Deja Vu - Crosby Stills Nash and Young (Memorable Music Classic Albums)

Personnel
Stephen Stills: Guitar, Vocal / David Crosby: Guitar, Vocal / Graham Nash: Guitar, Vocal / Neil Young: Guitar, Vocal / Dallas Taylor: Drums / Greg Reeves: Bass

The Songs
Carry On / Teach Your Children / Almost Cut My Hair / Helpless / Woodstock / Deja Vu / Our House / 4 + 20 / Country Girl medley: Whisky Boot Hill-Down Down Down-Country Girl / Everybody I Love You

Notes
With the previous record's (Crosby Stills and Nash) success, this one got a little too much hype. It's often damned good, and it perfectly captures the spirit of late 60s West Coast rock, warts and all. But it does sag in places, with Young contributing material that was second-rate for him ("Country Girl"; the tossoff "Everybody I Love You"), and Crosby losing control over his tendency to rant and rave ("Almost Cut My Hair"). Still, though, Crosby's experimental title track, with some strong acoustic work by Stills, does deliver his characteristic emotional power; Stills is as solidly commercial as ever (the folk song "4 + 20"); and the intentionally roughshod acid rock cover of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" surpasses her own version. Apart from Stills' excellently harmonized "Carry On," the two best tracks - both by Nash - are folky pop tunes that don't blend in well, although they're dressed up nicely with the other guys' harmonies (the singalong classic "Teach Your Children" and sweet, childlike piano number "Our House," both Top 40 hits like "Woodstock").