Stephen Stills - Manassas 1972 (Repost)

Biography:A sprawling masterpiece, akin to the Beatles' White Album, the Stones' Exile on Main St., or Wilco's Being There in its makeup, if not its sound. Rock, folk, blues, country, Latin, and bluegrass have all been styles touched on in Stephen Stills' career, and the skilled, energetic musicians he had gathered in Manassas played them all on this album. What could have been a disorganized mess in other hands, though, here all gelled together and formed a cohesive musical statement. The songs are thematically grouped: part one (side one on the original vinyl release) is titled "The Raven," and is a composite of rock and Latin sounds that the group would often perform in full live. "The Wilderness" mainly centers on country and bluegrass (Chris Hillman's and Al Perkins' talents coming to the forefront), with the track "So Begins the Task" later covered by Stills' old flame Judy Collins. Part three, "Consider" is largely folk and folk-rock. "Johnny's Garden," reportedly for the caretaker at Stills' English manor house and not for John Lennon as is often thought, is a particular highlight. Two other notables from the "Consider" section are "It Doesn't Matter" (later redone with different lyrics by the song's uncredited co-writer Rick Roberts on the first Firefall album) and "Move Around," which features some of the first synthesizer used in a rock context. The closing section, titled "Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay," is a rock and blues set with one of the landmarks of Manassas' short life, the epic "The Treasure." A sort of Zen-like meditation on love and "oneness," enlivened by the band's most inspired recorded playing it evolves into a bluesy groove washed in Stills' fierce electric slide playing. The delineation lines of the four themed song groupings aren't cut in stone, though, and one of the strengths of the album is that there is a lot of overlap in styles throughout. The CD reissue's remastered sound is excellent, though missed is the foldout poster and handwritten lyrics from the original vinyl release. Unfortunately, the album has been somewhat overlooked over the years, even though Stills considers it some of the best work he has done. Bill Wyman (who guested on "The Love Gangster") has said he would have quit the Rolling Stones to join Manassas. Review by Rob Caldwell.

Tracklist:
(A) The Raven
01.Song Of Love
02.(a) Rock And Roll Crazies; (b) Cuban Bluegrass
03.Jet Set (Sigh)
04.Anyway
05.Both Of Us (Bound To Lose)
(B) The Wilderness
06.Fallen Eagle
07.Jesus Gave Love Away For Free
08.Colorado
09.So Begins The Task
10.Hide It So Deep
11.Don't Look At My Shadow
(C) Consider
12.It Doesn't Matter
13.Johnny's Garden
14.Bound To Fall
15.How Far
16.Move Around
17.The Love Gangster
(D) Rock & Roll is Here to Stay
18.What To Do
19.Right Now
20.The Treasure (Take One)
21.Blues Man

Manassas :
Stephen Stills - guitar, bottleneck guitar, vocals, keyboards
Chris Hillman - guitar, vocals, mandoline
Al Perkins - guitar, steel guitar, vocals
Joe Lala - congas, timbales, percussion, vocals
Sydney George - harmonica
Paul Harris - keyboards
Jerry Aiello - keyboards
Calvin 'Fuzzy' Samuels - bass
Bill Wyman - bass
Roger Bush - acoustic bass
Byron Berline - fiddle
Dallas Taylor - drums