David Crosby died yesterday. By my standards I arrived late to the party. In college I lived with a total CSNY freak, but I always leaned towards the Stills/Young material. I heard Deja Vu more times than I could count. I loved the Byrds, in which Crosby played an integral role. His harmonizing proved timeless. If I Could Only Remember My Name serves as my favorite Crosby album.
Born in Los Angeles during 1941, Crosby’s parents came from New York high society and show business. His father was a Hollywood cinematographer who shot High Noon, How To Stuff A Wild Bikini and others. Crosby always spoke his mind.
In 2007, I was in San Francisco staying with friends and my old buddy Kirk West (read our interview in Insured Beyond The Grave Vol. 1), slipped Crosby’s first solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name on the stereo and he said to no one in particular, “I love this album.” From there, I was hooked on these nine songs.
Recorded in 1971 at Wally Heider’s legendary San Francisco studio, the musicians on this album included Neil Young, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzman, Paul Kanter, Mickey Hart, Joni Mitchell, Jack Casady, Gregg Rolie, Michael Shrieve and Jorma Kaukonen. Crosby was still reeling at the time of these recordings due to the tragic death of his girlfriend Christine Hinton.
What a place to hear this album for the first time looking out over Mount Tamalpais with the San Francisco fog and giant Redwood trees in clear view. It’s laid back. “Music Is Love” opens the album, and I read once it was a “one take wonder”. This tune counts as the only one of the two compositions on the album Crosby shared songwriting credit (Graham Nash & Neil Young). “Cowboy Movie” retains a cinematic quality to this edgy eight minute song.
The ethereal “Tamalpais High (At About 3)” highlights pitch-perfect harmonies and serpentine guitar riffs. Some say Jerry Garcia’s finest moments playing the pedal steel guitar exists on If I Could Only Remember My Name, particularly on the track “Laughing”. “What Are Their Names” comes as close to any political theme Crosby touched during these sessions. The number was co-written with Young, Garcia, Lesh and Shrieve. Crosby sings:
“I wonder who they are
The men who really run this land
And I wonder why they run it
With such a thoughtless hand
What are their names and on what streets do they live?
I’d like to ride right over this afternoon and give
Them a piece of my mind about peace for mankind
Peace is not an awful lot to ask.
“Traction In The Rain” emits a quiet vibe and the sonic qualities on this tune resonate with the listener. “Song With No Words (Tree With No Leaves)” clocks in at five minutes and fifty-three seconds as this spacy instrumental never wanders too far from the melodic path. “Orleans”, a traditional French song, captures harmonic perfection and stands testimony to how CSNY attracted so many listeners.
The final song, “I’d Swear There Was Somebody Here” fits the circumstances of Crosby’s passing one day later. The song lasts only one minute and nineteen seconds. Then silence. The album ends. If I Could Only Remember My Name counts as a good album to listen to the day after David Crosby died. He deserves a celebration. Rest easy, Croz.