139. Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash (May 1969)

1. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

2. Marrakesh Express

3. Guinnevere

4. You Don't Have to Cry*

5. Pre-Road Downs

6. Wooden Ship

7. Lady of the Island*

8. Helplessly Hoping*

9. Long Time Gone

10. 49 Bye-Byes

***1/2

One of the things about undertaking this project is that it means I frequently have to listen to and engage with music I normally wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. I am no great fan of West Coast rock, and this is the sort of album that makes Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles seem wild and dangerous by comparison. There's an almost eerie perfection to the music, and I can't fault it on a technical level, but I also can't bring myself to give a shit about it.

There's a lot to admire, if you're that way inclined. The close harmonies are faultless, even if I tend to agree with Robert Christgau that they sound like they're being performed by a trio of castrati. The playing is impeccable, even if the bass is largely buried and the group only make occasional efforts to attempt anything approaching a decent groove. The lyrics are the sort of impressionistic confessional bullshit that people seem to eat up, but which I have little patience with (and quite a few of the songs are of that mansplaining, "girl you just don't get what it takes to really live" type that set my teeth on edge). The end result is basically just pleasant make-out music for annoying bohemians, a great soundtrack to smoking a joint and sitting around talking about what really matters, man! that never once threatens to harsh your buzz.

And look, there's a place for that sort of music in the world. I'm not condemning this album, and if you look at it purely as a work of craftsmanship it can't be faulted. I just don't like this sort of music. It is, quite frankly, anaemic. But it was also quite popular, and influential, and a lot of people like this kind of stuff. The odd thing is I actually quite like mellow, expertly crafted music. I think the problem might be that this stuff just exists in a region so far outside of my worldview that I can't really understand it as it was meant to be understood.

So, anyway. A very pretty, very well-made album of post-hippie nonsense.