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Old Times Good Times

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It's hit and miss when ordering used vinyls through discogs.  For the most part, I've been satisfied with what I have received, but occasionally the sellers stretch the condition of the media and sleeve condition.  Such was the case with a recent copy of Stephen Sills self-titled first album, with special appearances by Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.  The sleeve was in pretty bad shape, corner cut out, tape marks, and some writing on the cover, but the seller still listed it as VG.

I've slowly assembled an album collection again.  I've got over 200 titles up in the attic, which I play from time to time on my Rega Planar 1 turntable.  I had initially thought of buying a used turntable, but after all the problems my son and I had with the old Pioneer turntable I bought him, I figured it was best to start fresh, and I haven't been disappointed.  The Rega plays great!  I moved the turntable upstairs as Daina doesn't really appreciate my taste of music.  She was having a hard time seeing what I saw in REM's Electrolite the other day.  It was mostly Michael Stipe's voice she couldn't stand.  I decided to go with the 25th anniversary copy of New Adventures in Hi-Fi, released last year.  Hard to believe it was that long ago.

I remembered I was visiting a friend in Birmingham to see the Alabama-Florida football game.  His girlfriend was heavily into REM.  It was the first I heard of them.  It was 1987.  Emmitt Smith broke lose for nearly 200 yards against the Tide.  I became a big fan of REM (Emmitt too).  Their music a pleasant departure from the Jackson mania at the time.  Seemed like every Jackson had an album out.  We were tossing some of the 45s from the balcony of our fraternity house to passersby on the street, shouting free record give away.  When some saw what they got they threw the 45s back at us.  A game of frisbee ensued.  

Unfortunately, REM seemed to flame out pretty quickly.  New Adventures was the last album I remember listening to.  I think they were a big influence on the Dave Matthews Band and other groups to arise in the 90s.  I became a big DMB fan as well.  Daina similarly can't stand them.

Getting back to Stills, I was attracted to all the guests he had join him on the album.  Of course Stephen was a consummate guitarist in his own right.  When CSN was scheduled to play at Woodstock, Stephen wanted to bring Neil Young in, as he was currently in between bands.  Crosby and Nash didn't see how his vocals would fit in with them, to which Stephen said, "unfortunately neither one of you can play guitar, and we need a second guitarist."  Lots of second guitarists on this album..  I saw recently that Hendrix cut quite a few songs with Stephen but only one made the album, Old Times Good Times.  Stephen plays a pretty mean organ on this song.

It's funny because Stills is probably the one people think of least on CSNY, yet he was far and away the most talented in my mind.  His album Manassas is a gem.  Neil Young comes close, but I don't think is as good all around instrumentalist as is Stephen.  However, their work together on Buffalo Springfield is some of the best music to come out of that era.  Love this short video.  I never understood the Beatlemania either, as there was so much good music coming out of San Francisco and Laurel Canyon in the 60s.  I probably would have been tossing their 45s from the balcony had a grown up in that era.

That's why I think a reissue of Stephen Stills first solo album is in order.  Hard to believe there isn't even a decent reissue.  So many artists are resurrecting their early albums with all the outtakes and reissuing them on multi-vinyl box sets.  Would love to hear more from Stephen and Jimi.  Stephen and Eric too.

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