Stephen Stills - Just Roll Tape: April 26th, 1968

highly accessible

A simple review here:
I am a 'weak' CSNY fan. (caught them live, respect them as artists, but only own a few cd's). I so admire Stephen Stills' talent, but i'm definitely not a close follower of his career. Many of his great songs were recorded years before i was born!

That being said, i do love demo recordings and try to collect them. There's a natural feel, something more intimate and definitely less refined, but you get a look at the basic feel of the melodies as they existed in the artist's mind at that time.

These recordings ARE demos--nothing to rave about in mad artistry, of course. But from the first listen I was hooked. I played it for 2 of my friends the day i downloaded it and they both loved it instantly as well.
I totally recommend this cd. Probably devoted Stills fans and newbies would like it best (IMHO).

That's it from me. Thought an unsophisticated review may be useful to some....since there are others out there who may be interested music lovers but not knowledgeable followers of Stills/CSNY.

Enjoy!! October 28, 2008

seriously, it's not THAT great

Look at all the other reviews of this disc. They either say "I love Crosby, Stills, and Nash's music, so I love this" or they say "I love Stephen Stills' music, so I love this." But what would you say if you didn't already know this music from its later, more polished versions? You'd hear a good but occasionally sloppy guitarist singing folky, country-tinged songs, about half of them of very good quality. Some of these songs didn't show up in his later records for a good reason: they're dull. These demo versions of "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" and "Helplessly Hoping" are well worth a listen, but "Wooden Ships" has often been performed better. August 27, 2008

The Intense Mr Stills

I have been listening to Stephen Stills for 40 years, and I am always ready to hear any of his works. I once read that he is so intent on giving a great performance that he "hurls" before his performances. Whether it was Buffalo Springfield, CSN, CSN&Y, Manassas or any number of collaborations. This disc is the glue that held and holds all of them together. There are very few that deserve the title of musical genius, and Mr. Stephen Stills is one of those. August 5, 2008

Problem with the recording date?

A couple of anomalies I hope others might be able to clear up:

1) Amazon "Product Description" has this session taking place in a New York recording studio, and the "Editorial Review" describes the recording after a Judy Collins session. This must have been for her LP "Who Knows Where the Time Goes." But -- the liner notes to this LP (CD) says that the sessions were recorded at Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles.

2) The Buffalo Springfield Box Set's booklet includes a list of concert dates, and it has the band performing April 26, 1968, at Exhibition Hall, Arizona State Fairgrounds, in Phoenix, Arizona.

So something isn't quite right. July 15, 2008

Stripped-Down Acoustic Stills

JUST ROLL TAPE is like finding a missing musical link, in this case one that was lost for almost 40 years. On April 26, 1968 --- 9 days before Buffalo Springfield's farewell concert and six months before recording the first CSN album --- Steve Still's stayed in the studio after a Judy Collins Session to put down on tape some new songs he was working on. Some would end up on CSN's first record, some on his solo and Manassas recordings, some never to be heard again. We hear Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Helplessly Hoping, and Wooden Ships as they were being birthed (or close to), Change Partners and Now Begins the Task, Black Queen, and others. The "unreleased songs" are not throw-aways, just lost. The stand-out from these is The Doctor Will See You Now -- who knows why this never made it on to a commercial recording. Just Roll Tape is worth a listen , and then another, and another. March 26, 2008

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