Stills

Stills is at his best with this classic album. Wish he still sounded (voice wise) as he did in 1976. The wide range of latin, blues and rock weaves through this music with each piece never sounding the same. Stills was always an excellent writer and music arranger, and I'm still listening to his music.

Decent album.

This was released in 1975 and it was ignored by the "progressives" at Rolling Stone and Creem and other rock rags of the day. That's a shame because if you were one of those who bought it, then you knew immediately this was a very good record. I am glad this has been re-released in digital format. Some of the best work from a man who has always pushed his boundaries.

Really enjoyed this one, and this was maybe his 4th best.

enough said!!

Yet another album completely overlooked by so called critics. Stills is wonderful here and these songs resonate MANY years after this album was released. Wish I could thank him personally....

This is Still's Finest work ever! I have always gone back to this one. Love Story is the best cut. Along with his classic tune As i come of age. He is pouring his life right into your ears! Please take another listen to this masterpiece! Believe or not it did not do well "in the charts",because it was not the Stills everyone was used to hearing. A fine well produced album also!

I have loved this album for many years. The songwriting has a theme throughout: Pain, Hope & Love. As if Steve was possibly going through something at that time in his life. I certainly was, and felt it in the music! The critics look for the gloss, not the message. Although Steve atempted to put a commercial feel in the production, it didn't ruin the message or the artful songwriting and musicianship. The vocals and keyboards will haunt the listener over and over again. When I picked up the album again after several years, I expected to listen to a dated 70's sound. What I did hear was a sound dated only to me. And a time, in my life. This is a world, and period of songwriting Steve once knew. Worth a listen just to know also!

When I picked this up from a sale table in about '76, I knew it hadn't sold well or been received well, but I loved his first couple of solo albums and here's the dumb reason: I really wanted a black Gibson SG at the time (what he's holding on the cover). This ended up in the short stack of albums that I put on every time I had a marathon working session in college and grad school, and I listened to it hundreds of times over a few-year period and never got tired of it. A few years ago I found the cassette copy of the long-lost original album, and played it in the pickup on a drive, and I was able to hum along with things and remembered the words as they were coming up, and it all still sounded good. I think that medicore Stephen Stills songwriting is better-than-average for nearly everyone else. He sounds better when he collaborates on the instrumentals and vocals more, but these songs are as good now as they did 30 years ago when I was a teenager, and that says a lot. The first album and the first Manassas album are better, but this is only in their shadow, it's a really good set of songs. (Eventually I did get an SG, but it took a long time.)

While not received well by critics, Stills was released on the heels of two highly successful Manassas compilations, leaving it to be compared to perfection. It is not perfect, but that does not mean it is trash, either. With Donnie Dacus backing up Steve instead of Chris Hillman, the album has more of a pop flavor to it, espcially Turn Back the Pages, To Mama from Christopher and the Old Man and First Things First. But hints of Manassas turn up near the end of the album, especially As I Come of Age and Cold Cold World. Stills ends the collection with a dreamy Myth of Sisyphus. Bottom line: If you like Stephen Stills' brand of southern/country/rock/Cuban bluegrass, your appreciate "Stills."