Crosby, Stills, Nash and (occasionally) Young's 35-year history has included tales of battling egos, separate tour buses, noses ravaged by cocaine abuse, a jail sentence and at least one instance of a sperm donation - when former Byrd Crosby sired a baby for country star Melissa Etheridge. Along the way, albums such as the anti-Vietnam Deja Vu and free-lurve anthems like Love the One You're With have ensured a similarly noteworthy musical legacy.
This pairing of just Crosby and Nash, the first in 28 years, is like a collision between the Woodstock and CD generations. The trademark airy harmonies conjure up fields of flowery kaftans, but the production is bland and sophisticated. The likes of Luck Dragon are too respectful, and a double CD could have done with more rockers or Young's creative tension. Still, the searing, anti-Enron They Want it All picks up their old political attack, and Crosby's recent gun-possession fine suggests more episodes in rock's most enduring soap.
