Yay! I just picked a copy up for around $40.00 (New Zealand dollars). Very happy indeed.
I must confess to being a bit one-eyed when it comes to Stills or Crosby. I buy anything by them. There's always some gem on their ablums (ablums?). Even the (apparently) not-so-good ones. Having said that, I play all of them. Don't care. They sound great to me.
I had heard a few of the songs that have been released on "Just roll tape", like "Tree top flyer". I also like Stills version of "Everybody's talkin'", its a very original arrangement. I won't bore you with a track by track synopsis. Whatever the song, Stills guitar is always great and sometimes mysterious. His voice is getting huskier but that's ok.
If you don't have this, then get it. Expensive, but worth it.
August 4, 2008This record has its own sort of charm, and I like most of the music in principle. That said, though, there's something remarkably sub-par about this. To say that Stephen's voice is decimated is a large understatement. On the surface, it has a nice acoustic guitar feel, but once one listens to a few songs, it becomes apparent that something is wrong with the plunky guitar licks. They just don't fit. I love Stephen Still's music, but this just isn't up there among my favorites.
February 29, 2008His voice is weathered and he struggles to stay in tune. He's walking a tightrope and is teetering on the edge of failure. All his faults are laid bare and exposed. So why is this release so enjoyable? I suppose he could've played it safe and doctored these tunes with production techniques and studio musicians. He didn't have a label backing him up either. Nothing to gain and really nothing to lose. Still he gets to pay tribute to some of his favorite songwriters while simultaneously dusting off previously released songs and presenting new ones. Does it work? Not on a commercial level. I believe this release is a labor of love, and yes at times he does labor. "Isn't It So" is a revealing autobiographical song. "Amazonia" an honest appraisal of the deforestation ocurring in the Brazilian rainforest. "Treetop Flyer" a concert favorite from a smuggler's viewpoint. Sure his guitar playing is an uneven but it detracts nothing from the songs themselves. He misses the high notes but in doing so it adds character. A heartfelt release by an artist who still loves music. You can hear it in every note that cracks. Worth owning but not at the inflated prices some sellers are asking for. If you can find it for around thirty bucks I'd say that would be a fair bargain.
January 28, 2008I listen to this one over and over. My favorites are the tunes the guitar is really featured on like "The Ballad of Hollis Brown", "Singing' Call", "Blind Fiddler Medley", and "Treetop Flyer". I don't understand all the criticism of "Singing' Call" is see in these reviews. It's awesome, it's my favorite tune. His voice sounds younger on that tune than all the others, so it's probably a leftover track from a recording session long ago. I don't see why that's a problem. I like to crank it and listen to those guitar strings buzz like crazy on the killer ending. I also tend to play it along side the other version from Stephen Stills 2 since that one's good too (but I like this one better).
July 21, 2007 |  | You Missed Out, Now it Costs a Fortune |  |
First Released in 1991, this Little Gem is just Stephen Singin' and Playin' on Acoustic Guitars. Covers of (Fred Neil) "Everybody's Talkin" and (Lennon-McCartney) "In My Life", right along side Still's own compositions: "Isn't it So" and "Singin' Call". Stephen has been the Master of tales for over 40 years now and "Stills Alone" is the Proof of the Greatness of this Performer. This is the ONLY place to find the Great tune: "Treetop Flyer" in a studio setting, and that alone makes this one Special.
If there is one thing wrong with "Stills Alone", that would be the length of this CD, as it is too Short. Stephen needs to Re-release this one with 20 tracks, add on "Stateline Blues" or "Midnight Rider", as I have have witnessed these performances in Concert, and Mr. Stills, armed with only an Acoustic Guitar NAILED them.
This is my favorite Stephen Stills CD, and now it's Out of Print and will cost you BIG BUCKS. I do hope the Powers that Be will bring this one Back, Bigger & Better...FOUR STARS
June 13, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
