“The finest”: the bandmates Graham Nash called the best guitarists in CSNY
The Hollies might have scored a place as one of the most significant pop acts of the British Invasion, but a budding star like Graham Nash was always going to break off on his own.
In fact, Nash knew the exact moment he outgrew the band, as did his peers in the trio Crosby, Stills and Nash. With songs like ‘Marrakesh Express’ up his sleeve, it was clear that The Hollies didn’t know what they had when they had it, failing to capitalise on the potential of Nash’s songwriting prowess at precisely the moment that they needed it the most.
Neil Young even said as much in some of his reflections later on, arguing that it was songs like those, as well as ‘Right Between The Eyes’ and ‘Lady Of The Island’, that proved just how prophetic Nash’s departure from the group was, and that had they only realised how good his songs were, they could likely have endured an even longer reign.
Rather impressively, therefore, Nash somehow went from one-time pop-rock star to folk virtuoso, in a shift that transformed him into a more serious figure whose expression didn’t just centre on the fleeting energy of formulaic hits, but instead slowed into a more considered and nuanced storytelling mode that drew from other facets of his authentic artistry.
Few artists can claim such a transformation, and, in fact, many of those who earned their names as part of bigger, more commercially successful groups struggle to go anywhere past their mainstream peak. Nash, however, was destined to spread his wings elsewhere, not only in terms of the kinds of music he wanted to make, but also in having the space to be able to take control a bit more.
Of course, CSN had their moments, perhaps more than most, especially when it came to butting heads and reckoning with differing opinions, but Nash was able to speak his mind a whole lot more than before, a quality that no doubt set him apart from his peers and helped him stand on his own two feet in a dynamic that didn’t always reward such openness.
Because that’s also the thing about CSN – despite the genius of such a convergence, the environment was often volatile, with emotions running high not just in terms of the music but also with personal matters, not to mention the impact that additional issues like Stephen Stills’ drug and alcohol addiction had on exacerbating things.
Despite all of that, however, Nash still regards his former bandmates as some of the best, even going so far as to admit that he doesn’t even rank anywhere close to their level of talent, particularly when it comes to spontaneity and being able to come up with great riffs and progressions on the guitar without using it solely as a songwriting instrument.
“I’m not a great musician at all,” Nash told Music Radar in 2019, explaining that he’s never been the type of musician who can just go out and jam with others, because that’s not within his capability. He went on to praise Crosby for his rhythm playing, but admitted that it was Stills and Young who really completed the operation as “two of the finest guitar players in the world”.
