The bandmate Neil Young called the glue of CSNY: “It would have been over a long time ago”
The idea of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young is one that would typically work better as a concept than as a musical reality, but not in this case.
Prior to the band’s formation, initially as a trio before Young was brought into the operation by Atlantic Records’ Ahmet Ertegun, all four members were accomplished in their own right as songwriters, even if this didn’t quite qualify them as a supergroup. While their talent was unquestionable, not many bands can survive with having two members jostling for centre stage, let alone having four personnel who were all capable of being the musical brains trust of the project.
Yet, somehow, it worked, and 1970’s Déjá Vu remains one of the defining records of that whole decade, showing that it was possible for four giants of songwriting to be on the same page. While their first tenure as a four-piece was only short-lived, largely due to Young’s solo success and their personal ambitions, it’s a minor miracle it even lasted as long as it did.
As a three-piece, without Young, although he did occasionally return, they continued valiantly for decades until eventually ending for good in 2015. Vitally, they all brought different ingredients to the mix, which complemented one another greatly, as well as combining to produce melodies of the highest order, and there was never a clear star of the show that hogged the limelight.
If you wanted to, you could argue the case for every possible member being the most important. For example, the arrival of Young added a new dimension to their sound on Déjá Vu, and also coincided with an uptick in their popularity. Conversely, Stephen Stills was the most hands-on member in the studio, playing a whole host of instruments, and Crosby was the architect of their masterful melodies. However, according to Young himself, there would have been no Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young if it weren’t for Graham Nash, the secret weapon that made everything tick behind the scenes while also adding plenty to the recording process.
By the time that Nash had formed Crosby, Stills and Nash, he already had significant experience under his belt, which gave him a wisdom that perhaps other members of the band may have lacked. With The Hollies, he had great success in the 1960s in England, and after growing close with Stills and Crosby, he made the bold step to wave goodbye to his home to start this new musical adventure.
During an interview in 1988, after Young had returned to the mix after 15 years away for American Dream, he told Rolling Stone in no uncertain terms that Nash was the reason why the group were still going strong, stating, “Nash is a very straight, very sincere kind of organised guy, dedicated to quality and very reliable. And he’s an extremely good singer. Amazing pitch.”
Young then praised Nash’s desire “to be on top of it”, before noting, “He takes a lot of pride in being totally able to accomplish whatever it is that has to be done.” If there were any grain of doubt about the necessity of Nash’s role, Young insisted, “Without Nash, there would be no Crosby, Stills and Nash at all. It would have been over a long time ago.”
While Nash may not have been the flashiest member of the group, he walked so the others could run, and was also the kind of presence that every band needs to have behind-the-scenes if they seek longevity. Famously, Stills and Crosby could get at each other’s throats, with Crosby once saying of his bandmate, “I was constantly at odds with him. Then I realised I care about the guy. I know he’s not perfect, and I know he’s got a giant ego. I know all his good points and bad points. But I love him.”
They may have musically spoken the same language, but their egos would clash incessantly, which is where Nash was invaluable as a mediator. It’s not the glamorous role in rock ‘n’ roll, and of course, not Nash’s only skill, but one that can’t be underappreciated nonetheless.
