‘Crosby, Stills & Nash’: The number one album George Harrison rejected
As a member of The Beatles and later as a solo artist, George Harrison profoundly enriched countless lives, not only through his masterful guitar playing but also with his serene and peaceful outlook on life. However, for his contemporary David Crosby, Harrison represented more than just an idol; he also played a pivotal and unexpected role in shaping the trajectory of Crosby’s career—through an act of rejection that proved transformative.
While the late Crosby was a musician of era-defining status, he also propped up his standing by being one of the most outspoken musicians. No stranger to delivering a hot take, his ability to do so made him a contentious figure for some, with him falling out with several collaborators. For many, though, the Californian became a legendary character and one who would use Twitter as his means of tearing into fellow musicians he hated, including Mike Love and Teg Nugent.
Over the last few years of his life, Twitter became Crosby’s primary tool for voicing his gamut of opinions, with the relatively small word count a perfect conduit for a man so prone to hot takes. Although he would use the site to criticise other musicians, there were many revealing points where he discussed moments of his past that were a touch overlooked in favour of the more salacious ones.
One of these was that George Harrison and Apple Records passed up on Crosby, Stills & Nash, the 1969 debut of the eponymous supergroup, when they auditioned for the label that year. As you might imagine, this was a moment that Crosby never forgot. This wasn’t just because it was one of music’s most important figures turning his innovative band down or the fact that the album went on to be consequential; it was because Harrison was actually one of Crosby’s biggest heroes.
Crosby spoke extensively about how catching The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 changed his life. However, that year’s film A Hard Day’s Night, which he went to see with future Byrds Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark, was more critical for him. That was when the trio became obsessed with the Fab Four. They felt energised after seeing the flick, and not long after, they recruited Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke. Things came together quickly, with them basing their guitar-playing styles on the Liverpudlians’. For Crosby, his favourite was always George Harrison. He was enamoured with his guitar playing, but years later admitted that he could never match him.
Given that both men were key to the developments of the 1960s, Crosby and Harrison became friends, but this didn’t stop the Beatle from turning down CSN’s hit debut. Clearly still hurt by Harrison and Apple Records rejecting them after their debut, Crosby provided his version of events in January 2022.
He tweeted: “Did not record for them…live audition…sang the whole first record in London to George and Peter Asher …Apple passed on a number one record there …..ahh well …everybody makes mistakes ….Bet they regretted it later.”
Graham Nash, who feuded with Harrison over The Hollies cover of ‘If I Needed Someone’, recounted events to The Guardian in 2015. “We had an apartment on Moscow Road in London, we were rehearsing the first record [Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1969], and we had our shit down,” he said. “To hear ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’ in our living room was pretty f***ing impressive. And they turned us down. So did Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.”
Harrison turning the album down turned out to be the making of CSN. They were swiftly signed to Ahmet Ertegun’s Atlantic Records, who tirelessly facilitated their creativity and invention.
