CSN this morning on CBS

Anybody else catch Crosby, Stills and Nash on CBS this morning?

I was torn. Stills' guitar playing, especially using the White Falcon on "Teach Your Children" sounded pretty good, but vocally I thought they were weak. Not "morning" people, perhaps?

Dave

At least they're consistant Dave. I didn't catch that one but saw a performance on TV (HDNET?)not long ago and their vocals were off-key and weak to say the least :shock: . I guess they're like all the old guys... just trying to recoup some of that blown money from the past. Can't say I'd blame 'em for trying though :|

Ravon said:

At least they're consistant Dave. I didn't catch that one but saw a performance on TV (HDNET?)not long ago and their vocals were off-key and weak to say the least :shock: . I guess they're like all the old guys... just trying to recoup some of that blown money from the past. Can't say I'd blame 'em for trying though :|

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A bit of pitch correction would have been beneficial.

I've seen Graham Nash & David Crosby in a few shows (on TV or the web) backing various artists. I thought they usually sounded good. They've done a couple of nice albums as a duet over the years.

Dave

Only caught " Teach Your Children". I noticed they changed the harmony in the chorus so they didn`t have to go up to that really high note ( Just look at them and sigh). They still sing better pushing 70, than most of us could ever dream of doing..

I missed it but I've been lusting over Stephen's White Falcon for years. 8)

George

We saw them in San Antonio about five years ago. First three songs, their vocals were terrible; I was really disappointed. Then they hit their groove and we settled in for a most wonderful evening.

Geo said:

I missed it but I've been lusting over Stephen's White Falcon for years. 8)

George

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Here is Mr. Stills and said White Falcon at the Ram's Head Tavern in Annapolis in October, 2011:



He did two shows there last October and I saw them both. The first, on a Monday night, was pretty bad. Awful, really. He was a tired, cranky old man, complaining about being deaf (he is almost deaf as a stone now), his carpal tunnel syndrome in his pick hand, and kicking amps and yelling at his guitar tech. His vocals wandered all around various keys, mostly unrelated to the song's key he happened to have been singing. Nevertheless, the crowd loved him, and we all sang along.

The second show on Wednesday night was far, far, better.

He nailed a sustained vocal note in Suite: Judy Blue Eyes and the crowd went nuts:



We see them next Saturday in Atlantic City. Here's hoping they're in good voice.

bassmyf said:

Only caught " Teach Your Children". I noticed they changed the harmony in the chorus so they didn`t have to go up to that really high note ( Just look at them and sigh). They still sing better pushing 70, than most of us could ever dream of doing..

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I recall hearing a David Crosby interview sometime in 2000's where he said he couldn't believe they sang that high, and how those old songs now sounded to him like The Chipmunks.

I think the vocal harmonies they were doing in the 60's and 70's were so amazing, there's no way they can hit them now. I mean the vocals on "Suite Judy..." and "Helplessly Hoping", just to name a few, are incredible. As I said in my post on Paul McCartney turning 70, not many of the old rockers can hit the notes they used to.

Given all their bodily abuse (especially Crosby) it's a wonder they can sound as good as they do. I saw Crosby/Nash a few years ago, they sounded great.

walrus

It's really difficult to watch these iconic stars and our music legends age and become less adept at recreating those amazing times in our past. Sometimes they can still hit the notes and sometimes they can't. Especially the high vocal parts are going to be tough. But losing control of pitch in such finely woven harmonies .... is heartbreaking.

Different type of music, all together, but when I went last month to see The Beach Boys at Red Rock, I was amazed and surprised. It's their 50th Anniversary tour, and they sounded amazing. Part of that is that just their voices are still in good form. Singing those high parts in falsetto are ESPECIALLY difficult, at any age. The age range of the original 5 Beach Boys is 68 to 72.

Even Brian's voice is strong, and that guy is a capital "M" MESS!!

But what they did that I think is the correct thing to do in this situation, is to surround themselves with 10 band members who are amazing in their own right, and get support on difficult parts and turn some parts over to them so they could last the over 120 minutes of the concert. Granted, they didn't do it on their own. But what you HEARD was pretty much what you heard back in the day and on their recordings. And what you walked away with was a great feeling that the Beach Boys can still make amazing music, and that possibly for that one evening, time was suspended for a bit and it was like being 18 again.

My feeling is, if you can do it, then do it. If you can't, get HELP. Hearing our legends sound bad or not hold a tune or hit the notes is devastating..... at least to me it is.

I have a lot of respect for the way the Beach Boys recreated a time and place in their concert. Sure, we're all moving a little more slowly now.... but our cars are better and faster now...... :wink:

I didn't realize Stills had a hearing problem but listening to him speak made me wonder if there was some sort of an issue with him. That's a shame.

Dave

dapmdave said:

I didn't realize Stills had a hearing problem but listening to him speak made me wonder if there was some sort of an issue with him. That's a shame.Dave

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He sounds like a mumbling truck driver. But the man can still pluck the strings. Beethoven wrote his famous ninth symphony while completely deaf. Somehow I don't think Stephen will follow suit.

I'm reminded of a song by Billy Joel with a verse as follows:
"Hey it's good to be a young man and to live the way you please, yes a young man is the king of every kingdom that he sees, but there's an old an feeble man not far behind, and it surely will catch up to him somewhere along the line."

CA-35 said:

dapmdave said:

I didn't realize Stills had a hearing problem but listening to him speak made me wonder if there was some sort of an issue with him. That's a shame.Dave

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He sounds like a mumbling truck driver. But the man can still pluck the strings. Beethoven wrote his famous ninth symphony while completely deaf. Somehow I don't think Stephen will follow suit.

I'm reminded of a song by Billy Joel with a verse as follows:
"Hey it's good to be a young man and to live the way you please, yes a young man is the king of every kingdom that he sees. But there's an old an feeble man not far behind, and it surely will catch up to him somewhere along the line."

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Or, the simple version: "If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."

Dave

Saw a PBS special with just Crosby and Nash plus plenty of backup support. I believe it was taped in Stamford, CT within the past year.

I thought Nash was still holding his own, but Crosby hit a lot of flat spots. They opened with "Eight Miles High" (COOL choice!) and Crosby's harmonies were WAY off.

Too bad, but then it's a miracle that guy is still alive.

Bill

Saw them Saturday night, 06/30/12 at the Borgata in Atlantic City:



They were in pretty fine voice particularly once they got a little warmed up. Crosby seemed to have the most difficulty getting in key, but once there they all sounded pretty good.

Stills looked like he was having a lot of fun, doing what he likes best: Playing lead guitar in a band where he doesn't have to carry all the vocal weight.

Speaking of the band, it includes Crosby's son, James Raymond on keyboards.

Crosby told a funny story about how they mangle song lyrics during sound checks ("Find the Coast of Sweden" instead of "Find the Cost of Freedom" or "Our Mouse", not "Our House"). That went on until Crosby actually did it during a live gig while in an altered state.

Well worth seeing them.