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Déjà Vu Live is the sixteenth album by the rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, their sixth in the quartet configuration, and their third live album overall, released by Reprise Records in 2008.
It peaked at #153 on the Billboard 200, recorded on their 2006 Freedom of Speech tour.
Based on the title, it's hard not to think that Déjà Vu Live finds Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reaching back into their past, perhaps even performing their classic 1970 album in its entirety.
That's not true, although there is an album that comes close to being performed in its entirety here, and that's Neil Young's 2006 political manifesto Living with War, a controversial record that Young supported by re-teaming with CSN for a tour -- a tour that was documented in the Young-directed feature documentary Déjà Vu Live. Got that? It's a series of circumstances a bit too confusing for music that's so straightforward, as the Living with War tour was as direct as the album itself.
Direct, yes, but it also was a bit softer than the record, as it was bathed in the warm glow of the reunion of Young with CSN, whose presence helps Young's songs seem elegiac instead of bitter. There's no disguising what this is: this is a set of aging hippies lamenting the way things are now by connecting to who they were back then, reuniting for the new songs and mixing up relevant older ones -- including, yes, the warhorses "For What It's Worth" and "Teach Your Children" -- to provide a bridge to the past. CSNY don't run from their age, as they can't escape it: some voices have grown gravelly, the harmonies are shakier, there isn't quite as much muscle to the guitar.
But by not running from these signs of age, CSNY wind up with a live album that has a bit of resonance, as when it's contrasted with the rangy, restless 4 Way Street, it's hard not to be a little moved and marvel that the bandmembers feel so comfortable here, especially considering their tortured history.
This winds up being the overarching impression left by Déjà Vu Live, as despite the topicality of the set list, Déjà Vu Live feels curiously isolated; there may have been controversy on the tour, all chronicled on Young's film, but it doesn't feel engaged with the culture at large, which could be a side effect of the digital dislocation of the 21st century, or it could be a sign that CSNY are growing older and simply don't stir things up the way they did back then.
But for those who are listening, their message has resonance -- and so does the music, as this live record winds up being a nice understated grace note to their tumultuous career.
Tracklist
1. "What Are Their Names?" (David Crosby) - 2:28
2. "Living with War" (Neil Young) - 3:25
3. "After the Garden" (Neil Young) - 3:41
4. "Military Madness" (Graham Nash) - 4:02
5. "Let's Impeach the President" (Neil Young) - 5:43
6. "Déjà Vu" (David Crosby) - 7:15
7. "Shock and Awe" (Neil Young) - 5:08
8. "Families" (Neil Young) - 2:58
9. "Wooden Ships" (David Crosby, Paul Kantner, Stephen Stills) - 8:18
10. "Looking for a Leader" (Neil Young) - 3:55
11. "For What It's Worth" (Stephen Stills) - 4:50
12 . "Living with War" (Neil Young) - 5:24
13. "Roger and Out" (Neil Young) - 3:55
14. "Find the Cost of Freedom" (Stephen Stills) - 3:55
15. "Teach Your Children" (Graham Nash) - 3:20
16. "Living with War" (Neil Young) - 3:01
17. "The Restless Consumer (iTunes Store bonus track)" (Neil Young) - 6:23
Companies, etc.
Notes
Released: July 22, 2008
Recorded On The 2006 Freedom Of Speech Tour
Genre: Soft Rock, Folk Rock
Length: 73:00
Label - Reprise Records
It peaked at #153 on the Billboard 200, recorded on their 2006 Freedom of Speech tour.
Based on the title, it's hard not to think that Déjà Vu Live finds Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reaching back into their past, perhaps even performing their classic 1970 album in its entirety.
That's not true, although there is an album that comes close to being performed in its entirety here, and that's Neil Young's 2006 political manifesto Living with War, a controversial record that Young supported by re-teaming with CSN for a tour -- a tour that was documented in the Young-directed feature documentary Déjà Vu Live. Got that? It's a series of circumstances a bit too confusing for music that's so straightforward, as the Living with War tour was as direct as the album itself.
Direct, yes, but it also was a bit softer than the record, as it was bathed in the warm glow of the reunion of Young with CSN, whose presence helps Young's songs seem elegiac instead of bitter. There's no disguising what this is: this is a set of aging hippies lamenting the way things are now by connecting to who they were back then, reuniting for the new songs and mixing up relevant older ones -- including, yes, the warhorses "For What It's Worth" and "Teach Your Children" -- to provide a bridge to the past. CSNY don't run from their age, as they can't escape it: some voices have grown gravelly, the harmonies are shakier, there isn't quite as much muscle to the guitar.
But by not running from these signs of age, CSNY wind up with a live album that has a bit of resonance, as when it's contrasted with the rangy, restless 4 Way Street, it's hard not to be a little moved and marvel that the bandmembers feel so comfortable here, especially considering their tortured history.
This winds up being the overarching impression left by Déjà Vu Live, as despite the topicality of the set list, Déjà Vu Live feels curiously isolated; there may have been controversy on the tour, all chronicled on Young's film, but it doesn't feel engaged with the culture at large, which could be a side effect of the digital dislocation of the 21st century, or it could be a sign that CSNY are growing older and simply don't stir things up the way they did back then.
But for those who are listening, their message has resonance -- and so does the music, as this live record winds up being a nice understated grace note to their tumultuous career.
Tracklist
1. "What Are Their Names?" (David Crosby) - 2:28
2. "Living with War" (Neil Young) - 3:25
3. "After the Garden" (Neil Young) - 3:41
4. "Military Madness" (Graham Nash) - 4:02
5. "Let's Impeach the President" (Neil Young) - 5:43
6. "Déjà Vu" (David Crosby) - 7:15
7. "Shock and Awe" (Neil Young) - 5:08
8. "Families" (Neil Young) - 2:58
9. "Wooden Ships" (David Crosby, Paul Kantner, Stephen Stills) - 8:18
10. "Looking for a Leader" (Neil Young) - 3:55
11. "For What It's Worth" (Stephen Stills) - 4:50
12 . "Living with War" (Neil Young) - 5:24
13. "Roger and Out" (Neil Young) - 3:55
14. "Find the Cost of Freedom" (Stephen Stills) - 3:55
15. "Teach Your Children" (Graham Nash) - 3:20
16. "Living with War" (Neil Young) - 3:01
17. "The Restless Consumer (iTunes Store bonus track)" (Neil Young) - 6:23
Companies, etc.
- Copyright (c) – Ohana 2006, Inc.
- Phonographic Copyright (p) – Ohana 2006, Inc.
- Manufactured By – Warner Music Canada Co.
- Distributed By – Warner Music Canada Co.
Credits
- Arranged By – Darrell Brown (tracks: 2 & 16), Neil Young (tracks: 2 & 16)
- Art Direction, Design – Gary Burden, Jenice Heo
- Bass – Rick Rosas
- Drums – Chad Cromwell
- Engineer – Tony Hugar (tracks: 2 & 16)
- Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals – Stephen Stills
- Guitar, Piano, Vocals – Graham Nash, Neil Young
- Guitar, Vocals – David Crosby
- Keyboards – Spooner Oldham
- Mastered By – Chris Bellman
- Mixed By – David Lohr, Tim Mulligan
- Pedal Steel Guitar – Ben Keith
- Producer – L.A. Johnson, Neil Young
- Recorded By – Rob Clark
- Trumpet – Tommy Bray
Released: July 22, 2008
Recorded On The 2006 Freedom Of Speech Tour
Genre: Soft Rock, Folk Rock
Length: 73:00
Label - Reprise Records
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