Stephen Stills - Stills

Underrated

I find it hard to believe how little respect Stephen Stills has received throughout his career. Weren't Buffalo Springfield Again, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Deja Vu, and Manassas all essential classics? Weren't Super Sessions and Stephen Stills (at least) also excellent. Between the time Stills left Springfield and the time he released this album, he had seven top ten albums in six years. And yet, an AMG review states that this album was a "lackluster attempt at REVIVING" his career. The evidence indicates that his career was doing very well indeed, not the least bit in need of reviving.

Whereas Stills may not be a rock classic, it is a thoroughly enjoyable listen from start to finish. "As I Come of Age" is classic CSN. "Turn Back the Pages" is an excellent rocker which is consistent with the CSN sound. "To Mama From Christopher and the Old Man" is excellent, as is Stills' cover of Neil Young's "New Mama". The rest of the album is consistently good, each song appealing to different moods. The album presents a nice balance of hard rock and acoustic moments, extolling the virtues of family and of living in the present. July 8, 2008

Beautiful songs but over-produced

For many discerning fans and critics of Stills' work, it was THIS album that marked the beginning of a trend in over-production, a trend which resulted in far too many of of his best songs losing much of their delicate beauty and charm.

A prime example here is the song "My Angel", a song which was originally written and recorded(as a demo)during his Buffalo Springfield days but was somehow never officially released on any of the three LPs the band did, not appearing until many years later as a true highlight of the Buffalo Springfield Box Set. One need only go back and listen to Stills' ORIGINAL, acoustic recording of this song to quickly realize this song is quite possibly among the TEN BEST songs that Stills has ever written
in his entire career. However, it LOST almost all it's delicate yet soulful, deeply-felt emotional power with the slick production values it received on this album. Further, Stills' equally poor decision to REWRITE the lyrics for this new recording only compounded this loss of the song's original power and beauty. As my granny used to say:"If it ain't broke don't fix it."

Thankfully, a few songs here are spared from over-production sufficient to allow their inate charms to come shining through. "Love Story" is a bittersweet, compelling tale of strangers who have a casual meeting and share a spark of mutual attraction that's ultimately never consummated but also never forgotten. "As I Come Of Age" is a graceful, thoughtful and sincere reflection on love's hard-earned lessons that would have easily fit on either of Stills' excellent first two solo albums. Both these songs remind you just how skilled a song craftsman Stills REALLY IS.

Now if only he will REGAIN the trust he once had in his songs' ability to stand on their own merits without smothering them in over-production(a trust he temporarily allowed to good effect on "Stills Alone")and he will be well on the way to producing more fine, classic albums like "Stephen Stills" and his excellent, highly creative period with Manassas.

Shirley Pena April 11, 2008

Stills at his best

I found this album to be great. I just heard Steven Stills in Concert and had to get this album. Reminds me how much I enjoyed his music in my younger years~ October 21, 2007

Stills Alone - and Awesome

This is the 2nd time I've bought this CD, the first one wore out. I bought 2 to be on the safe side this time. If you love his voice like I do, this is a must have for your collection. June 12, 2007

an addictive, compulsively listenable collection from Stephen Stills

As the terrific liner notes indicate, Stephen Stills' 1975 album "Stills" was recorded in something of a "whenever I get around to it" fashion (the recording of "As I Come Of Age" began in 1971, and the song features David Crosby, Graham Nash, and instantly recognizable drumming from Ringo Starr). However, don't let that get you thinking that this album is stuffed with second-rate leftovers. Perhaps amazingly, the album manages to have a unified feel and an excellent flow, capturing Stills at his best, with song after song being a gem.

Many of these songs definintely fall into the 'feel-good' category, yet beneath the surface lie some surprisingly confessional and incisive lyrics.

"Turn Back The Pages" (written by Stills and Donnie Dacus), with its slower verses and uptempo singalong choruses, is a great uplifting opener to the album. The deceptively laidback "My Favorite Changes" has tasty guitar licks and some great offhand humor including the wonderfully 'dumb' wordless background vocals. "My Angel" is a great little groove tune--the liner notes tell us it comes from a jam session (based on chord changes from drummer Dallas Taylor) and was ultimately edited into a song. "Love Story" is an epic Stills composition that pulls you in with a lush, dreamy, moody sound that recalls "To A Flame" (from Stephen's first solo album)--it's somewhat overwrought but still engaging. "To Mama From Christopher And The Old Man" is a country-rock-flavored gem along the lines of "Change Partners" (from "Stephen Stills 2"). "First Things First" is a toe-tappingly irresistible groover that reminds one of those Latin rhythms that the Texas-born Stills' is so fond of. The riffy Neil Young cover "New Mama", the 'just-plain-fun' "Shuffle Just As Bad", the poignant and soulful "In The Way", and the supremely haunting cautionary tale "Cold Cold World" (with incredibly tasty lead guitar work from Stills) are all gems as well.

If you're a fan of that so-called "laidback California sound" of the '70s and aren't that familiar with Stills' solo work, try "Stills" and become an instant fan. "Stills" is an extremely underrated, compulsively listenable album, a must-have for all serious listeners. April 27, 2006

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