Crosby Stills Nash & Young - Looking Forward

The CSNY name carries disproportionate weight considering the quartet has produced a grand total of three studio albums and one live set over the course of three decades. Of course, the first studio LP, 1969's Deja Vu, is one of the touchstones of Woodstock-era rock. Nearly two decades passed before the foursome cut the forgettable American Dream. Unfortunately, Looking Forward owes more to the unfocused latter (not to mention CSN's unremarkable recent output) than the vital Deja Vu. It's telling that three of the four Neil Young tracks (as well as Stephen Stills's above par "Faith in Me") were produced by longtime Young confederate Ben Keith while the rest of the album is credited to CSNY. The controlling hand Young maintains on his own material pays off with two of the best numbers here--the Harvest Moon-like title track and "Slowpoke." Graham Nash fares well with characteristically melodic efforts, but Stills and David Crosby stumble on the awkwardly bellicose "Seen Enough" and "Stand and Be Counted," missteps that throw the entire set off course. ----Steven Stolder Amazon.com

(3.5 stars) NOT DEJA VU...NOT EVEN CLOSE ! (Maybe CSNY should've looked back a little, too)

I don't feel like I've been here before. No, not hardly. As a long time fan, I had big expectations for Looking Forward (1999), the CSNY reunion album, but they were dashed right from the very first song, the Stephen Stills clunker, Faith In Me. Neil Young turns in two fine acoustic guitar gems, Slowpoke and the title track, and those are the high points of the album. Stills' middle-age rant Seen Enough is OK with some pretty good guitar work, but it's no classic. Nothing here is. Stephen's No Tears Left is pretty good, too. I like David Crosby's Dream For Him, and his Stand And Be Counted is fair to middling. Graham Nash's uplifting Someday Soon is a solid acoustic ballad, and his Heartland has it's moments, but seems a little misplaced here (what is this, Farm Aid?). The energetic folk ballad/electric rock and defiant, united hippie stand they made on Deja Vu is not here. In fact, some of this sounds as if it were phoned in. There doesn't seem to be a lot of focus on the concept of the reunion, and there's no theme to speak of. They almost seem to be in each other's way, rather than enjoying the comraderie. Not a total loss, but not a classic, either. Get this for Looking Forward, Slowpoke, Seen Enough, Someday Soon, and Dream For Him, but don't make it your first CSNY album. Start with Deja Vu. December 24, 2007

Technical problem with my copy

Does anybody have a copy of "Looking Forward" with sound distortion in the first track (FAITH IN ME)? My copy was purchased as soon as released, in 1999 (first generation copy), US edition. "Faith in Me" sounds horrible as happens when the audio signal exceeds speakers or amplifier limits. No troubles with other tracks. If somebody have any information about error in 1st pressing, please let me know.

By the way, in my humble opinion "Looking Forward" is a good album and a classical moment of reunion. 4 stars only for the problem mentioned. May 17, 2007

Some good songs and some not so good songs

Better than American Dream and Live It Up, but not as strong as After The Storm. Of course it doesn't compare to their classic early stuff. It has some good songs and some junk. While "Seen Enough" is a pretty good tune, I am tired of Stills' preaching against the evil white man. Here's a news flash, their are good and bad people of every race and ethnic group! It's a pitty that a "group" that had such potential has turned into a tired parody of itself. CSN& (rarely) Y had the potential to become THE group of the 70s, but egos got in the way. Unfortunately instead of becoming the group, CSN&Y became a collection solo artists who got together once or twice a decade to give their solo careers a shot in the arm. What a sad legacy for a budding supergroup that produced standards like Crosby, Stills, and Nash (the first album) and Deja Vu.
March 31, 2007

Can't get Enough!!

Thank you for always coming thru with the music we love. This is a wonderful CD, we received it very quickly and love the music November 8, 2006

For The Diehard Only..

This is not bad musically (how could anything by such musicians be horrible?), but it isn't remarkable at all.

This is not even worthy of comparison with Deja Vu, and perhaps its not worth purchasing, though if you are a real CSNY fan, you might add it to your collection. October 14, 2006

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