This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Whipping up the crowd from the start with Crosby’s limp What Are Their Names, legendary CSN&Y roll back the years on this angry attack on US war politics.
Déjà Vu was the first album (after Neil Young joined David Crosby,
Stephen Stills and Graham Nash’s CS&N) in March 1970 hitting the top spot
on the US Billboard chart, spawning three Top 40 singles – Teach Your Children, Our House
and Woodstock. Mystifyingly, Young didn’t appear on all of the tracks back
then.
Young added more edge to the proceedings with a volatile element, counter weighting
his band mates more direct philosophy thus becoming favourites with the Woodstock
Nation. They succeeded also, because of some individual backgrounds in short-lived
Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds, becoming one of America’s first super groups,
adopting a mix of country and rock flavours, apparently taking in the region
of 800 hours to complete, quite believable considering the attention to detail.
Enough of the original. How, after decades apart, would this temperamental bunch
fare? Well, anyone expecting a track-by-track run through of the original are
in for a suck-in. Of the 10, you only get two – Déjà Vu and Teach Your Children
– scandalous really.
Looking at this tracklisting and the general tone of the band and crowd, it’s
nothing more than a direct ant-war album. Great, if you want call it – CSN&Y..get.. whatever,
but to call it DÉJÀ VU LIVE is disgraceful, and as fan of the band, I was
expecting what it ’ says on the tin’. Instead, it appears it was actually a
gig from their controversial Freedom Of Speech 2006 North America tour, with
the Iraq war its backdrop, so why not say so?
Young’s Living With War album was, er, ruddy awful, to put it mildly.
You get the feeling that this gig was Young’s idea (maybe not) for venting his
anger, rather than recreating the spirit (as I’m sure the fans were expecting)
of the original masterpiece.
Let’s not forget at this juncture – Young is Canadian, so it’s a bit risqué,
as he’s hopping mad at his adopted country. Then to confuse matters even more there’s
two studio drop-ins of Living With War, called ‘Theme’, recorded
in Honolulu Hawaii, of all places.
Nash’s Military Madness is a catchy enough a tune about how war fever
washes over societies, though it sounds a bit shambolic at times. After Young’s
Let’s Impeach The President, the band are cheered and booed, and
Young’s repost is, “Thank you. Freedom of speech!”
Shock And Awe (Young) is a dramatic and imposing grunge rocker, and worked
well by all. Stills and Crosby’s Wooden Ships was written on a boat in
Florida in the late '60s, about the Vietnam war and the USA-Soviet Cold War,
and again it turns out fine, except for some dodgy collective attempt at harmonies,
though the guitar solo is very impressive.
The big downside is the dire Roger And Out, by Young. Saving the day,
thankfully, Stills’ Buffalo Springfield 1967 anti-Vietnam anthem For What It’s Worth,
sounds as great as ever, with added up-to-date grunginess, is brilliant. The
undoubted highlight is from Déjà Vu – Teach Your Children Well – is well
worth the wait, and the quartet finally show an outstanding vocal technique
not found anywhere here, even if its lost its lush country gorgeousness, and
that wonderful pedal steel guitar.
1. What Are Their Names
2. Living With War (Theme)
3. After The Garden
4. Military Madness
5. Let’s Impeach The President
6. Déjà Vu
7. Shock And Awe
8. Families
9. Wooden Ships
10. Looking For A Leader
11. For What It’s Worth
12. Living With War
13. Roger And Out
14. Find The Cost Of Freedom
15. Teach Your Children
16. Living With War (Theme)
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.