I'm a great admirer of Crosby's lyrics, voice and melodies. And Stills is pretty cool too. I'd rather listen to the fantastic harmonies of CSN (that Nash seems to contribute to predominantly) than Neil Young singing on his own. But, in terms of sheer prolific talent, I do think that Neil Young outweighs CSN combined. There's something in Young's voice that is almost commanding. It's as if he's requiring us to listen to his voice and his words.

Quoted from GreenApple

There's something in Young's voice that is almost commanding. It's as if he's requiring us to listen to his voice and his words.

Very well put! I find Neil's songs extremely accessible and compelling; he was my hero when I was a young teen, and I followed him faithfully for many years. Stills is a fantastic guitarist--well, they all are, but Nash and Crosby seem a little more abstract in their lyrics (and definitely those wild tunings). I think they were tremendous together. CSNY rules. But of the four solo, I like Young best. Cheers.

Neil Young is maybe the best single-package rock-and-roller of all-time (singer/songwriter/musician).

Stills peaked in about 1970 and never seemed to meet his potential.

Crosby--great harmony voice, decent songwriter but capable of cringe-worthy stuff like "Almost Cut My Hair" and that horrible garden song on Byrds' Younger than Yesterday.  

Nash--good harmony voice, good "pop" songwriter, but I agree with Harihead, he and Crosby tend to deal in abstractions.  

Nash was least capable of writing meaningful lyrics, but wrote them and sang them as if they were supposed to be deeply meaningful. Some exceptions though with fine lyrics.

I have Stephen Stills self titled album and 'Illegal Stills' and I like them both a lot, but its obvious Neil Young has the solo market cornered.

Neil is Great, period!!!!!!!

A tough one ..CROSBY STILLS AND NASH  - C,S N. is one of my alltime favorite albums its a masterpiece!
The thing with NEIL YOUNG i dont think he has done a great album [not including "decade" its a complilation] but has so many great songs.
But you have to go for NEIL YOUNG he`s the man  

ALMOST CUT MY HAIR 'cringe" worthy i think not ,have you heard LANDING ON WATER now thats  cringe worthy adamzero my friend

I like 'Almost Cut My Hair'. A lot actually.

Quoted from tkitna

I have Stephen Stills self titled album and 'Illegal Stills' and I like them both a lot, but its obvious Neil Young has the solo market cornered.

Is Illegal Stills available on CD? I haven't seen it.

Quoted from mr kite

...ALMOST CUT MY HAIR 'cringe" worthy...

The music is great, but the lyrics are a bit corny.

When you where a lad from a northern working class background ,you were subject to a lot of grief when you had long hair [mostly off my mother god rest here soul]
You identified with that song , but i dont have that problem anymore ,its a bit thin on the rooftop these days    

Quoted from mr kite

When you where a lad from a northern working class background ,you were subject to a lot of grief when you had long hair [mostly off my mother god rest here soul]
You identified with that song , but i dont have that problem anymore ,its a bit thin on the rooftop these days    

Yeh, it's a song of the times. Fair enough.

I seem to listen to I THINK IM GOING BALD by RUSH a lot these days  

Almost cut my Hair does have the immortal "let my freak flag fly" line so it can't be all bad.  And you're right, Mr. Kite, some of the crap Neil put out in the 80s is beyond cringe-worthy, more like pure crazy.

Computer cowboy . . . computer cowboy

Quoted from GreenApple

Is Illegal Stills available on CD? I haven't seen it.

Good question as both that I have are on vinyl, but i'll try to find out.

Quoted from adamzero

Almost cut my Hair does have the immortal "let my freak flag fly" line so it can't be all bad.  And you're right, Mr. Kite, some of the crap Neil put out in the 80s is beyond cringe-worthy, more like pure crazy.

Computer cowboy . . . computer cowboy

Yeah the 1980s was a bad period for Neil Young ,but you got to give him credit for not selling out or doing what his label[geffin] told him to play
KEEP ON ROCKIN IN THE FREE WORLD  

Yeah, Neil's probably the only guy in the music industry who got away with screwing David Geffen.  Dylan kinda did too, by jumping back to CBS for Blood on the Tracks.  

As far as Neil goes, I'm a sucker for almost anything.  But Landing on Water is a nadir for me.  I can't believe Neil hasn't rereleased Time Fades Away on CD when this sucker is out there.  Not to mention Trans.  

I'm not sure you could take one song off each one of the Geffen albums and still had a passable album.  

Quoted from mr kite

Yeah the 1980s was a bad period for Neil Young ,but you got to give him credit for not selling out or doing what his label[geffin] told him to play
KEEP ON ROCKIN IN THE FREE WORLD  

To be fair to Neil though, it's hard to think of any 60's artist who wasn't cr*p in the 80's. A decade too far?

Well said.

Quoted from Kevin

To be fair to Neil though, it's hard to think of any 60's artist who wasn't cr*p in the 80's. A decade too far?

Now that's a good challenge.  The best 80s album by an artist who got started in the 1960s?  Any takers?  

Steve Winwood's album with Back in the high life?

It's a toughie. Clapton, The Stones, Beach Boys, Floyd, Dylan, Young, The Who, Macca and George were all dead in the water. The rest were, well, just dead.
I think it's not because their music declined, but that the the world changed. Not just their contempory stuff but the reputations of their past works took a dive. All  had a renaissance in the nineties. I don't recall that many sixties acts at Live Aid (UK), yet Live 8 was stacked with them.
Somehow the world went very silly in the eighties. I used to think it was down to punk.
Something about Stevie Winwood (could be the knitwear) makes me want to punch his lights out (Lionel Ritchie brings on the same urges). He sold though, and to a contempary audience so it's a good call.
I was at my record collecting peak in the eighties, desperately in love with all things sixties, and bugger me if I can remember buying a single post '80 album by any of them.

I like The Byrds, I like Buffalo Springfield and I like some of Neil Young's stuff, but I really don't like what I've heard of CSN&Y.

Quoted from Joost

I like The Byrds, I like Buffalo Springfield and I like some of Neil Young's stuff, but I really don't like what I've heard of CSN&Y.

And to be fair to Nash, your opinion of The Hollies?

Quoted from Kevin

And to be fair to Nash, your opinion of The Hollies?

I haven't heard enough of them to have an opinion.

Wow, that might be the first time ever that I don't have an opinion...  

I'm really enjoying this discussion. I thought it was just me-- that I'd grown out of my youth and lost interest in music. Now it seems that the world was just a silly place, and disco gave way to punk. It's not my fault! *feels better*

But wasn't the eighties also the decade when classic artists became classic?

Quoted from Kevin

And to be fair to Nash, your opinion of The Hollies?

I like the Hollies better than all the bands mentioned including C,S,N,&Y.

GreenApple, I do not think 'Illegal Stills' is available on CD, but I do have my Uncle looking for it as he finds a lot of obscure cd's across the pond and so forth.

Quoted from tkitna

GreenApple, I do not think 'Illegal Stills' is available on CD, but I do have my Uncle looking for it as he finds a lot of obscure cd's across the pond and so forth.

CDUniverse have it:
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1085578/a/Illegal+Stills.htm

I may have a candidate.  John Fogerty.  The Creedance albums of '69 were all great.  His Centerfield comeback album in the mid-80s is just as good as his "classic" phase.  Has made some great albums since then too.

Ooh ooh I got one! And it's a goodie. Paul Simon! Graceland was one of THE albums of the decade, hugely successful both critically and commercially (and several others were good to boot.)
And it's actually innovative and took a new direction, not "just" a rehash of former glories.
Who da man?
Paul Simon da man!

Quoted from Kevin

To be fair to Neil though, it's hard to think of any 60's artist who wasn't cr*p in the 80's. A decade too far?

David Bowie just shades it. Space Oddity was September 1969.

Quoted from BlueMeanie

David Bowie just shades it. Space Oddity was September 1969.

If it's good renough for John fogerty.....
I thought Bowie's 80's work isn't held in very high regard. Although Lets Dance was a big seller I've heard it called the album that ruined his career (if careers are to be judged by more than units shifted).

And Tina Turner, if you're into that kind of thing (which I'm not, btw!)

The Kinks - Come Dancing was from 1983, but nothing after, and nothing before since Apeman as far as I recall.

Quoted from BlueMeanie

And Tina Turner, if you're into that kind of thing (which I'm not, btw!)

.

She does my head in. I was in a flat in the east end, and the pub across the road had a Tina Turner tribute act every Saturday night. I still have nightmares.

Quoted from Kevin

Paul Simon da man!

I think this is it.  

When did Jeff Lynne join The Move?

Theres very large gap in my collection in the 80s ,i keep saying that its got to be the worst decade in musical history IMHO
The only new bands i was into were U2 and R.E.M. and the brilliant MARIA MCKEE
As for best of the 60s artists i would say ROGER WATERS,pros and cons was good ,CLAPTON had`nt sounded that good for years     

CSNY actually did well in the eighties. A very good effort with CSN's 1982 Daylight Again (pity about the additional vocalists though, except for Crosby's two fine songs on the album, and Art Garfunkel helping with the title track). CSNY's 1988 American Dream ain't bad at all.