David Crosby - RIP

[Kevin Bresnahan]

https://www.nme.com/news/music/singer-songwriter-david-crosby-died-3383908?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=singer-songwriter-david-crosby-died

David Crosby has died at the age of 81 after a long illness. After he said in an interview that he didn't have long over two years ago, I was expecting this, but it's still tough when someone who has brought you a lot of happiness through his music leaves us.

Edited January 19, 2023 by bresna

[Hardbopjazz]

Rest in peace. All these musicians I listen to growing up I slowly dying one by one. It’s gonna happen to everyone.  

[JSngry]

Always liked him on Hollywood Squares. 

[Rabshakeh]

Amazing that he's the first of CSNY to pass on. He brought my Dad a lot of joy, and he was always funny on Twitter (or whoever was deputised to be him on Twitter was). RIP.

[Rooster_Ties]

I understand his last 3-5 albums were and are generally very well-liked on the Steve Hoffman Forums. I’ve never heard them personally, but I’m not recalling too much (if any) negative options of his last 10 years of creative output.

I only saw CSN once, the summer after my senior year in high school in 1987 (also saw Nash solo, as an opening act in ~1986).

Like so many, I loved the blend of their voices — three unique timbre’s, which both blended, but also allowed the particular qualities of each voice to be discernible (at the same time).

RIP.

[Teasing the Korean]

I liked the Byrds.  I checked out after that.

RIP.

[jlhoots]

1 hour ago, Hardbopjazz said:

Rest in peace. All these musicians I listen to growing up I slowly dying one by one. It’s gonna happen to everyone.  

Including us. 💀

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, Hardbopjazz said:

Rest in peace. All these musicians I listen to growing up I slowly dying one by one. It’s gonna happen to everyone.  

Most of the musicians I listen to have already been dead for years if not decades.  I'm surprised when I find out someone is still alive.

There is a Gene Lees quote about growing up surrounded by all these towering figures, all of whom die one by one.  He said it's like they are clear-cutting the forest of the your life. 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Teasing the Korean

[clifford_thornton]

Croz was hilarious -- total crank but I enjoyed his twitter, even when he was so obviously full of it. And, of course, an incredibly deep songwriter and performer. RIP.

[Joe]

Crosby lived life #noregrets before anyone knew what a hashtag was. IF I COULD ONLY REMEMBER MY NAME will always have a place in my collection.

[Milestones]

RIP.

Certainly a key man in rock history.  Not clear to me what he contributed to The Byrds, but some essential stuff in CSN and CSN&Y (especially the early years).  I haven't heard much of it, but he did some good solo work too.

 

 

[felser]

12 minutes ago, Milestones said:

RIP.

Certainly a key man in rock history.  Not clear to me what he contributed to The Byrds, but some essential stuff in CSN and CSN&Y (especially the early years).  I haven't heard much of it, but he did some good solo work too.

Some great songs with the Byrds:  "Renaissance Fair" is maybe the most perfect 2 minutes of music in existence.  "Eight Miles High" is spectacular, "I See You", "Why", "Everybody's Been Burned", "It Happens Each Day", "Draft Morning", "Tribal Gathering", and "Dolphin's Smile" are all marvelous.  "Triad" is sonically gorgeous, though lyrically  incredibly narcissistic.  I was a huge fan of his Byrds work and of 'If I Could Only Remember My Name', and liked quite a bit else he did.  RIP to a unique artist.

 

[Chuck Nessa]

3 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Most of the musicians I listen to have already been dead for years if not decades.  I'm surprised when I find out someone is still alive.

There is a Gene Lees quote about growing up surrounded by all these towering figures, all of whom die one by one.  He said it's like they are clear-cutting the forest of the your life. 

How sad for you.

[sgcim]

Although he came off as a creep in some regards, and least he admitted it. He was always hip to jazz and he influenced the band doing Eight Miles High by bringing cassettes of Impressions and Ravi Shankar on the touring bus. He got credit along with McGuinn and Clark for writing it. Trane's "India" was said to be a big influence on it.

His last stuff sounded like Steely Dan, so he was still growing musically towards the end. Guys like him, Arthur Lee, Bryan Maclean, and The Doors were very talented, and more well-rounded musically than a lot of other rockers back then.

[medjuck]

A couple of years ago he played a fundraiser for  local firemen.  For most of his  the set he and his band played music from a new album and  I was surprised that the one oldie he did was Neil Young's "Ohio" which he did with great vigor. I've been planning  to buy tickets for a concert he had scheduled at a local small theater.  (The opener was going to be Bruce Cockburn. ) Glad I was able to see him when I did. 

[soulpope]

R.I.P ....

[EKE BBB]

R.I.P.

 

[Teasing the Korean]

6 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

How sad for you.

Thanks for your concern. I'll get by.

[Big Beat Steve]

9 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

How sad for you.

Why?

There are those out there who enthuse about Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Purcell, etc., etc. and nobody gives a fuss about how long they have been dead. And no, given the relative and sometimes overriding importance of the concept of "faithfulness to the original/composer's partition" in classical music the modern-day (alive and kicking) "executant performers" (not to mention those who are long gone too yet still are revered) of that music have nowhere near the overriding individualistic importance of the performers in jazz, rock and what have you in those fields of non-classical music. Sadder still for those who listen to classical music, then?
So what's wrong or sad with styles of creative music outlasting the lifespans of their performers still striking a chord with many listeners ?

[jazzbo]

RIP Croz. I most liked If Only I Could Remember my Name especially for "Cowboy Movie" and the alternate, and his work with Dead members here and there (and as David and the Dorks).

Plus his song "Wooden Ships" is a great one, capsulizing a certain pre-Eagles California sound that I really enjoyed. (Eagles ruined a lot of the California rock sound for me).

Edited January 20, 2023 by jazzbo

[Joe]

I remember his bust here very well; it produced a lot of punchlines. But Crosby clearly felt differently about the experience.

https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/music/2023/01/19/david-crosby-dead-at-81-once-credited-an-arrest-in-dallas-for-turning-his-life-around/

[trane123]

I grew up being a big fan of CSN/CSNY.  Since he lived here in the Santa Barbara area I got to see him live maybe five times in the last 20 years.  Once was a solo show – just him and an acoustic guitar.  He was already in his 70s by then but still sang and played beautifully.  I found this story from a recent interview.  It’s been told before, but still entertaining…

Before we discuss Live at the Capitol Theatre, I’d like to jump back to a lingering question I’ve had ever since I saw Remember My Name. The film opens with you telling this remarkable story about Coltrane bursting into a bathroom while soloing, at a time when you were in there taking solace from the intensity of the music. Did he specifically follow you in there?

No, he didn’t know I was there, and he couldn’t have cared less. He didn’t follow me into the men’s room. He went into the men’s room because it sounded good in there. It was a tile men’s room, and it had an echo.

This was a club on the South Side of Chicago. It was maybe a thousand seater. He wandered off the stage while he was still playing. He wasn’t through with the idea. Then he decided that he liked the sound of the men’s room, kicked open the door and walked in while he was still playing. [Laughs.]

Your reaction was initially prompted by Elvin Jones [Coltrane’s drummer], who got into your head.

Elvin Jones scared me to death. I was extremely high and the intensity drove me up against the back wall. Then, finally, I had to get a little breath of air in the men’s room. I was just looking for a moment of relative peace and calm compared to being in the middle of Elvin Jones’ drum solo, which was not peaceful or calm. And then boing! It was pure accidental karma. But it was so good. I’ll never forget it. Ever. [Laughs.]

[felser]

12 hours ago, jazzbo said:

Plus his song "Wooden Ships" is a great one, capsulizing a certain pre-Eagles California sound that I really enjoyed. (Eagles ruined a lot of the California rock sound for me).

Totally agree about the Eagles, and the Jefferson Airplane version of "Wooden Ships" from 'Volunteers' is probably my favorite recording in the history of the world.  "If you smile at me I will understand, because that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language" is such a superb opening line, and I would bet that was Crosby writing that line (sure doesn't sound like Stills or Kantner).

[Teasing the Korean]

14 hours ago, jazzbo said:

(Eagles ruined a lot of the California rock sound for me).

They are just awful.  The fact that their greatest hits album is the greatest selling LP of all time really says something, though I'm not quite sure what.

[porcy62]

If I could only remember my name is THE rock record of my youth, I still think is the best record of the so-called west coast sound after 45 years. Maybe there are more important records from an historical perspective, but none of them are so enjoyable like IICORMN.

edit: and probably one of the best sounding records of the period.

Edited January 21, 2023 by porcy62