Ranking CSN&Y by order of significance

If your both a CSNY and baseball fan - please read above!

 

If you quote yourself too much you’ll go blind.

 

Separately:

Young
Stills
Nash
Crosby

Together as CSNY:

Stills
Nash
Crosby
Young

 

I see what you did there!

Thanks for quoting me. LOL
Carry On.

 

I didn't even know you could quote yourself. I learn something everyday.
Y is first by a mile, N is last.
I'm undecided between C & S.

 

Yes, it is CN, or YN, or SY.

 

Only on the internet...

Graham Nash’s harmony singing was the key to their sonic signature. Preferring Crosby’s vocals is one thing, but harmony? I mean, I absolutely love his harmony singing but Nash’s harmony was the sound that defined them most clearly by ten thousand miles.

 

Very well said Tim. The fact of the matter is it's Nash voice you hear first every time you play any of their albums.

 

I think Young stands up better as a solo artist. I love his first 4. I also love Nash's Songs For Beginners. I honestly don't own any Crosby solo records and like Stephen Stills' first. But Crosby & Nash are better when teamed up, as in their Crosby & Nash album.

So, my ranking would probably be: YCNS.

 

Croz gets bonus points due to his friendship with attorney Lionel Hutz.

 

Purely in terms of what their song writing means to me I'd say Young, Stills, Crosby and Nash but of the four of them I only really follow Young's work outside of their various collectives. Nash may be more important to the group on other levels but I've never liked his songs much nor am I attracted by what he has to say in the main. Add to this that the other two of the three original members had massive egos which was at odds with the central message of their music (peace and love) that made me look elsewhere. Young may have problems of his own that makes him difficult to like all the time but at least he has a body of work that backs up his actions. His recent work isn't a patch on what he achieved from 1969 to 1996 but that's true of just about every major player in the game that has been around since the '60s (in fact that a better track record that just about all of his peers).

 

For CSNY songs only it’s: 1. Nash 2. Stills 3. Crosby 4. Neil Young

 

I was hesitant to post my order, because like everyone, my order would vary from day to day or even week to week! This past week, I gave a listen to the couch album and some of their solo/collaboration albums.

My order is: Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Crosby:
I think it’s easy to write Crosby off, since when you see that he usually had the least writing credits on the CSN(&Y) albums, but I think he added a lot to their chemistry. He also added this element of mysticism that helps to entice listeners, like myself. Obviously, If Only I Could Remember My Name is a masterpiece, and there’s no other album out there that’s like that. I know it sounds cliché to say that about an album, because you could apply that to an like Dark Side of the Moon, which is true. But Crosby’s debut solo album is like getting lost within all the delicate jams, the soaring solos and dizzying harmonies he and his San Francisco peers were laying down. The album is essentially a journey. And of course, Mr. Young would go on to accomplish many heights later in his career, I’d say by 1971, out of those four artists, Crosby had released the best album up till that point. Crosby was just so unconventional in his approach, with all his unique/odd tuninings, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Miles Davis covered “Guinevere,” while recording for his monumental Bitches Brew album. I also really appreciated his latest solo album Lighthouse from 2016. It really displays his creative thinking, and I love the existential feeling of the album. It displays so much maturity.

Stills:
I think it’s safe to say that the couch album is practically his masterpiece, since he supplied basically all the instrumental playing on the album, except for Dallas Taylor on drums, Jim Gordon on drums for “Marrakesh Express,” and Mama Cass’s vocals on “Pre-Road Downs.” That just shows how versatile and talented Stills was, especially when you think about the different sections of “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes!” He probably also supplied the best tunes for the CSN albums, although I say that with some uncertainty (“Lady of the Island” And “Almost Cut My Hair” immediately spring to mind). However, even so, his debut solo album was phenomenal. So many beautifully crafted songs, like “Church,” and then the harsh “Black Queen” are absolutely amazing!
Now, I’m no expert on Manassas or his collaborations with Mr. Young. I’ve heard the albums, and I enjoy the music, but I’m not crazy into them. Personally, I believe Nash and Crosby had a better chemistry, rather than Stills and Young. I don’t even know if you can say Stills and Young had a chemistry (they certainly had a chemistry with trading back and forth solos in live versions of “Southern Man” and “Carry On,” but how would they hold up in comparison to say Clapton and Allman on the Dominos’ album, with tracks like “Key to the Highway?”) with song writing; they seemed to just release an album with half of the songs being Mr’s Young’s and others are Stills’s. In comparison, it’s clear to see that Nash and Crosby just really gelled well together, and they had a clear presence on each other’s songs.

Nash:
I’ve also never been crazy into Nash’s solo albums, but I absolutely love his work with CSN(&Y). I guess Nash just tends to be too “poppy” for my taste. However, I love his work with Crosby. I think those two had a great ‘70s run. Their ‘72 studio collaboration is absolutely amazing, and I think it features some of their best lyrics of their entire careers. They also had a couple transcendental live albums: Another Stoney Evening (which I’d say is the album that really shows their chemistry) and Crosby-Nash Live from ‘77 (such a great version of “Déjà Vu”).

 

"Wasted on the Way" was the group's biggest hit, peaking at number two for five weeks. It appeared on the band's 1982 album Daylight Again.

 

Probably SCY&N

 

I recently got the Stephen Stills archive release from 68 I was surprised how many of the demo songs we're Crosby Stills Nash & Young songs Stephen Stills really had a lot on the songwriting end to do with this band but really they were a band short-lived but each member contributed in its own way

 

I have never really understood what people see in Neil Young. The demise of CSNY was because Stills and Crosby held Young with far too much reverence, which only fed Young's already big ego.

CSN worked best as a trio. Their debut album was their masterpiece and they never bettered it for consistency. You could make a case that Stills was the most significant, as he was behind all the arrangements on that album. But Crosby and Nash had the natural chemistry vocally. The whole thing just worked well. Crosby gave you the hugely progressive material that was deep and thought provoking, Stills gave you honesty and relatability but Nash bought the hits that kept them on the radio and in the eyes (and ears) of the public.

Adding Neil Young, as Nash has said, was like throwing in a stick of dynamite. Suddenly, Stills is distracted from bringing out the best in CSN and more concerned with trying to out-shine Neil. Yes, it makes for some great guitar solos on stage, but it leaves some of the group efforts a bit half-baked in the studio, which for me was the issue with the 'Deja Vu' album. The ONLY great song Neil bought to CSN was 'Ohio'. 'Helpless' was rather sedate and simple, and 'Country Girl' was his way of getting rid of three half-composed songs. And the less said of 'Everybody I Love You', the better.

General music fans will argue that of the four, Neil Young was the most significant, as he had the highest profile and longest solo career of the group. It's all a matter of prospective and rather subjective. I think its hard to pick apart Crosby, Stills and Nash, because they all complemented each other so well. Neil Young, not so much, but he did have unquestionably the best solo career of the four.

 

One thing you are leaving out: They all knew that Neil was great and that they might not be as much. In fact I think you are right that they were better without him, but that's a separate issue, isn't it?

 

Well.....
As individual artists
Stills - IMO a better all around musician and good song writer. Consider his Springfield albums , Super Session , first two solo and first two CSN/CSNY a must and would be in my top 100 hundred records. Bonus on Super Session is one of my top 5 guitar players on flip side.
Young - Definitely has his niche for song writing. As guitarist love his acoustic playing. His electric playing gets a little one trick Pony for me. Neil’s first two albums , After the Gold Rush ( my favorite), Harvest and Live Rust are a must have.
Crosby- probably the best voice IMO of the four. All the Byrds albums he is on and If I could only remember my name a must.
Nash - I respect his ability for song writing and Harmony. Sad to say I liked the Hollies but never felt compelled to follow Nash as individual artist so I can’t say I’ve heard his solo or duo recordings.
As Group
CSN- Stills definitely comes off as leader as he has IMO the better songs and played most of the instruments. However all three are equally important as the voices make their records special to me. The Couch álbum is a desert island for me.
CSNY- I love Neil but thought other than his songs he is not integrated in the Group.

On a side note I think CSNY was a poster child for how we Baby Boomers made it in our lives. Lots of Promise/Ideals, Some Success/Failures and a Whole lot of unrealized potential. James Taylor is another example as well.

I remain