Stephen Stills solo career - could it have been salvaged?

Stills needs a foil, that's all. At least one competitor/collaborator of roughly equal talent, to simultaneously put his ego in check and raise his game.

 

out of it

 

Pretty much but at least she divorced her husband first, I believe. Gave a kid up as well, actually. No wonder they bonded so well.

 

a little rough don't ya think?

 

I read in Rolling Stone in 1971 that Stills was putting $20,000 a month up his nose. Although I'd guess that he shared at least a little bit of it with others.

Following that report, some wag wrote in to the RS letters column: "I have one question- did he get high?"

 

I’d like to chalk it up to the changing times, but in the end it was selfishness.

However they were adults and they made their choices and followed their happiness and ambition.

 

I would imagine he did. According to Dallas Taylor, if Stills caught you sleeping on the job, as it were, he'd just shove a spoonful of blow under yer nose, bit of a pick me up I believe that was during the Manassas era.

 

from all i have read very little of what dallas taylor says in his book "prisoner of woodstock' is to be believed. to the point of having airbrushed off the back cover of the couch album due to their anger with his lies.

 

maybe so. But I could believe Dallas Taylor when he related that anecdote.

 

To my understanding Joni didn't have a lot before she came to California, unlike Graham.

 

If he never wrote, played, or sang another note after the first CSN album I’d still consider him a huge success.

 

Was just spinning Buffalo Springfield's Last Time Around last night, as one does periodically, and though it's a patchy album in ways (I do love it however), I still think Stills' songs on it stand out as most memorable: "Pretty Girl Why", "Questions" "Four Days Gone" & "Special Care" (though the latter starts to meander toward the end).

Has nothing to do with the thread topic really, but Stills' Springfield work continues to fascinates me. I don't feel like he had foils (as someone here aptly put it) in his future groups quite like Young or even Furay.

 

Stills did some singing and organ work on Humble Pie’s SMOKIN’. I can’t help but think he showed up for Marriott’s stash.

It sure has derailed a lot of careers and personal lives. Stills talent is undeniable, but he fell victim to the temptations of wealth and fame.

 

Of course in those days Stills sat in with everyone. Including Frank Zappa, who you would not have visited if you wanted drugs.

 

Mitchell wasn’t an established artist like Nash when she came to the US. She had given up her daughter for adoption before she married Chuck Mitchell in Canada, and she was still relatively unknown when they divorced a few years later. Nash’s career was well underway when he ditched his wife and kids in England and came to US.

 

Stills and Zappa- now that would be an interesting combination...

 

There is a tape of Stills with the Flo and Eddie era Mothers in London, November 1970. I haven't heard it uet.

 

I haven't even heard of it, up till now...

 

From the FZShows page on Zappateers:
1970 11 29 - The Coliseum, London, UK

110 min, Aud, B+/B
With Stephen Stills on guitar and vocals (*)

Little House I Used To Live In, The Mud Shark, Holiday In Berlin, Cruising For Burgers, Easy Meat, ***** Dimension, q: Theme from the Patty Duke show, The Sanzini Brothers, The Air, What Will This Morning Bring Me This Evening?, What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are?, Bwana Dik, Latex Solar Beef, Daddy Daddy Daddy, Do You Like My New Car? (q: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes), Happy Together*, Who Are The Brain Police?*, jam* (incl. Dr. John Routine), What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning?* (q: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes), The Sanzini Brothers

 

Stills had a sensational run of albums and songs from 1968 to 1975, or even 1977 CSN album.

He's Captain Manyhands (and Manyfaces) indeed - from coke-fueled angry egomaniac to true gentleman and eloquent humanitarian. So is the case with his songs, from 20th century masterpieces to barely average and overproduced song sketches.

Looking forward reading his autobiography and - after CNY editions - he could call it "The last laugh of Stephen Stills"!

 

Gotta love You Tube...

 

This is a great point. In Springfield, he had Young, who by the second album had emerged as just as interesting a songwriter as Stills if not more so; Stills even had Furay.

In CSN/Y, he obviously had those other guys. And in Manassas, it was Chris Hillman that likely served in the foil role.

 

Haha...and even Donny dacas for a couple of weeks there in 75 or whenever it was.