Weekend Music -- R.I.P. David Crosby

 

Well, this certainly wasn't what we planned to post as our music today, but we thought the passing of David Crosby merited a change. 

It's ironic that the man who brought such angelic harmonies to the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young) was, by his own admission, a difficult bandmate -- "a difficult cat," -- but boy, could he sing, and play, and write.  The tributes all reflect his importance to the music of his era and to his talent -- here, here from Byrd Chris Hillman, here from Graham Nash, here from Neil Young, here from Steven Stills, and here from Grace Slick, among others.

We could feature dozens of songs from his solo albums and from those with the Byrds and with his other collaborations.  We strongly encourage you to review that legacy.  Since his music with Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young) is best known, we're going to post some that you probably haven't heard much, if at all: 

-- from the Byrds' "Fifth Dimension" album (1966), Crosby's "What's Happening?!?!," where his clear tenor voice and rhythm guitar stand out;

-- the rollicking Byrds single "Lady Friend" (1967), a "lost hit" written by Crosby, whose voice can be heard at the beginning complaining about having to sing when he could barely talk (Crosby later criticized the final mix, replaced backing vocals from Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman with his own, and was soon fired from the band -- difficult cat!);  and

-- from his acclaimed final studio album "For Free" (2021), "I Won't Stay For Long," which showcases his still- fluid voice as he approached the end of his life.

I'm standing on the porch
Like it's the edge of a cliff
Beyond the grass and gravel lies a certain abyss
And I don't think I will try it today
I'm facing a squall like of a thousand-year storm
I don't know if I'm dying or about to be born
But I'd like to be with you today
Yes, I'd like to be with you today

Weekend Music

Former Byrds, CSN and CSNY founder David Crosby is 79 today.  Given his life history and fragile current circumstances, we try to note that remarkable occasion every year with a song or two from his catalogue.  We've featured both of today's songs in the past simply because we grew up with them and, of course, we like them.  The first, "What's Happening," from the "Fifth Dimension" album (1966), is one of the first compositions Crosby made for the Byrds catalog (his vocals nicely complemented by Roger McGuinn's 12- string Rickenbacker riffing and majestic coda).  Sometimes considered the "great lost Byrds hit," the second is  1967's "Lady Friend," the only Crosby composition to appear as an A-side Byrds single.  It likely would have appeared on the Byrds' "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" album (1968) but for bad vibes from the recording session, its disappointing sales and the fact that by then Crosby had been fired from the group.  (If you listen closely, Crosby says "Can't even talk, how can I sing" as the tape starts to roll.)  Happy birthday, Croz!  Hang in there.

Weekend Song

Happy 74th (!) birthday to David Crosby, co-founder of The Byrds (along with Roger McGuinn and the late Gene Clark) and the super-group Crosby, Stills, Nash (and sometimes) Young.  We're selecting a song written by Crosby in his waning days as a Byrd, "Lady Friend," released in July 1967.  The song is sometimes referred to as the "lost Byrds hit" partly because it had the misfortune of not finding its way onto "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" album -  by the time the album was halfway through production, Crosby had been fired from the group.  The other interesting thing to note about the song is that Crosby was unsatisfied with his fellow Byrds' vocals and decided to dub all the vocals himself (which no doubt further endeared him to his bandmates).  In any event, it's quite a pretty, uptempo rocker that deserved a better fate, with all-Crosby vocals, chiming guitars and even a synthesizer horn drop-in.  Enjoy!

Mid-Week Hero Song

Tomorrow happens to be the 72nd birthday of David Crosby, former member of two of the most influential bands of their time:  The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.  Here's a song that Crosby wrote over 20 years ago with fellow icon Phil Collins, who sings backup on the recording:  "Hero."

Mid-Week Birthday Song

Yesterday was musician David Crosby's 71st birthday. An original member of the seminal folk-rock group The Byrds, and of the first American supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash (later adding Neil Young), Crosby's beautiful tenor always soared. Here's one of CSN's best songs from some years back, "Wasted on the Way."

"So much love to make up
Everywhere you turn
Love we have wasted on the way

So much water moving
Underneath the bridge
Let the water come and carry us away"