Stills is the king. I think history will smile on him and his reputation as one of our finest artists will just grow and grow. Dig into his solo catalog and forgotten weird CSN albums etc - all of Stephen's stuff is gold.
Thanks for a great post. Stills is truly one of the most underrated guitarists of the past 40 years. I've seen him perform this live at least 10 times and each one is better (and different) than the last. This one is tremendous!!! Such passion and soul, and his chops are so good that there is no need for Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker or any backing musicians (no offense to Mr. Clapton) to drive this song home. Bye bye New Jersey! Rock on Stephen!!!
Stephen Stills is one of the best acoustic guitar players I have ever heard. I saw Jimi Hendrix live back in the late 60's, but you cannot make a comparison, their styles are completely different. Just imagine Jimi and Stephen playing 'Black Queen' together, 'cos Jimi was a good blues player, he just played it Jimi style.
Stephen has been called 15th best guitar players in the nation and 5th acoustic Birdpucky hes the best BEST in my world and thats everywhere no one now can touch him acoustically just listen to this song really listen
I have listened to Crosby, Stills, and Nash for many years, but until they started releasing music dvds I didn't know who was singing what, except for Mr. Nasal, Young. And, then I'm watching Woodstock for the first time and all this incredible singing, guitar playing, and writing is one man. Yeah, everybody else is very good, but Stills is some of everything, just unbelievable. I'm buying Woodstock for him and his Suite Judy Blue Eyes and Hendrix's Voodoo Child.
I agree with you momominnosh! Sometimes it seems like me & my sister are the only ones who really honestly like Stephens voice in all the decades he's been around, the rough voice of today is fine with me, cause i was there at the beginning & i don't miss the old voice of Stephen. To quote Robin Williams: "Stephen Stills was a bad mamajama he is"
Love this song, great version. Stills one of the best players ever. Top 25-50 who have ever picked up and played the guitar.Sadly Stills was very sddidcted to hard drugs,such as cocaine. This performance was taped during the time he was still using. Almost every great player was addicted to drugs or alcohol at some point in their lives. I said almost every great player. No response needed.
Yep, ask any of his musician friends, they all say he's got a seldom seen talent for timing & it has to do with him starting out a rythm player. Stephen's one of the greats.
Stills was one of the first to use the open tunings a lot. A lot of D A D D A D type stuff. It is easy to get a big sound with that, but his real talent is what he can do with his right hand, driving the rhythm and percussion at the same time.
Fantastic clip, thanks for the post. I've seen Stephen several times and he is amazing talent. When he's in good voice, and in this clip he's in great blues voice, its a real special time! Hooaah Stephen Stills, keep rockin brother.
I know what you mean I was an English major and I loved the way he says caynt (can't) he really actually says it and pronounces his unique way whatever loved the whole series of videos I saved them all.
I was pleased to find this outstanding video. I was gonna give 'crossroads' a shot and thought I'd see if I could steal any licks from stephen... yeah, right, I'm gonna go crawl back in my hole now.
No Its not the Daylight Again DVD, This is taken from the Willie Dixon Tribute, in 1983, there's also incredible versions of 4x20 & change partners. Glad you like it!! :-)
clapton smackton clapton is oranges and stephens is apples and they are not in competition one is electric and one is acoustic and there is no one that can touch stephen in any capacity stephen is a god
lot of trolls comparing the size of their guitar player here. dig a ditch or be the ditch for 40 years then you can... push her button and make her sing... here comes old flat top... you can't catch me love the way he rolls the blues into rock
he plays the "suite" tuning as u mentioned, but i think Stephen always played DDDDAD or EEEEBE rather than DADDAD or EBEEBE! glad everbody seem to like the clip.
@birdwomn buy and listen with a good set of headphones to CSN's first album. Stills' 2nd super group. He is all over it thanks to Ahmet Ertegun, President of Atlantic records.
A lot of those names mentioned might be better electric huitar players, but acoustic, no way, michael hedges once said, people who thought Clapton was "GOD" hadn't heard Stills play the acoustics. Stills is one of the greatest & most important musicians of the acoustic art of playing.
I used to play a lot of Steven Stills stuff many years ago. Played around with his open tunings. This video makes me want to get back into it. What tuning is he using here? Anyone know? As I remember a lot of it was somewhere around DADDAD or different variations of this.
You want SHREDDING GET DAYLIGHT AGAIN DVD AND WATCH HIM SHREDDING A PLUG IN TAKAMINE WOW yes he isnt Stevie Ray God Bless him and I still miss him so much but they were neck and neck they just had different styles
if you like slide stuff get Daylight again and watch him with the double neck that is so beautiful And I lifted one At Guitar Center in La. and its heavy no wonder Stephen has such powerfully built arms want those arms wrapped around me tee hee!
Agree with Blootch - except that Stills is too soulful to have made such a contract. If he did - he'd just cut heads with ol' Scratch and have that contract ripped up. Have been in love with his version of this medley since the Stephen Stills Live LP and then seeing him perform it live soon after all those years ago. WOW!!!
Everybody knows Stephen is the master of the Martin guitars, & often prefers to play them, however on this clip it's not a Martin but a Takamine, wich is his 2:nd choice in acoustics.
Drugs increase your creativity in the beginning, only to totally strangle it after a while, so be careful with those bongs or whatever, cause you need all the help you can get..he he he.. Love from Sweden
thanks oller Us old loyal warhorses that have loved him all these years know that too large amps screaming fans lousy small venues and badly placed amps will hurt any artist and Stephen bless his beautiful redheaded heart had all of that and more Please guys stop with the coke thing We know he wasnt a saint still(s) isnt but he is still here if it wasnt for Danny Fogelberg telling him to get checked for cancer he might not be here
i didn't knock takamine, i meant get rel to the guy who was saying stephen never played anything other than martins. Takamine's great guitars, tust me i would never slag em off.
live on Mr Stills. Even though here u are fucked up on coke, u will always be remembered as a great player, even though u no longer can play as good as u used too. Still good though..
Amazing GuitaR Skills, seeing this makes me want too chuck my guitar in the rubbish, but i think Ill just keep practicing, anyone know where the crossroads is might go make me a deal, save myself years of practice :P
@bookkeeper57 I don't care what the critics say. There is no greater single talent than the voice of David Crosby. Stills is superb but don't underestimate Crosby as a guitarist either.
Coke is NOT the main reason for Stephens voice changing so vast! His impaired hearing is no1 reason. If you ever heard a deaf person talking you know, Stephen got zero hearing on right ear & 20% left on his left. That plus singing sick blowing his voice through his whole career. That's the two main reason.
You´re right on the money!! However i might add a few more year than 73' I think ther's examples of great singing past 73' & with CSN there's no doubt there's some good singing also by Stephen. Take "See the changes" recorded 77 GOOOOOOOD singing, even by Stills alone in the verse. Also "Haven't we lost enough" Stephen holds his own at the opening verse..there's more examples..Do you totally disagree? I'm just curios.
It is NOT a martin dear 54spiritedwill54, Stephen has played a bunch of acoustics over the years, Check out the acoustic consert from 1991 most of that show he plays a Takamine!! Get real....
Hendrix was Hendrix, but truth be known, Stills was always a superior writer, singer, arranger & even acoustic player than Hedndrix, not to take anything away from the electric genius Hendrix. One things for sure, u had to be REALLY good to jam with Stills...
+Greg Gilbert Super Session was the album that made me the blues fan I am today. I was probably more impressed with Bloomfield, blues-wise, but the wha-wha on "Season of the Witch" was sooooooo cool! Stills will ALWAYS be one of my top 10 guitarists.
Greg Gilbert I couldn't agree more. You get, not only Stills but Mike Bloomfield, one of the earliest of great American blues guitarists. Al Kooper ain't no slouch either! Lol.
I've got three Takamines, a Guild F-50 custom , a Jeff Babicz and a Martin Dreadnought...but Stephen Still's Martin sounds better than all of them. Must be his extra fingers...heh! heh!
His hearing was poor even in the Springfield days, & after that only got worse, it's true coke didn't help him, helps no one period. But a lot of musicians have used that and other substances as you know, but few lost their voice like he did, so listening to the man himself, hearing is main reason + not mending soar throats through the years & instead going on stage singing & screaming as always you know.
I too have those albums, but not this performance. Notice when he tosses guitar up & he catches it on the proper fret the 5th. Which is G since the whole guitar besides one string is tuned in D. Eric who? Oh yeah Clapton, no way. Stephen plays at least 7 instruments verrrrry well, possibly in the double digits actually on the number of inst. he can play.
Genius, Genius, Genius - thats what Stephen Stills is! Stills is one of the best singer/ songwriter/ guitar players to ever walk the planet.
Stills is the king. I think history will smile on him and his reputation as one of our finest artists will just grow and grow. Dig into his solo catalog and forgotten weird CSN albums etc - all of Stephen's stuff is gold.
C'mon guys, let's not quible over the genius of Mr. Stills, it's already a fact of life!
Thanks for a great post. Stills is truly one of the most underrated guitarists of the past 40 years. I've seen him perform this live at least 10 times and each one is better (and different) than the last. This one is tremendous!!! Such passion and soul, and his chops are so good that there is no need for Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker or any backing musicians (no offense to Mr. Clapton) to drive this song home. Bye bye New Jersey! Rock on Stephen!!!
Stephen Stills got me into playing acoustic guitar, he is a great player and I have always
loved his vibe :)
Never heard this. THANKS!!!! Stills guitar & the harmonies were what made CSN & Y
That is the most aggressive playing I've ever seen/heard! Fabulous!
Prodigy talent meets 50000 hours of hard practice and play! Would love to stay up 3 days with Stephen Stills!
Stephen Stills is one of the best acoustic guitar players I have ever heard. I saw Jimi Hendrix live back in the late 60's, but you cannot make a comparison, their styles are completely different. Just imagine Jimi and Stephen playing 'Black Queen' together, 'cos Jimi was a good blues player, he just played it Jimi style.
Love, love love love love Stephen Stills!!
Wow. That must be the best performance by Stephen I've ever seen. Thanks for posting it.
Stephen has been called 15th best guitar players in the nation and 5th acoustic Birdpucky hes the best BEST in my world and thats everywhere no one now can touch him acoustically just listen to this song really listen
Smokin'! Thanks for posting this. This can be found on Stephen Stills Live albums which came out in 1975 and I have it, but no turn table for years.
hell ya man thank u fellow blues man.
I have listened to Crosby, Stills, and Nash for many years, but until they started releasing music dvds I didn't know who was singing what, except for Mr. Nasal, Young. And, then I'm watching Woodstock for the first time and all this incredible singing, guitar playing, and writing is one man. Yeah, everybody else is very good, but Stills is some of everything, just unbelievable. I'm buying Woodstock for him and his Suite Judy Blue Eyes and Hendrix's Voodoo Child.
This is what a fallen Angel sounds like You go My Angel He was at his beautiful peak here.
I agree with you momominnosh! Sometimes it seems like me & my sister are the only ones who really honestly like Stephens voice in all the decades he's been around, the rough voice of today is fine with me, cause i was there at the beginning & i don't miss the old voice of Stephen. To quote Robin Williams: "Stephen Stills was a bad mamajama he is"
he is, was, and will FOREVER be amazing. i was so mad when i read the comments to the audio of hiim singing the nat'l anthem... the man is my hero.
Stephen at his best, and prime.
This has to be the best version I've heard of this song! Unbelievably awesome!!!!!!
Love this song, great version. Stills one of the best players ever. Top 25-50 who have ever picked up and played the guitar.Sadly Stills was very sddidcted to hard drugs,such as cocaine. This performance was taped during the time he was still using. Almost every great player was addicted to drugs or alcohol at some point in their lives. I said almost every great player. No response needed.
It doesn't get better than this
this is a Willie Dixon tribute that took place in 1983. Glad so many enjoy this!! Cheers!
Holy crap! That was phenomenal!
Simply terrific !
Breathtaking!
Saw him do this on "Midnight Special"....absolutely stunning performance.
Yep, ask any of his musician friends, they all say he's got a seldom seen talent for timing & it has to do with him starting out a rythm player. Stephen's one of the greats.
Thanks for the post- And I whole heartedly agree- great performance!
Greatness. Stephen, you are so money.
In the zone!! Top timing, even down to the c@ch @ the end. Enjoyed! Thanks ☺
Stills was one of the first to use the open tunings a lot. A lot of D A D D A D type stuff.
It is easy to get a big sound with that, but his real talent is what he can do with his right hand, driving the rhythm and percussion at the same time.
Fantastic clip, thanks for the post. I've seen Stephen several times and he is amazing talent. When he's in good voice, and in this clip he's in great blues voice, its a real special time! Hooaah Stephen Stills, keep rockin brother.
I know what you mean I was an English major and I loved the way he says caynt (can't) he really actually says it and pronounces his unique way whatever loved the whole series of videos I saved them all.
I was pleased to find this outstanding video. I was gonna give 'crossroads' a shot and thought I'd see if I could steal any licks from stephen... yeah, right, I'm gonna go crawl back in my hole now.
great jam just love stephan rock on.
No Its not the Daylight Again DVD, This is taken from the Willie Dixon Tribute, in 1983, there's also incredible versions of 4x20 & change partners. Glad you like it!! :-)
Hey Biggy - you can get this on Stephen Stills Live. Great CD. Not only this gem, but killer versions of Wooden Ships, 4 Days Gone and more.
Yes Sir !
I don't know if he is better, but he is definatlly one of the greats. He is right there with Jimi Hendrix
clapton smackton clapton is oranges and stephens is apples and they are not in competition one is electric and one is acoustic and there is no one that can touch stephen in any capacity stephen is a god
Awesome version, I am going to poach as many licks as I can from this video.
EEEEEBE tuning
Superb!!!
@ollor sick version ! BIG BIG THANKS !
that's what i call being one with your guitar !!!
AMAZING !!!!
Stephen, yes you can catch me
AWESOME!
really thanks for this video !
wow amazing!
I think it was Michael Hedges who said, "those people who say 'Clapton is God' have never seen Stephen Stills play acoustic guitar".
Fantastic, Steve still has a' powerful mota'
WOW !!
This is why Clapton and Jimi wanted to Jam with Stephen.............
very very good.
lot of trolls comparing the size of their guitar player here.
dig a ditch or be the ditch for 40 years then you can...
push her button and make her sing...
here comes old flat top...
you can't catch me
love the way he rolls the blues into rock
@ollor I love him too have all of my life
hi tweets he was upgraded to 15th best electric and 5th acoustic he is my angel and he is better than ever get man alive and youll see
he plays the "suite" tuning as u mentioned, but i think Stephen always played DDDDAD or EEEEBE rather than DADDAD or EBEEBE! glad everbody seem to like the clip.
That's how ya play a guitar! Another 30 years of 8 hour a day practice, and we'll get there.
@birdwomn buy and listen with a good set of headphones to CSN's first album. Stills' 2nd super group. He is all over it thanks to Ahmet Ertegun, President of Atlantic records.
Crosby doesn't hold a chance against his playin, HE IS cSn
I WOULD HAVE PICKED HIM UP!!
SRV did the unplugged, search for SRV unplugged & u find great versions of pride & joy among others.
A lot of those names mentioned might be better electric huitar players, but acoustic, no way, michael hedges once said, people who thought Clapton was "GOD" hadn't heard Stills play the acoustics. Stills is one of the greatest & most important musicians of the acoustic art of playing.
I agree but i didn't say that, i wrote that this take of this song was my favourite :-)
Wahnsinn
sorry prince Clapton cant touch him Stephen is untouchable and a man unto himself you cant compare with anyone sorry love him so much
I used to play a lot of Steven Stills stuff many years ago. Played around with his open tunings. This video makes me want to get back into it. What tuning is he using here? Anyone know? As I remember a lot of it was somewhere around DADDAD or different variations of this.
You want SHREDDING GET DAYLIGHT AGAIN DVD AND WATCH HIM SHREDDING A PLUG IN TAKAMINE WOW yes he isnt Stevie Ray God Bless him and I still miss him so much but they were neck and neck they just had different styles
if you like slide stuff get Daylight again and watch him with the double neck that is so beautiful And I lifted one At Guitar Center in La. and its heavy no wonder Stephen has such powerfully built arms want those arms wrapped around me tee hee!
Agree with Blootch - except that Stills is too soulful to have made such a contract. If he did - he'd just cut heads with ol' Scratch and have that contract ripped up. Have been in love with his version of this medley since the Stephen Stills Live LP and then seeing him perform it live soon after all those years ago. WOW!!!
st. stephen
Everybody knows Stephen is the master of the Martin guitars, & often prefers to play them, however on this clip it's not a Martin but a Takamine, wich is his 2:nd choice in acoustics.
Drugs increase your creativity in the beginning, only to totally strangle it after a while, so be careful with those bongs or whatever, cause you need all the help you can get..he he he.. Love from Sweden
play man play
Are the other songs on video too?
thanks oller Us old loyal warhorses that have loved him all these years know that too large amps screaming fans lousy small venues and badly placed amps will hurt any artist and Stephen bless his beautiful redheaded heart had all of that and more Please guys stop with the coke thing We know he wasnt a saint still(s) isnt but he is still here if it wasnt for Danny Fogelberg telling him to get checked for cancer he might not be here
i didn't knock takamine, i meant get rel to the guy who was saying stephen never played anything other than martins. Takamine's great guitars, tust me i would never slag em off.
The cameraman could not have picked a worse angle to see the guitar work, but it is a great performance.
live on Mr Stills. Even though here u are fucked up on coke, u will always be remembered as a great player, even though u no longer can play as good as u used too. Still good though..
Amazing GuitaR Skills, seeing this makes me want too chuck my guitar in the rubbish, but i think Ill just keep practicing, anyone know where the crossroads is might go make me a deal, save myself years of practice :P
ita a Martin he wouldnt play anything else and thats because he knows what works and stays with it
Anybody know what year this is from?
I love this video as he so much better than Relic Eric(sorry Dear) He is so handsome here all sweaty. Wow do those fingers fly!!
@bookkeeper57 I don't care what the critics say. There is no greater single talent than the voice of David Crosby. Stills is superb but don't underestimate Crosby as a guitarist either.
Coke is NOT the main reason for Stephens voice changing so vast! His impaired hearing is no1 reason. If you ever heard a deaf person talking you know, Stephen got zero hearing on right ear & 20% left on his left. That plus singing sick blowing his voice through his whole career. That's the two main reason.
You´re right on the money!! However i might add a few more year than 73' I think ther's examples of great singing past 73' & with CSN there's no doubt there's some good singing also by Stephen. Take "See the changes" recorded 77 GOOOOOOOD singing, even by Stills alone in the verse. Also "Haven't we lost enough" Stephen holds his own at the opening verse..there's more examples..Do you totally disagree? I'm just curios.
It is NOT a martin dear 54spiritedwill54, Stephen has played a bunch of acoustics over the years, Check out the acoustic consert from 1991 most of that show he plays a Takamine!! Get real....
download limewire search mp3s'.
there is a reason he is "under-rated " as a guitar player. just think about it .....
Hendrix was Hendrix, but truth be known, Stills was always a superior writer, singer, arranger & even acoustic player than Hedndrix, not to take anything away from the electric genius Hendrix. One things for sure, u had to be REALLY good to jam with Stills...
@daverlb really what??
If you like Stills (and who wouldn't?) go back to Super Session with Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper. Do it.
+Greg Gilbert Super Session was the album that made me the blues fan I am today. I was probably more impressed with Bloomfield, blues-wise, but the wha-wha on "Season of the Witch" was sooooooo cool! Stills will ALWAYS be one of my top 10 guitarists.
Greg Gilbert I couldn't agree more. You get, not only Stills but Mike Bloomfield, one of the earliest of great American blues guitarists. Al Kooper ain't no slouch either! Lol.
I've got three Takamines, a Guild F-50 custom , a Jeff Babicz and a Martin Dreadnought...but Stephen Still's Martin sounds better than all of them. Must be his extra fingers...heh! heh!
@ollor
really bro? really?
His hearing was poor even in the Springfield days, & after that only got worse, it's true coke didn't help him, helps no one period. But a lot of musicians have used that and other substances as you know, but few lost their voice like he did, so listening to the man himself, hearing is main reason + not mending soar throats through the years & instead going on stage singing & screaming as always you know.
Technically he is faster and more precise...he has some soul too but Neil is head and shoulders above Steve in the overall creation of music and art..
I too have those albums, but not this performance. Notice when he tosses guitar up & he catches it on the proper fret the 5th. Which is G since the whole guitar besides one string is tuned in D. Eric who? Oh yeah Clapton, no way. Stephen plays at least 7 instruments verrrrry well, possibly in the double digits actually on the number of inst. he can play.
what?????
tuning is low to high:
DDDDAD or
EEEEBE