SACD Graham Nash – Songs For Beginners

Graham Nash’s solo debut Songs for Beginners as a hybrid stereo SACD from the Atlantic 75 Series: Bernie Grundman mastered it direct to DSD from the original analog master tape. The eleven songs run as one continuous sequence – from “Military Madness” to “Chicago” and the short farewell “We Can Change the World”.

A solo debut among friends

Graham Nash released Songs for Beginners in 1971, after his years with the Hollies and his work in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and produced it himself. Eleven songs bring personal writing and political engagement together, opening with “Military Madness” and closing with “Chicago” and “We Can Change the World”.

Recorded in 1970 and 1971 at Wally Heider’s studios in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the album shows that a solo debut need not be a solitary affair. Nash drew on the musicians around him and changed the instrumental combinations from song to song – a good reason to explore beyond the best-known tracks.

Who is Joe Yankee?

Neil Young plays piano under the name “Joe Yankee”, David Crosby plays guitar and Jerry Garcia pedal steel. “I Used to Be a King” brings several of these connections together, with Phil Lesh on board as well. The links between musical circles become part of the record without turning it into another CSNY group album.

Other credits lead in less obvious directions: Joel Bernstein, who also supplied photographs, plays piano on “Military Madness”, David Lindley’s fiddle appears on “Simple Man”, and Rita Coolidge adds keyboards and vocals. Listen for these changing accompaniments as part of each song’s idea rather than reading the credits as a list of famous names.

Between private life and public events

The album followed Nash’s separation from Joni Mitchell. Next to that personal background, “Chicago” addresses the political events and the trial connected with the 1968 Democratic convention, so private experience and the possibility of collective action stand side by side throughout the programme.

Nash wrote “Be Yourself” with Terry Reid; all the other songs are his own. The record can be heard as a series of individual statements that take shape with different groups of collaborators. After “Chicago”, the brief “We Can Change the World” adds a closing thought without opening another full-length song – the running order gives that short ending its purpose.

The Atlantic 75 hybrid stereo SACD

CAPA 067 SA is a hybrid stereo SACD from the Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series. According to the publisher, Bernie Grundman mastered it direct to DSD from the original analog master tape; which mix the disc carries – the original 1971 mix or Glyn Johns’ 2001 remix – is not stated. The SACD layer plays on SACD-capable players, the CD layer on any conventional CD player. The disc contains the eleven songs of the original album.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and ship from Hilden.

More from the series: Atlantic 75 Series

Also in another edition: Songs For Beginners

Artist page: The whole Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young family

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Musicians

Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.