CSN-Allies

Allies

There are several reasons why fans of Crosby, Stills and Nash would sell their eye teeth to obtain a copy of 'Allies'. First off, there are several songs available here that can't be had elsewhere... and they're darn good songs, too. The other reason is the sheer rarity of the disc... it was only released briefly in Japan and scant copies made their way to foreign shores. The lead track, 'War Games', was withdrawn at the last minute from its intended role as the theme song for the 1983 hit film starring Matthew Broderick. The album was soon engulfed in legal tangles from which it has never emerged. For these reasons, 'Allies' is the CD equivilent of Babe Ruth's rookie card.

As far as the content of the disc is concerned... it's certainly good, but not great, and it has a patchwork quality that renders it the misfit in the CSN catalog. The tracks are drawn from three sources. The first source are two new studio tracks, the aforementioned 'War Games', a fiesty Stephen Stills anti-military-industrial complex tune. Stephen was a pioneer in the use of the moog synthesizer, and it is used to great effect on both new songs, but especially on the charging 'War Games'. The follow-up is a Stills-Graham Nash composition, 'Raise A Voice', another protest tune, but this one possesses a bright, optimistic sound. It is interesting how the songwriting styles of both Stills and Nash can be heard in the elements of this song, and once again we are treated to a tempered and creative use of the synthesizer, a device which became imfamous for it's overuse, misuse, and abuse later in the decade.

Most people are aware that by 1982 David Crosby was caught in the throes of a disabling drug addiction, and his contribution to CSN's last important album, 'Daylight Again', was severely compromised. In fact, Stills and Nash made extensive use of Timothy B. Schmit and even Art Garfunkle to mask the absence of Crosby's vocals on that disc. On this disc, two live tracks from the earlier CSN reunion (in 1977) are featured to establish Crosby's presence. Both 'Shadow Captain' and Joni Mitchell's 'For Free' (the latter performed solo by David) are vibrant and emotionally gripping performances. Other tracks from this show in Houston are available on the 'Long Time Gone' video, but only on 'Allies' can fans appreciate these two rarities.

The remainder of the tracks on the disc are derived from the 1982 New Universal Amphitheatre performances that wound up on the 'Daylight Again' video tape, now available on DVD. Two are Stills songs ('Dark Star' and 'For What It's Worth'), two are Nash numbers ('Barrel Of Pain' and 'Wasted On the Way'), one is by Stills and Nash ('Turn Your Back On Love'), and 'Blackbird' is a Paul McCartney composition, treated with loving, harmonic resonance by CSN. All are excellent recordings... the only criticism being that the "Hey", in the lyric "Hey, what's that sound" from 'For What It's Worth' is left for the audience to fill in. Relying on amateurs causes this great classic to lose some steam.

Good luck finding a copy.