The guitarist who inspired Stephen Stills to “play better”, according to Graham Nash
Despite being a member of Buffalo Springfield and CSNY, an accomplished guitarist, and a master of the fingerstyle, Stephen Stills is one of the most prominent stars of his generation who does not get his dues. Not only was he the driving force behind the former group, but he was also the man who had the original vision for the latter, the greatest supergroup of all time.
Stills’ use of fingerpicking and alternate tunings were particularly daring in an era still locked in the reasonably safe, clean-cut world of standard tuning. Unburdening himself from standards, he blended genres and dropped deeper down the register, all in the hope of realising his vivid creative vision. This spirit would see his name attached to a host of influential tracks, be it ‘For What It’s Worth’ or the exquisite CSN opener, ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’.
As Buffalo Springfield had already disbanded when CSN formed in 1968, Stills was primed to take his art in a different direction and move further away from the rock zeitgeist. While each man brought their skill to the milieu, with David Crosby prompting much atmosphere with his words and approach to composition and Graham Nash bringing his knack for pop hooks, Stills’ ability helped them realise their vision on their debut CSN.
Aptly, Stills helmed the majority of the recording process. Although Crosby and Nash played the six-string on their compositions, and Dallas Taylor and Jim Gordon performed the drums, Stills played all the bass, organ, and lead guitar parts. “The other guys won’t be offended when I say that one was my baby, and I kind of had the tracks in my head”, Stills famously said afterwards.
Despite him being instrumental in CSN hitting the shelves, according to Graham Nash, Stills wasn’t at his finest as a guitarist during this era. It took another to help him take the quality of his craft up a few notches, and generally play better. It might sound pernickety, but this is precisely the kind of attention to detail that separates the greats from the rest. CSN is undoubtedly a classic, but the band knew they had better in them, and they were right.
In a 1999 interview with Debbie Kruger, Nash revealed that the trio hired someone who had played with Stills before and another guitar hero, former Buffalo Springfield member Neil Young, to make him a better player. As he needed someone to “‘play off'” and a sonic foil, hiring someone who had done it adroitly before made a lot of sense. Things worked out splendidly as well; it not only took Stills up a gear but the rest of the band, too. Their first album as CSNY, 1970’s Déjà Vu, is their masterpiece.
Nash recalled: “In 1969 when CSN had finished the album, we knew that we would be going on the road. Stephen, as a great lead guitarist, needed someone to ‘play off’, to inspire him to play better. Neither David nor I were that person. We play good rhythm guitar but ‘lead’ guitar is something different altogether. We decided that we would ask Neil to come along and join the band. At first I was a little reticent to have this happen. I thought that we had a complete ‘band’ and a wonderful vocal blend.”
Nash would be proven wrong and revealed that Young’s effect on the band was immediate and more fulfilling than he could ever have imagined. The Canadian brought his distinctive edge to the trio and forced all of them to improve their approach. All it takes is one listen to ‘Helpless’ to realise this.
