Crate Digger’s Gold: Stephen Stills (1970)

I need to read The Lefstez Letter more regularly.   A recent post talked about a great 1970 album simply titled Stephen Stills.  The point of the post was to remind us all of a great album, but also to remind us that what once was considered the epitome of hip has not stood the test of time for hipness – even though it really is still hip.

I pulled the CD off my shelf and gave it a fresh listen.  I have always been more of a Stephen Stills 2 guy (another great album), so his first solo album has always gotten kind of short-changed in my listening.

It really is an outstanding album. The first cut, “Love The One You’re With” is a pretty well-known song and most people probably assume it is a CSN song.  Stills had friends in high places (literally and figuratively) – the album has guest appearances by Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.

There are some pretty funky grooves in this album (check out Clapton assisted “Go Back Home”) – not what you would expect given is CSN pedigree.  But Public Enemy was clever enough to snip Stills/Buffalo Springfield hit “For What Its Worth” for their hit “He Got Game.”  So Stills does have some serious funk credibility in my book.

This is an album that will appeal to the classic rock crowd and to younger music heads too.