"Deja Vu" by CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG with Dallas Taylor and Nigel Reeves (1994 Atlantic CD Reissue – Joe Gastwirt Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Our House Is A Very Fine House..."

January 2006 saw a superlative 'Expanded & Remastered HDCD Edition' of CSN's monumental 1969 debut – "Crosby, Stills & Young" – but no such luck for the follow-up – the No. 1 album – "Deja Vu".

It seems astonishing that in January 2017 – almost 47 years after this masterpiece was released Stateside in March 1970 (May 1970 in the UK) – that we're essentially left with a Standard CD Remaster from the early 90's and a gatefold slip of paper as an inlay. No extras – no celebration – no annotation of any kind. In fact the one piece of info they do give is 'wrong' – quoting the US album's catalogue number as SD-19118 when that was the 1977 re-issue number – the original was Atlantic SD-7200.

I know that doesn't in any way lessen the achievement of both albums – two melodious Americana masterpieces still casting a harmony-vocal shadow over today's myriad of musical landscapes. I just wish there was more for an album that's been a cornerstone of millions of record collections for closing on 50 years now. Still – let's deal with what we do have. Here are the details (for which I almost cut my hair)...

UK released August 1994 (July 1994 in the USA) – "Deja Vu" by CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG on Atlantic 7567-82649-2 (Barcode 075678264924) is a straightforward 'Digitally Remastered' CD version of the 10-track album from 1970 and pans out as follows (36:31 minutes):

1. Carry On

2. Teach Your Children

3. Almost Cut My Hair

4. Helpless

5. Woodstock

6. Déjà Vu [Side 2]

7. Our House

8. 4 + 20

9. Country Girl: (a) Whiskey Boot Hill (b) Down, Down, Down (c) "Country Girl" (I Think You're Pretty)

10. Everybody I Love You

Tracks 1 to 10 are their second studio album "Deja Vu" – released March 1970 in the USA on Atlantic SD-7200 and May 1970 in the UK on Atlantic 2401001. It rose to No.1 and No.5 respectively on the US and UK charts. It was first reissued in the UK in March 1972 onto Atlantic K 50001 (with the transfer of Atlantic’s catalogue to Kinney Music). 

"Carry On" and "4 + 20" written by Stephen Stills - "Everybody I Love You" written by Stephen Stills and Neil Young - "Teach Your Children" and "Our House" written by Graham Nash - "Almost Cut My Hair" and "Deja Vu" written by David Crosby - "Helpless" and "Country Girl" written by Neil Young with "Woodstock" being a Joni Mitchell cover version.

The gatefold inlay simply recreates the inner gatefold of the original vinyl LP (same both sides of the pond) – there’s a see-through CD tray with the words 'Digitally Remastered' on the spine and that's it. The good news is obvious the moment you play the CD – a JOE GASTWIRT Remaster from original tapes that rocks – warm, punchy and expressive when it needs to be.

I can remember when I first heard Stills' "Carry On" – the twanging acoustics – the hooky lyrics – but most of all those voices harmonising in a way that blew you out of the water. And the clever changes in tempos. Love is coming to us all indeed. Onwards to the code to live by – the feed them on your dreams "Teach Your Children" – a gorgeous Graham Nash ballad. In the UK the look-at-them-and-sigh "Teach Your Children" (with Gerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead on Steel Guitar) became the fourth 45 around the album when Atlantic paired it with "Deja Vu" on Atlantic 2019 039 in November 1970. David Crosby comes storming in like he’s Neil Young’s angrier brother with "Almost Cut My Hair" examining how peer pressure works and eventually deciding to remain individual – true to himself and let his freak flag fly. Neil decides to tells us in his nasal whine about a town in North Ontario where all his changes were – a place that still leaves shadows on his eyes (gorgeous audio as those voices come in on the chorus). They end Side 1 with a rocked-up version of Joni Mitchell’s peace weekend anthem "Woodstock" – Stills makes it more angry than it should be but I prefer the Matthews Southern Comfort 7" single version that went to No. 1 in the UK in 1970.

John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful contributes a late Harmonica warble to the Side 2 opener "Deja Vu" – another David Crosby winner. As the years pass - I come back to the genius use of guitars, voices and tempo breaks in this superb ‘makes me wonder’ song. And that wall-of-sound that only CSNY make where they sing. “...We have all been here before...” they chant – well yeah – and I’ll want to go back again and again. We go acoustic ethereal with "4 + 20" – a fabulous Stephen Stills tale of troubled souls – why am I so alone. Atlantic put the three-part Neil Young "Country Girl" on the B-side of "Teach The Children" in April 1970 (Atlantic 2091 002) – waitress winking –but the sweet harmony vocals try to warn that there’s no love in the city. What a brilliant song and I love that echoed Harmonica as it crescendos before fading out. The album ends of the Stills/Young rocker "Everybody I Love You" – guitars wailing as they "la la" those harmony vocals. What a record...

We should talk about what’s not here. There's a demo of the "Déjà Vu" classic "Teach Your Children" on the Expanded Edition of "Crosby, Stills & Nash" which would have had an obvious placing here. Fans will know that there is a version of "Almost Cut My Hair" on the 1991 "Carry On" 4CD Box Set by CSNY and a further version on Crosby’s 3CD Anthology from 2006 "Voyage". As well as those there’s the stunning stand-alone 7” single "Ohio" b/w "Find The Cost Of Freedom" – a brilliant two-sider that later turned on the "So Far - Best Of” LP compilation in 1974 – all ideal Bonus Tracks material. Perhaps one day we might get a Deluxe Edition 2CD set covering the event in its entirety – we remain helplessly hoping...

"...A different kind of poverty now upsets my soul... " – Stephen Stills sings on the quietly majestical "4 + 20". I never feel poverty when I listen to them - they've always lifted me up. Embrace the many-coloured beast...as the great man says...

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"Tom Rush/Take A Little Walk With Me" by TOM RUSH (2015 Beat Goes On 2CD Reissue - Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Get Me My Travelling Shoes..."

When Tom Rush signed to Jack Holzman’s Folk-Rock label Elektra Records in 1965 to record his eponymous label debut (Disc 1) – New Hampshire’s finest vocalist and song-interpreter was already a three-album veteran. His privately pressed live LP “At The Unicorn” on Night Light Records cropped up in the summer of 1962 (recorded at The Unicorn Club in Boston, there was reputedly only 600 copies made) followed by “Blues Songs And Ballads” in 1963 and “Got A Mind To Ramble” in 1965 (both on Prestige, “Ramble” recorded 1963). And that’s where this gorgeous CD comes in...

UK released July 2015 – "Tom Rush/Take A Little Walk With Me" by TOM RUSH on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1192 (Barcode 5017261211927) is a 2CD set containing the first two of three albums Rush made for Elektra Records in the Sixties – "Tom Rush" from 1965 and "Take A Little Walk With Me" in 1966. I've reviewed the third LP 1968's "The Circle Game" separately. BGOCD 1192 breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (45:04 minutes):

1. Long John

2. If Your Man Gets Busted

3. Do-Re-Mi

4. Milk Cow Blues

5. The Cuckoo

6. Black Mountain Blues

7. Poor Man [Side 2]

8. Solid Gone

9. When She Wants Good Lovin’

10. I’d Like To Know

11. Jelly Roll Baker

12. Windy Bill

13. Panama Limited

Tracks 1 to 13 are his 3^rd album “Tom Rush” – released 1965 in the USA on Elektra Records EKL 288 (Mono) and EKS 7288 (Stereo). The Stereo mix is used. Produced by Paul A. Rothchild.

Disc 2 (35:59 minutes):

1. You Can’t Tell A Book By The Cover

2. Who Do You Love

3. Love’s Made A Fool Of You

4. Too Much Monkey Business

5. Money Honey

6. On The Road Again

7. Joshua Gone Barbados [Side 2]

8. Statesboro Blues

9. Turn Your Money Green

10. Sugar Babe

11. Galveston Flood

Tracks 1 to 11 are his 4^th album “Take A Little Walk With Me” – released June 1966 in the USA on Elektra Records EKL 308 (mono) and EKS 7308 (Stereo). The Stereo Mix is used. Produced by Mark Abrahamson.

There’s an outer card slipcase that lends the whole CD reissue a classy feel and a 16-page inlay with very detailed JOHN O’REGAN liner notes. The track-by-track breakdowns from the original American LP back cover liner notes is reproduced, there are those three black and white publicity photos of him in his jacket having a smoke by the railroad tracks and indepth discussion of his song choices and his ability to pick a tune and a songwriter. ANDREW THOMPSON has done new 2015 remasters at Sound Performance in London and he has clearly used the Rhino 2CD reissues of 2001 (Dan Hersch and Bill Inglot were the remaster engineers) – the audio on this beauty is gorgeous. Primarily well-recorded Folk – the Acoustic guitar, his deep tonal voice and the inclusion of John Sebastian’s Harmonica (from The Lovin’ Spoonful) on 6 of the 13 tracks – gives the music a huge feel and warmth.

The “Tom Rush” LP mixes pure Americana Folk with some Dixie, Hillbilly and Acoustic Blues – it’s a properly great mid-Sixties Folk-Rock album. As already mentioned John Sebastian features on six tunes with his distinctive Harmonica warbling – all covers - the songs are “Long John” (Traditional), “Milk Cow Blues” (Kokomo Arnold song), “Black Mountain Blues” (Bessie Smith cover), “Solid Gone” (Traditional), “When She Wants Good Lovin’” (Lieber/Stoller song done by The Coasters) and “Jelly Roll Baker” (Jelly Roll Morton cover). Felix Pappalardi of Mountain and Joe Walsh’s Barnstorm fame plays Guitarron on the Traditional “Solid Gone”, Woody Guthrie’s “Do-Re-Mi” and the Traditional “Windy Bill”. His other players included Bill Lee on Bass and Daddy Bones on Second Guitar – Rush plays Acoustic Guitar and of course takes Lead Vocal on all songs. The last song “Panama Limited” is him and his acoustic guitar only doing an 8 ½ minute slide mash-up of Bukka White Blues – a talking song about a freight train that goes so fast even the hobos don’t mess with it. It ends the album on a storytelling high (his guitar playing is clearly excellent too and this remaster really sells that).

If the largely Folky “Tom Rush” LP is excellent – in my mind the Folk Rock “Take A Little Walk With Me” album where Rush finally goes ‘electric’ (Side 1) like Dylan did – is fantastic stuff and again features an array of great covers and one original “On The Road Again”. The first thing that hits you about it is the improvement in Production – Mark Abrahamson channelling Al Kooper and Bruce Langhorne’s Electric Guitars with skill. Harvey Brooks supplies the Bass, Bobby Gregg plays Drums, and Roosevelt Gook tinkles the Piano with Rush once again on Vocals and Acoustic Guitar. It opens with Willie Dixon’s “You Can’t Tell A Book By The Cover” (a hit for Bo Diddley) which is good but things goes proper Rocking with his deep-voiced version of Diddley’s creepily brilliant “Who Do You Love”. This is not Folk – nor Blues – it could even be The Doors on their self-titled debut (wicked stuff). The stereo separation on Buddy Holly’s “Love’s Made A Fool Of You” is fantastic – a beautifully handled transfer. Chuck Berry’s “Too Much Monkey Business” allows the album to boogie a little – a fun choice – and again shocking electric guitars after all that Folk Acoustic on “Tom Rush”. Jess Stone’s “Money Honey” (a Drifters hit on Atlantic Records) is great fun but his own “On The Road Again” impresses much more and feels like a great driving Fred Neil song (a writer Rush admired).

Side 2 (the Folky Side) opens with Von Schmidt’s “Joshua Gone Barbados” which turned up on the “Forever Changing: The Golden Age Of Elektra Records...” 2006 Box Set as a representation of Tom Rush’s soft magic. And it’s easy to hear why it was singled out - a lovely lilting ballad that stays in your mind. Acoustic Blues shows up in Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues” and again the remaster is just amazing. My fave track on the whole LP is Eric Von Schmidt’s “Turn Your Money Green” which I’ve included on many 60ts CD compilations “...I’ve been down so long...it looks like up to me...”  It ends on the amazing “Galveston Flood” where Blues, Folk and Americana all mash into one powerhouse song.

Both of these albums are forgotten in the grand scheme of things and hard to find outside of the USA on original vinyl – and neither should be. A clever and smart reissue by Britain’s Beat Goes On – more baby please...