CLAUDE ALVAREZ Pereyre CHRONICLE MAGAZINE ROCK & FOLK N ° 108 January 1976 Page 102/103 2 albums 33 RPM 1975 Ref: 038 2302 Polydor Crosby and Nash together with Polydor, nth "rehash" of a fruitful association? We ask to see. We listen ... and we want more. What magic have these voice for that again we succumb to these familiar harmonies, these subtle shifts as in the chorus of "Carry Me" - the verse is hardly finished, in fact there are still "singing" to sing, already voices began "Carry Me" repeated in echo. Yet Crosby and Nash do not take us by surprise, it is usual, but it works again, and it will work like this until the end of the album, throughout the album. Crosby and Nash are honest musicians, but their association lives only by the wonderful complementarity of their voice and their rich melodies .... and then something a little different on this album, a kind of progression music, as part of acoustic piano in "Bittersweet" as rhythmic richness in "Low Down Payment" as string arrangement on "Wind On The Water". We find this the usual alternating album: slow plutôts pieces to very detailed guidance (six or twelve string acoustic guitar) - is "Carry Me", "Low Down Payment," "Naked In The Rain" (that song contains the rest summarized in its first verse the essence of vocal successful tandem before the sudden application of the shrill voice of Nash on "Image", the precipitation: - "If His fear His golden heart" in severe) "Cowboy Of Dreams" ... but there, how not to think about Dylan? As for the faster songs, not denser besides, they have this unique feature, a self-excited voice, as if singing and listening to singing, Crosby and Nash gradually reached a climax, as in "Mama Lion "and there is no need for solo voices filling a large soundstage. But the voice fun is not the only one of this album. Arrangements like the acoustics separate and based both rhythm (Leland Sklar and Russ Kundel or Tim Drummond, except for "fieldworker" or Levon Helm replaces Kunkel) keyboards (Graig Deorge and Crosby or Nash) and guitars, the remaining of the music instrument of choice (James Taylor, David Crosby and Joel Bernstein charge acoustic, and Crosby and Danny Kootch of most electric). To notice also that there is not a lot of guitar solos: a beautiful on "Homeward Through The Haza" and two on "Love Work Out". By cons, David Lindley is particularly in the spotlight, giving at times a Tone "English" (Fairport Convention) music - cf. "Take The Money And Run" and his violin solo re-recording in the style of an Irish jig on a single chord, which sounds played by Dave Swarbick - and sometimes, as in "Naked In The Rain "or" fieldworker "a small Little Feat side with his slide guitar interventions. And how not to stop and hold the last pieces splendid medley: "A Critical Man" Requiem for Crosby way takes us four years ago and makes us rediscover the pleasure of "Orleans" on the album "If I Could Only Remenber My Name." Only voice, but what a beauty in their combination, and how sweet the song that follows, with the slightly outdated side of a 6/8 measure that comes occasionally be inserted in the regularity of four times. And still so much to discover .....
