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On June 30, 1971, Stephen Stills released his second solo album. The simply-titled Stephen Stills 2 peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Top LPs chart and yielded two singles ("Change Partners" and "Marianne") which peaked just outside of the top 40 on the Hot 100. Stills set off on his first solo tour in support of the album and brought along The Memphis Horns, the brass section which had played on the LP. Today, Omnivore Recordings and Iconic Artists Group have announced the April 28 release of Live at Berkeley 1971, a previously unreleased 14-song album drawn from Stills' concerts at the Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, CA, on August 20 and 21, 1971.
The concerts typically opened with a solo acoustic set and closed with an electric one featuring The Memphis Horns. Stills had some surprises in store for the Bay Area audience, however, including an appearance by David Crosby on "You Don't Have to Cry" (from Crosby, Stills, and Nash's 1969 eponymous debut) and "The Lee Shore" (which had appeared on CSNY's 1971 live album 4 Way Street). The concert as assembled on this release opens with "Love the One You're With," Stills' infectious hit from his 1970 debut, and includes a medley played on piano of the Stills-penned Buffalo Springfield classic "For What It's Worth" and "49 Bye-Byes" which he wrote and sang as the closing track of CSN. A number of songs from Stephen Stills 2 were also played, including "Sugar Babe," "Word Game," "Know You Got to Run," "Bluebird Revisited," and "Ecology Song."
In addition to The Memphis Horns, Stills was joined in Berkeley by Dallas Taylor (drums); Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuels (bass); Paul Harris (keyboards); Steve Fromholz (guitar); and Joe Lala (percussion). The original live recording was produced by Stills and recorded by Bill Halverson. Stills produced this first-time release with Kevin McCormick.
Stills comments in the press release for Live at Berkeley 1971, "The intimacy of the Berkeley Community Theater seemed to serve as a focal point between the audience and the energy surrounding the social climate of the day. It was my first tour as a solo artist and these shows were raucous and unrestrained, captured here in these recordings."
The concert will be available in 2LP, 1CD, digital, and deluxe box set formats. The latter will be available exclusively at Stills' webstore and contains the double-LP set, four 8x10 photos by Henry Diltz taken during the tour, and a 12x12 numbered, limited-edition self-portrait framed lithograph signed by Stills. The box set is limited to just 100 copies.
Look for Live at Berkeley 1971 from Omnivore Recordings and Iconic Artists Group on April 28 at the links below.
Stephen Stills, Live at Berkeley 1971 (Omnivore/Iconic, 2023)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP Box: Stephen Stills Webstore
- Love The One You're With
- Do For The Others
- Jesus Gave Love Away For Free
- You Don't Have To Cry (with David Crosby)
- The Lee Shore (with David Crosby)
- Word Game
- Sugar Babe
- 49 Bye-Byes/For What It's Worth
- Black Queen
- Know You've Got To Run
- Bluebird Revisited
- Lean On Me
- Cherokee
- Band Introductions
- Ecology Song
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Automatic purchase!
Yet another frustrating release. Sure, it's great to get an official release of live recordings from a peak period during Stephen Stills' career. But available setlists from the tour indicate that Stephen was performing roughly 25 songs per show. We're getting 15. Why is that? Is there anyone who'd buy this release that would balk at purchasing a 2CD or 4LP set containing an approximation of a complete performance? At the very lease, they could have issued two releases -- each 1CD or 2LP - one compiling the best acoustic performances from the Berkeley stand, the other compiling the best electric performances, with the songs presented in the same order in whcih they peformed.
But remember, Stills has sold off his vault materials & song publishing. He may have agreed to cooperate in mixing and compiling projects, but ultimately, it's Irving Azoff who is in control, and who decides not to release the complete concert.
Whoever made the decision, it's hard to fathom. Whether it's 1CD or 10CD, the release of an archival concert recording from 1971 is not a casual purchase. Even less so if the album is going to be on streaming services. So again, I'm struggling to find a rationale for putting out a single CD release, as opposed to a more deluxe multidisc collection.
It’s All about $$$$!!!!
It would be fantastic if the Stills-Young album came out as a Deluxe Edition. They would both have to reach agreement, (almost impossible), but Young was recording live stuff like crazy and they did do a few gigs before he told Stills to "eat a peach" and end it all.