Neil Young News: Review of the Moment: CSNY's Deja Vu 50th Anniversary Edition

Sunday, June 06, 2021

Review of the Moment: CSNY's Deja Vu 50th Anniversary Edition | The Old Grey Cat

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Winterland Ballroom - October 4, 1973

With Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 'Deja Vu' re-entering #Billboard200 chart at No. 159 upon release, CSNY's Deja Vu 50th Anniversary edition boxset continues to surprise and delight fans.

Our Review of the Moment is from The Essentials: Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | The Old Grey Cat:

Released on March 12th, 1970, Déjà Vu received instant accolades from many in the press, though – as was customary in those days – it took a few weeks for the critics to opine in print.
And when they did? The applause resounded.
For instance, on March 29th, no less than the L.A. Times’ well-respected Robert Hilburn ended a rave review with this: “While there are some weak spots, it is one of the best rock albums ever.” The Tampa Tribune’s Rory O’Connor proclaimed the same, writing that “[i}t has the same ‘touch of sky’ that, say, ‘Highway 61’ or “Beggars Banquet’ have.” And in the decades since, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 148 in its original 2003 “500 Greatest Albums“ list, nudged it up to No. 147 for the 2012 revamp…and then dropped it 73 slots to No. 220 in 2020.

Not all loved it, however. Rolling Stone’s Langdon Winner questioned the songcraft found on Side 2: “Here we have a splendid showcase of all the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young strong points – precision playing, glittering harmonies, a relaxed but forceful rhythm, and impeccable twelve-string guitars. But are there any truly first rate songs here? If there are, I don’t hear them.” And John Morthland wrote that there was “something hollow about this music” in the 1979 edition of the Rolling Stone Record Guide.

I have a mixed take on it, as well, part of which I chalk up to my age. I first heard it in full on Nov. 22, 1983, in a back-to-back bacchanal with Neil Young’s Comes a Time – I can say so with certainty thanks to my desk calendar. I was 18, I should mention, and a Neil fan. Unlike other albums of its era, Déjà Vu sounded anachronistic to me – fine nostalgia fodder for those of a certain age, but a faded snapshot of days long past for everyone else.

Full review at The Essentials: Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | The Old Grey Cat.

Also, included in the review is this vintage 1984 Mondale/Ferraro TV commercial with Graham Nash’s “Teach Your Children” as the soundtrack?! wow

Deja Vu - 50th Anniversary (Deluxe Edition)

(1 LP/4 CD boxed set @ $99.98)

(Please shop locally & independently. But if you can't, we appreciate your supporting Thrasher's Wheat by clicking this link .Thank you!!)

Stills, Crosby, Young & Nash - 1974@ Broken Arrow Ranch, CA

(see REVIEW: "DEJA VU AGAIN" - CSNY 50th Anniversary by Bill Bentley | Neil Young Archives)

Stephen StillsPhoto by Michael Putland/Getty Images

Also, see interview with Stephen Stills on CSNY: "We were all quite full of ourselves" | Uncut by Peter Watts.

Graham Nash

Also, see INTERVIEW: Graham Nash On Deja Vu Re-Issue, Neil Young & More.

Also, Review of the Moment: CSNY's Deja Vu 50th Anniversary Edition.

For more, see REVIEW: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Déjà Vu Debut Celebrates 50 Years With An Expansive 4-CD/1-LP Collection Featuring The Original Album Remastered on May 14th | Harvey Kubernik.

Deja Vu 50th Anniversary - Outtakes Disc #3 | NYA

Also, the full 4 disc Deja Vu 50th Anniversary edition is now streaming on NYA.

Here is the recent episode of Thrasher's Wheat Radio 2.0 Podcast, hosted by our good friends WBKM.org highlighting CSNY's Deja Vu 50th Anniversary edition.