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The phenomenal success of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's 1971 LP Déjà Vu came at a time when all four members of the supergroup were brimming with musical creativity. In the wake of its release, each released a solo album that's since attained classic status. In February 1971 came David Crosby's solo debut, If I Could Only Remember My Name. Crosby's dreamy, impressionistic, darkly beautiful, and decidedly unconventional masterwork is now receiving a deluxe edition from Rhino due on October 15. This release follows the 2006 expanded edition which added the bonus track "Kids and Dogs" along with a mind-blowing surround mix in the now-largely defunct DVD-Audio format.
If I Could Only Remember My Name, produced by Crosby and engineered by Stephen Barncard, welcomed a host of guest musicians to bring the singer-songwriter's cosmic soundscapes to life. Among the guests in this Los Angeles-to-San Francisco musical collective dubbed The Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra were CSNY's Graham Nash and Neil Young; Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart; Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, David Freiberg, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady; Santana's Michael Shrieve and Gregg Rolie; and Joni Mitchell. In fact, Grateful Dead's American Beauty, Nash's Songs for Beginners, and Kantner's Blows Against the Empire were all, in part, recorded concurrently with If I Could Only Remember My Name at Wally Heider's studio in San Francisco.
The album's "Song with No Words (Tree with No Leaves)" and "Laughing" were both tried out during the Déjà Vu sessions; demos of both songs can be heard on Rhino's recent 50th anniversary box of that album. While the album's songs weren't as accessible as those on Déjà Vu, the same hallmarks of musicianship, poetry, and lush harmonies were all present. Critics weren't initially impressed, but the LP made it to No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and the top ten of both the Cash Box and Record World surveys. The single "Music Is Love," featuring Nash and Young, reached No. 95 on the Hot 100. In the years since its release, the experimental, intense, and singular If I Could Only Remember My Name has become a cult classic and a recognized stepping stone to indie rock styles such as freak folk and New Weird America.
Now, listeners will have the opportunity to discover it anew. Rhino's deluxe edition boasts a new remaster of the album from the original analog tapes overseen by original engineer Barncard using the Plangent Process, and a generous 14 bonus demos and session outtakes/alternates (a full 12 of which are previously unreleased). These include "Kids and Dogs," "Song with No Words (Tree with No Leaves) (Demo)" and "Riff 1" (now streaming and downloadable) as well as "Coast Road," "Dancer," and a version of "Cowboy Movie" with Neil Young taking the solo instead of Jerry Garcia. Some of the demos date as far back as 1968 when Crosby briefly worked with Doors producer Paul A. Rothchild at Hollywood Recorders. In addition, journalist and Crosby pal Steve Silberman has penned new liner notes for the package.
In addition to the 2CD set available October 15, the remastered original album will be available October 29 on 180-gram vinyl. While Amazon links are not yet available, the 50th anniversary set is up for pre-order at Rhino.com now. You'll find the link below along with the complete track listing.
David Crosby, If I Could Only Remember My Name: 50th Anniversary Edition (Atlantic/Rhino, 2021)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com
1LP (Remastered Album Only): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com
Disc 1: Original album (released as Atlantic SD 7203, 1971) and bonus track
- Music is Love
- Cowboy Movie
- Tamalpais High (At About 3)
- Laughing
- What Are Their Names
- Traction in the Rain
- Song with No Words (Tree with No Leaves)
- Orleans
- I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here
- Kids and Dogs (bonus track from Atlantic/Rhino R2 73204, 2006)
Disc 2: Demos (1-8) and Sessions (9-13) (previously unreleased except where noted)
- Riff 1 (Demo)
- Tamalpais High (At About 3) (Demo)
- Kids and Dogs (Demo)
- The Wall Song (Demo)
- Games (Demo)
- Laughing (Demo)
- Song with No Words (Tree with No Leaves) (Demo) (from deluxe edition of Déjà Vu - Atlantic/Rhino R2 625238, 2021)
- Where Will I Be (Demo)
- Sessions
- Cowboy Movie (Alternate Version)
- Bach Mode (Pre-Critical Mass)
- Coast Road
- Dancer
- Fugue
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So no “mind blowing” surround mix in any format for folks who missed it the first time around? Nice touch. The redbook disc in the DVD-A set was no match for the original CD; hopefully Barncard does it right this time. Can’t wait to to hear Neil on “Cowboy Movie” but I think I’ll look for a download option.
The Neil and Jerry version of "Cowboy Movie" is on CD 3 of Crosby's "Voyager" compilation. I don't know if they've remixed it or edited it in order to call it "unreleased" on the new IICORMN.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_(David_Crosby_album)
This Wiki entry does *not* mention Neil being on that track, but he certainly is on there, with the guitars panned left and right. It runs nearly 11 minutes. The vocal was pulled from the multitrack of the IICORMN version, as the rough mix with Neil and Jerry did not have a finished vocal on the master.
For a change, Rhino gets it right - a separate expanded CD edition that doesn't require buying vinyl as part of the package. So I'm in...
I'd like to think this is a harbinger of things to come, but Rhino makes the same old mistake with the upcoming 50th anniversary release of The Doors' LA Woman, which will only be available as a combined cd-and-vinyl package.
rhino makes so many mistakes always 50/50. who is in charge. the accountants or music ppl. price to high for 2 cds of outs.
BTW accountants can also be music people. Just ask my pal Steve.
Accountants have been in charge since Woodstock made it clear there was a bundle to be made from rock fans. As a retired accountant and still-active music fan, I've plowed a boatload of cash into the music INDUSTRY to support my pathetic habit.
So when will the 4 LP box come out? I hate how they are manipulating collectors.