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Songs for Beginners[CD/DVD-Audio] | ![Songs for Beginners[CD/DVD-Audio]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515aVyIP02L._SL160_.jpg)
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| Artist: Graham Nash
Label: Rhino Records
Category: Music
List Price: $24.98
Buy New: $18.85
You Save: $6.13 (25%)
New (39) Used (6) from $18.85
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 1196
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 352572
UPC: 081227994938
EAN: 0081227994938
ASIN: B000Y9PILI
Release Date: September 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Military Madness | | • | Better Days | | • | Wounded Bird | | • | I Used To Be A King | | • | Be Yourself | | • | Simple Man | | • | Man In The Mirror | | • | There's Only One | | • | Sleep Song | | • | Chicago | | • | We Can Change The World |
Disc 2
| • | Military Madness | | • | Better Days | | • | Wounded Bird | | • | I Used To Be A King | | • | Be Yourself | | • | Simple Man | | • | Man In The Mirror | | • | There's Only One | | • | Sleep Song | | • | Chicago | | • | We Can Change The World |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Nash's acclaimed 1971 solo debut reissued in a deluxe, two-disc CD+DVD edition. DVD also features an all new 2008 video interview with Graham Nash, plus a photo gallery and complete lyrics.
Album Description
2008 Remastered 1971 album by Graham Nash includes Bonus DVD. Singer-songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Graham Nash first rose to fame with British Invasion hitmakers The Hollies. He went on to co-found the legendary rock supergroups Crosby, Stills & Nash and CSN&Y, and he remains active with both configurations. Throughout it all, Nash has pursued an acclaimed solo career, beginning with this album, Songs For Beginners. This classic title in a CD/DVD-A special edition features the original album in remastered stereo on CD, with high resolution 5.1 surround sound and a host of extra features, including an all-new video interview with Graham Nash, on the DVD.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Graham Nash lifts the blanket off the music October 28, 2008
Richard Urtel (Jacksonville, Fl. USA)
This complete makeover of the the great Songs For Beginners is amazing. The instruments have a "channel" of their own here. They are so clear and the sound-stage is huge. DVD-Audio should never die!!!!!
For anyone who has the original you will notice that the songs sound very different. The LP version and subsequent CD transfer has all the problems of mud and overdriven equipment that is very common in all of Graham's, Stephen's , David's and CSN&Y's recordings....Neil has the golden ears of the group so his music is always clear. So the background singers and B3, drums and bass really " change" the music...for the better.
Russ Kunkel's son, Nathaniel is one amazing engineer and recordist. He did the remix and DVD-Audio "construction" on this disc and on some others for the guys re-issue's. A genius of our time.
When you take out disc one you see the picture of George Harrison. He is on this disc!!!!! I did not know that.
So is the late Dan Fogelberg and Jerry Garcia.
This IS what it sounded like in the studio when they recorded it, sweet purity. The way it is supposed to be!!!
Great disc and a must have for sure.
 Mixed feelings, but worth the money October 26, 2008
J. Van Veen (The Netherlands)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After all these years the songs on this album are still strong. Straight from the heart I would say.
About sound quality (this re-release focusses on enhanced sound): if you expect to hear the original sound but in better quality you will certainly be disappointed. This is not just a simple high resolution remix. Many things have changed: intros and extros have been deleted, instrument positions in the stereo image have changed completely, some recording channels have been deleted or added, and so on. As a results some of the songs have gotten a completely different atmosphere. And no, those are not re-recordings by the way.
In this new format you can clearly hear the limitations of the recording at those early years.
And yes, I agree: it would have been nice to have the original mix on the DVD as well (for those who never heard it before).
All in all it gives some mixed feelings, but also a 'new old product' to experience again. And there are a few bonus things like nice artwork, background information and an interview with Graham Nash.
A gentle masterpiece October 22, 2008
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
"Songs For Beginners," is a cult favorite of hippie-era folk-pop, one of the strongest (and most delicate) albums of Graham Nash's career. Recorded in 1971 when ex-Hollie Graham Nash was fully ensconced in the Crosby Stills & Nash supergroup, the album has plenty of input from his CSN bandmates, but the songwriting is all Nash's and the artistic focus is much clearer. These quiet singer-songwriterish tunes are very much in the soft-pop CSN mode, but there's a unique tone that is pure Graham Nash, allowing him to emerge as his own, fully-formed man. David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Rita Coolidge, Dave Mason and David Lindley all pitch in, with Nash sculpting a melodic country-ish feel throughout. This is probably the best of Nash's solo albums, a cohesive, beautiful, heartfelt set of twee counterculture lullabies. The dewy-eyed, tender romanticism of Nash's love songs heightens the painful anguish of the political material, the anthemic "Chicago," which served as a harsh postmortem of the chaotic demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic Convention, and the simpler (more powerful) "Military Madness," which gains strength from its understated tone.
The political songs bracket the rest of the record, in which Nash delves deep into romance and love, producing some of his most achingly beautiful ballads, songs like "Simple Man," "Wounded Bird" and the gorgeous "Sleep Song." Several songs were written as Nash was working through the end of his long romance with Joni Mitchell, and the agony of that breakup comes through with painful clarity. Throughout the album he attempts to reconcile the solipsistic, spaced-out self-absorption of the psychedelic drug scene with the need to connect with other human beings. "Love" was a word that was tossed around a lot in those days, but Nash placed particular emphasis on emotional growth, empathy and fidelity, rather than the swinging sexual adventurism of the times (as heard, say, in Stephen Stills' "Love The On You're With".) In song after song Nash seems to say, "hey, there's a real person right there in front of you. their emotions matter; listen to them and make some sacrifices yourself to make this love thing work." It's a beautiful record -- gooey, sure, but gooey in a good way and representing the best that this branch of the hippie music scene had to offer.
For this 2008 remaster, Rhino Records has remixed the record beautifully -- some old fans may be shocked, but I like the end result, which simultaneously softens the mix and makes it cleaner and crisper. The album never sounded better, or more intimate. A second disc is included for the DVD-A crowd (I never got the appeal of listening to music through your TV, but this disc sounds great, too.) Also included are onscreen lyrics, photographs and other archival materials. If you've never heard this album before, this is a great opportunity to discover a hippie folk-rock classic. (Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Music Guide)
"I Watched You Go Through Changes That No Man Should Face Alone..." October 19, 2008
Mark Barry at Revival Records, Berwick Street (London, UK)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
With Stephen Stills and David Crosby having produced absolute storming debut albums in November 1970 and March 1971, Graham Nash's quietly lovely opener didn't disappoint either - in fact in the early Seventies - it seemed like everything the combined and individual talents of CSYN did was magical. This October 2008 DELUXE EDITION celebrates "Songs For Beginners" with a Remastered Stereo Remix of the album on the stand alone first disc, while the second disc is a 5.1 DVD Audio Mix (you need a DVD Audio player to hear it on) with an added DVD Interview about his Photography featuring a Gallery of Stills, Photo-Backed Lyrics & Web Links etc.
"Songs For Beginners" was released in June 1971 on Atlantic SD 7204 in the USA and Atlantic 2401 011 in the UK. The album featured many famous guests (one is uncredited), so here's a detailed breakdown (33:47 minutes):
1. Military Madness [DAVE MASON of Traffic on Guitar with RITA COOLIDGE on Backing Vocals]
2. Better Days [NEIL YOUNG (credited as Joe Yankee) on Piano, SEEMON POSTHUMA of THE FOOL on Clarinet, RITA COOLIDGE on Backing Vocals with DALLAS TAYLOR of CSYN and MANASSAS on Drums]
3. Wounded Bird [GN all instruments and voices]
4. I Used To Be A King [NEIL YOUNG (credited as Joe Yankee) on Piano, JERRY GARCIA on Steel Guitar with PHIL LESH on Bass (both of THE GRATEFUL DEAD) and DAVID CROSBY on Electric Guitar]
5. Be Yourself [RITA COOLIDGE on Piano, Electric Piano and Backing Vocals]
6. Simple Man [DAVID LINDLEY on Fiddle, DORIAN RUDNYTSKY of THE NEW YORK ROCK & ROLL ENSEMBLE on Cello with RITA COOLIDGE on backing Vocals]
7. Man In The Mirror [NEIL YOUNG [credited as Joe Yankee] on Piano, JERRY GARCIA of THE GRATEFUL DEAD on Steel Guitar, CHRIS ETHERIDGE of THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS on Bass]
8. There's Only One [RITA COOLIDGE on Piano & Backing Vocals, CHRIS ETHERIDGE on Bass, BOBBY KEYS on Saxophone with VANETTA FIELDS, SHIRLEY MATTHEWS, CLYDIE KING & DOROTHY MORRISON on Backing Vocals (The Blackberries)]
9. Sleep Song [DAVE MASON on Guitar with RITA COOLIDGE on Backing Vocals]
10. Chicago [DORIAN RUDNYTSKY on Cello]
11. We Can Change The World [RITA COOLIDGE, VANETTA FIELDS...DOROTHY MORRISON on Backing Vocals]
The 20-page booklet has an essay on the album and its star-studded background by noted writer DAVID FRICKE - it features Session Photos, Lyrics, Detailed recording and reissue credits - and even a picture of the master tapes.
But for fans the big news is the SOUND. The CD album has been Stereo Remixed & Remastered and the quality isn't just good - it's fabulous - BREATHTAKING. "Better Days" has a very quiet Piano and Vocal Intro - it's spotlessly clean - and when the band kicks in - it's an absolute wow! The mastering is credited to DOUG SAX and SANGWOOK NAM at The Mastering Lab, Ojai - and they should both be Grammy nominated for it. "Days" is followed by the Acoustic and Vocal-only of "Wounded Bird" (a song for Stephen Stills and Judy Collins and their troubled relationship) and it's a lovely as it gets - BEAUTIFULLY restored. The delicately aching Cello work of Dorian Rudnytsky combines with Rita Coolidge's Backing Vocals on "Simple Man" to genuinely touching effect, while Jerry Garcia's Steel Guitar on "Man In the Mirror" adds a lot from an instrument you wouldn't expect from him. And on three tracks there's Neil Young - plinking away - putting in genuinely superb Piano work (he was credited as Joe Yankee for legal reasons).
I find the 2nd disc, however, problematic. I don't have a DVD AUDIO player and 99% of the planet doesn't either - it's a dead format. Disc 2 features the entire album in Advanced Resolution 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital & DTS - wonderful stuff guys - if I could play it! But the really disappointing part is the complete lack of anything new - no outtakes, no demos - not even a live recording. However - and although it's completely unrelated to the album - things improve on the DVD part of the disc - it contains an interview with Nash about his lifetime obsession with black and white photography - and its fascinating - a lovely man, intelligent, sensitive - and you suspect a real peacekeeper among huge egos that often got out of hand. Then there's the gallery of images (he explains many of them in the interview) - I won't spoil it too much for those who are going to buy this except to say that there are captured moments on here of Joni, Neil, Stills and especially his lifetime pal David Crosby that will reduce some people to tears.
To sum up - a beautifully realized first disc - with a slightly odd and unrepresentative 2nd. Still - for fans of the album - this is a no brainer - the gorgeous remaster means you simply have to own it. Recommended.
PS: Note to Rhino - Deluxe Editions please of "Stephen Stills", "Harvest" and "Manassas"
 "CHICAGO" Not true to the original mix October 18, 2008
Practical Music (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was disappointed in this release. They changed everything around. The original feel is gone which is what really is important to keep during a restoration of any kind. Let's just talk about (Track 10) "CHICAGO".
They start off adding acoustic guitar to the first verse bullying out the Afuche Cabasa, tambourine and the organ. Let's add the lyrics "It's dying" again to make it sound like a mistake. Maybe it was edited out on the original who knows it did not work.
The song/album was perfect why F with it. "Songs for Beginners" is a terrific album I just wish that reissue studio remixers were taught a course in "Respect for Works of Art" during there training. Sorry Graham I hope it was not you that asked for these changes. Get the Atlantic CD release (7204-2) and you will feel the songs again. The sound quality is good some EQ tweaks on your system and then experience "Songs for Beginners" the best way so far.
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