Nash, Crosby, Stills and Young, with drummer Dallas Taylor (L) and bass guitarist Greg Reeves (R) in August 1969 (Photo © Henry Diltz; used with permission)
An album of live performances by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young recorded at New York’s Fillmore East in 1969 is in the works. The news was revealed by Neil Young on his website. At the time of the concerts that September, the group had only played a dozen or so times, including their famous performance just over a month earlier at the Woodstock festival. Young noted that the set was “full of great songs and then-unknown gems.” He added: “Staggering harmonies.” His April 2, 2024, post didn’t offer a timetable for the release, though he emphasized it will be a double album, adding, “Pure. Analog. No digital.”
CSNY played four concerts—two per night—on September 19-20, 1969. As Young noted, “I was new in the band, having been brought in by Stephen Stills, my Buffalo Springfield band-mate. We didn’t know much material to sing together yet. They had the historic CSN album with tracks created largely by Stills, full of great songs and singing by all members. When we took the stage, CSN would play their favorites along with some brand new songs that would later [become] classics. Some, like ‘Our House,’ were so new that only the writer-singer would perform them.”
That song would appear on the CSNY March 1970 album, Déjà Vu. That release’s “4+20” was also performed at the 1969 concerts. “The electric set quickly moved to a new space,” Young added. These included his own “Down By the River,” which closed the shows.
Related: Our Album Rewind of Déjà Vu
A week after CSNY’s stint at Fillmore East, the venue hosted fellow Woodstock festival alums Country Joe & the Fish, Sha Na Na and the Grateful Dead on the same bill for two nights.
Less than a year later, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young returned to the Fillmore from June 2-7, 1970. Many of the performances at those shows were released on the band’s 1971 double live album, 4 Way Street.
Of the upcoming release, Young noted, “Sure you will get it in digital, but you can feel it in analog, that’s a real thing. That’s what I think music is. A feeling.” He indicated that the stage was recorded in eight track analog with the audience in four track analog. “This was way before digital sound – music on phones, recorded in bits, and pieces of the soul.”
Their existing catalog as a group is available here.
6 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationCan’t wait. One of the best shows ever was CSNY in the early 70s. Probably the first show I ever saw where they didn’t feel the need to play louder than MC5 or Grand Funk or Deep Purple.
I have always disliked Neil Young’s music. His whiny, thin voice grates on me. Bringing him into CSN was the worst mistake the group ever made. (I do like Young’s politics, though. I agree with him on that.) Just for the record, Stephen Stills was/is a freaking genius musician who could play anything, on any instrument and sound great. But it was the CSN harmonies that were magical. I still don’t know what Young had to offer musically, because his stuff was lame in comparison to what CSN had going for them.
The vast majority of music fans disagree with you.
V2787 – We are 180-degree polar opposites. His music with CSNY is superb. He & Stephen Stills guitar riffs are time tested. I can do without his politics.
Crystal clear, crystal strong, crystal beautiful. CSNY just tugs at my heart. This was a very special time. Peace, love and joy. I still carry it around with me each and every day. Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait for the record!
Neil Young is one of the all-time greats.
CS&N, they are ok.