GRAHAM NASH

 

SONGS FOR BEGINNERS

1971

U.K.

MUSICIENS :

Graham Nash — vocals; guitar
Rita Coolidge — piano
Jerry Garcia — pedal steel guitar on "I Used to Be a King" and "Man in the Mirror"
Neil Young — piano on "Better Days", "Man in the Mirror" and "I Used to Be a King"
Dorian Rudnytsky — cello on "Simple Man" and "Sleep Song"
Dave Mason — electric guitar on "Military Madness"
David Crosby — electric guitar on "I Used to Be a King"
Joel Bernstein — piano on "Military Madness"
Bobby Keys — saxophone on "There's Only One"
David Lindley — fiddle on "Simple Man"
Sermon Posthumas — bass clarinet on "Better Days"
Chris Ethridge — bass on "Man in the Mirror", "There's Only One", "Chicago" and "We Can Change the World"
Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuels — bass on "Military Madness", "Better Days" and "Be Yourself"
Phil Lesh — bass on "I Used to Be a King"
John Barbata — drums on "Military Madness", "I Used to Be a King", "Be Yourself", "Man in the Mirror", "There's Only One", "Chicago" and "We Can Change the World"; tambourine on "Chicago"
Dallas Taylor — drums on "Better Days"
P.P. Arnold — backing vocals on "Military Madness"
Venetta Fields, Sherlie Matthews, Clydie King, Dorothy Morrison — backing vocals

TITRES :

1. Military Madness.
2. Better Days.
3. Wounded Bird.
4. I Used to Be a King.
5. Be Yourself.
6. Simple Man.
7. Man in the Mirror.
8. There's Only On.
9. Sleep Song.
10. Chicago.
11. We Can Change the World.

C'est du grand art. Ce premier opus solo est sans doute un des meilleurs du Britannique, et il est bien difficile de citer une chanson qui soit moins réussie que les autres. A la rigueur, We Can Change The World, qui dure une minute et n'est, tout simplement, qu'une coda à Chicago, dont il reprend, sans interruption après Chicago justement, le refrain mantra. Mais pour peu connues qu'elles soient, les chansons de Songs For Beginners, de Wounded Bird à Be Yourself en passant par Sleep Song (deux/trois ans plus tard, Nash fera un Another Sleep Song !) et Man In The Mirror et évidemment l'ouverture, Military Madness, tout est superbe ici. Pour un premier album solo, c'est totalement prometteur. Son suivant, Nash attendra janvier 1974 pour le sortir.

WILD TALES - 1973