Ziemlich genau sieben Jahre nach der CD-Erstveröffentlichung hat
die derzeit hoch wogende Remastering-Welle die Soloplatten von Stephen
Stills erreicht. Zwei Silberlinge werden zunächst angeboten, und
es sind, vom musikalischen Gehalt her gesehen, seine besten: das Solodebüt
von 1970 (mit dem Hit "Love The One You're With") sowie das
anderthalb Jahre später veröffentlichte erste Album mit der
Band Manassas. Äußerlich erkennbar sind beide Plättchen
an einem HDCD-Aufkleber. Joe Gastwirt besorgte - wie schon im Fall der
Crosby, Stills & Nash-CDs (stereoplay 9/1995) - die Remastering, und
zwar ausdrücklich "from the original master tapes". Die
frühere Stills-Solo-CD (Atlantic 7567-81414-2) war so übel nicht,
sie entsprach im westentlichen dem originalen US-Vinyl-Umschnitt. Die
klanglichen Veränderungen der Neuauflage sind zum Teil subtiler Natur,
bei einigen Songs allerdings deutlich hörbar. So profitieren insbesondere
"Do For The Others" und "To A Flame" von einem volleren
und wärmeren Grundtonbereich, während "Church (Part Of
Someone)" in der Transparenz erheblich verbessert wurde. Den Siebener-Verband
Manassas rief Stills zusammen mit dem Ex-Byrd Chris Hillman ins Leben.
Die gruppeneigene Melange aus deftigem Rock ("Rock & Roll Crazies"),
Bluegrass- ("Fallen Eagle") und Country-Verwandtem ("Jesus
Grave Love Away For Free") sowie einer Prise Latin-Rock ("Cuban
Bluegrass") war einmalig im Westcoast-Genre. Von der Doppel-LP gab
es eine erste CD (Atlantic 7567-81322-2) mit unverhältnismäßig
stark angehobenem Baßbereich und fehlender Dynamik: ein Desaster.
Die Neuüberspielung hebt jetzt diese bravouröse Platte in die
klangliche Kategorie, die ihr gebührt. Vorzüglich ist die Durchbhörbarkeit,
sehr ausgewogen die Frequenzbalance, und die Bässe reichen noch tiefer
hinab als beim Vinyl.
© Stereoplay
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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.
(by Rob Caldwell, All
Music Guide)
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