Stephen Stills 2: Opinions?

I'm a big Stephen Stills fan, but I never bothered with Stephen Stills 2 until earlier today, because I had always heard it was terrible. I thought it was great and saw nothing wrong with it. It frequently was called "self indulgent," but I don't think it's any more indulgent that his first solo album or Manassas. I can't figure out why people call it indulgent at all, to be honest. What are your opinions on the album? Is it underrated or rightfully maligned or somewhere in between?

 

My favorite Stephen Stills album. Fishes and Scorpions. Wow!!!

 

A solid follow up to his debut solo album

 

Love it. Singin' Call is a personal favorite. The album opens strong and contains more than a few classics, Know You Got to Run and Word Game. Stephen is in stellar voice for the entire record.

I could do without Marianne. I could use a little bit more guitar on the LP as a whole, but that's ok, the Manassas record took care of that.

 

I love this album. I like it better than the debut. Rolling Stone Magazine was wrong about lots of music.

 

It's pretty good. It's not Mannasas, but that's not the point, of course...

 

Had it new and always regretted letting it go somehow along the line. Maybe it's not filled with "home runs" but it's a nice recording from Our Man Stills.
"Change Partners" was almost a hit, another poster mentioned "Singin' Call." I always enjoyed the side 2 opener, had an aggressive snarl:
"Everybody wants to know do I remember what I think / About revolution, mind pollution, the kind of books I drink / After one last careful look around / I believe that I might like to settle down / In a relaxing town." Then he jumps off into a guitar solo, and it sounds like rock n roll to me.

 

Fine album, just a shade behind Manassas and the debut. "Change Partners" is classic, "Nothing to Do But Today" is classic, "Word Game" nearly classic (only marred by a bad forced rhyme in the last line, which he stopped singing in later days).

 

I like it, not as good as the debut ( how could it be )

 

just a slight step down from the debut. great stuff. got a bad rap. same with the 1975 album

 

Fine album, as said, it's just a notch below the first album. Critics and his CNY colleagues like to dump on Stills.

 

Maybe I'm naive, why do they like to dump on Stills?

 

I've been listening to a whole bunch of stills lately and dig stills 2.

 

Christgau's vitriol is indeed puzzling:

Stills has always come on as the ultimate rich hippie--arrogant, self-pitying, sexist, shallow. Unfortunately, he's never quite fulfilled this artistic potential, but now he's approaching his true level. Flashes of brilliant ease remain--the single, "Marianne," is very nice, especially if you don't listen too hard to the lyrics--but there's also a lot of stuff on order of an all-male chorus with jazzy horns singing "It's disgusting" in perfect tuneful unison, and straight, I swear. Keep it up, SS--it'll be a pleasure to watch you fail.

Some East Coast/West Coast feud, maybe?

 

Jerry Garcia guest appearances never hurt my opinion of an album.

 

Ya think???...

No need to use the past tense.

 

Not sure; he was guilty of some crazed behavior in the 70s and 80s. Insecurities made him a heavy cocaine user. But that was par for the course in the 70s.

 

I like Bluebird Revisited if that's allowed....

 

Stills 2 is a good album, worthy to sit on the shelf with Stills debut and Manassas.

 

Always thought his best, even better than SS or Manassas .. poor journalism undersold this great album ...

 

I like it better than the debut, but not counting Manassas which really is its own separate entity, the '75 Stills album is my favourite of Stephen's solo records.

"Nothing To Do But Today", "Fishes And Scorpions" and "Word Game" are my favourites on 2.

 

Find SS2 I must. Because the first one is terrific. Never heard it. But this thread made me buy it...at some point.

 

The rock critics were nerds (like me) and Stills was a jock. I've always thought that was at least part of the reason.

 

It's better than everything that came out after Manassas,can't be that bad imo.

 

I have always liked this album. I fondly remember 'Change Partners' getting airplay on late night radio when the album was first released. I lucked out a number of years ago and got a first Japan pressing of this one in stone mint condition! What was really exciting about this 'find' was that it has the original U.S. Mastering in the dead wax. That was the icing on the cake!