Product Description

Between 1970 and 1972, Stephen Stills was busy playing withCrosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and working on a series ofsolo albums. In addition to all this activity he led the supergroup that appears on this stunning release. Originally adouble album of four distinct sides, MANASSAS finds Stills and company (which includes friends and session musicians Chris Hillman, Dallas Taylor, and Al Perkins, among others) atthe intersection of rock, folk, country, blues, and Latin flavours. Distinctive styles are noticeable song by song, yetthe whole is a hodge-podge, and it is the strength and credibility of the mixture that makes MANASSAS such a great experience.
The first fourth of the album focuses on '60s rock with Afro-Cuban overtones (imagine Buffalo Springfield sitting in with Santana), followed by a batch of country and bluegrass-oriented material (with Chris Hillman's influence more strongly felt). The dreamy, swaying "It Doesn't Matter" kicks off the third section, which has a folk-rock feel, replete with multi-part harmonies and chiming guitars. The final section brings things back to amped-up rock, wrapping up the set with the rootsy groove of "Blues Man", a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. A rich and varied collection that is as sophisticated and complex as it is earthy and easy to listen to, MANASSAS is considered by many to be one of the great overlooked gems of the '70s rock.

Track Listing

1. Song Of Love
2. Crazies
3. Cuban Bluegrass
4. Jet Set
5. Anyway
6. Both Of Us (Bound To Lose)
7. Fallen Eagle
8. Jesus Gave Love Away For Free
9. Colorado
10. So Begins The Task
11. Hide It So Deep
12. Don't Look At My Shadow
13. It Doesn't Matter
14. Johnny's Garden
15. Bound To Fall
16. How Far
17. Move Around
18. Love Gangster
19. What To Do
20. Right Now
21. Treasure
22. Blues Man

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2216 in Music
• Released on: 1996-01-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Amazon.co.uk Review
Thanks largely to input from Flying Burrito Brother Chris Hillman, Stills's 1972 release is more of an ensemble work than any of his other excursions or those from his friends David Crosby and Graham Nash. This band of famous session players, drawn together by Stills for just under two years, display an integrity, panache and professionalism that was unanticipated by the critics, the band, or, in all probability, even Stills himself. Each side of the original double LP--now on a single CD--bore a heading which (if sometimes vaguely) classified its songs. "The Raven" (side one)--a reference to the nickname of Stills's groupie lover and muse Rita Coolidge--provides a somewhat softer, more country-rock focus. With their fiddle, pedal steel guitar, unison vocals and lyrics about the environment and Jesus, it is the songs on "The Wilderness" (side two) that set this album apart, for they are all genuine excursions into country music. "Consider" (side three) features mainly acoustic numbers. The sound of "Rock & Roll is Here to Stay" (side four) is just what you would expect from such a title, with the addition of the odd fiddle break here and there. Its centerpiece is the eight-minute guitar extravaganza "The Treasure (Take One)" where Stills gets to match the electric mayhem of former band mate Neil Young. --James Swift

Customer Reviews

Massive
With a cast of seven musicians, all named on the cover, 'Manassas' sees Stephen Stills and co chart expansive territory across a double LP, contained on one CD. Each of the four LP sides has a different theme. The first features rhythms that recall Santana, though it isn't as full-blooded. Stills, though, couldn't resist a title like 'Cuban Bluegrass.' The second is country/bluegrass and features a withering attack on the state of the USA using the form beloved of so many white Americans. Fast picking and fiddles herald 'Fallen Eagle,' the symbolic title betraying the subject matter. The slower 'Jesus Gave Love For Free' is similar to The Eagles in their tender moments in its use of harmonies, though not of pedal steel. The third side is a formidable battery of rock music done with an acoustic slant. 'It Doesn't Matter' almost sounds like a relic of psychedelia, while 'Johnny's Garden' is arguably the most instant track.
The fourth side seems to mix up these styles. 'What To Do' has a country rock flavour in the verses, but the chorus is more like anthemic rock. Stills' lyrics tend to be direct rather than allusive. On 'What To Do' he makes it work by sheer weight of harmony vocal delivery. The epic 'The Treasure' is one of the highlights, with some intense guitar playing. There are great licks all over the album, but it's on this track that you get to indulge in them to their greatest extent.
'Manassas' needs more than one play to get into. The songs aren't instant, but they are all of high quality as is the playing and production.

Spans the generations...
I'm preceded here by some extremely knowledgeable and articulate reviewers that, together, say virtually everything there is to say about this album. So if you'll permit, I'll simply offer a little personal insight. I found Mr Stills in his Buffalo Springfield days way back in the late 60's, and have remained a devotee of the man and his music ever since. This album is a seminal piece of work; thirty-four years on and my son counts 'Johnny's Garden' as one of his all-time favourite tracks, while his son plays air guitar to 'Jet Set'. The music speaks for itself; the reward comes from listening.

The Full Powers of Mr. Stills
Given how long this album has been out and the thorough review that Jason Sparkes has written in this page, doubts about the need for further praise may be justified. Well, that may be the case yet the width and weight of the music contained, as powerful and current today as it was revolutionary then, must conclusively inspire many more testimonials.

This is Stephen Stills at the height of his powers, something that has been amply demonstrated in his first solo album earlier on, and now augmented by one of the greatest line-ups anyone ever put together as a band. Yes, Manassas is a band. This is not "Stills' vehicle," rather it's Stephen Stills leading a group of talented peers and feeding off the creative sparks they generated together.

As I said before other reviews have dutifully listed the gifts of the many classic songs in Manassas, so for the sake of brevity, I won't go on detailing the beauties contained here. To end while I'm ahead, let me just say that this is American music at its best, Rock-Country-Blues-Folk and even some Latin influences condensed into an album that still has few equals.