/graham-nash-remembers-david-crosby.html
|
|