I was a big fan of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young back in the 1970s and 1980s. But somehow I missed American Dream which showed up in record stores (remember them?) at the end of the Eighties. One of the reasons I missed this album was it isn’t very good. Why did CSNY put out a mediocre album. I went down the Internet Rabbit Hole and found some of the reasons why American Dream sucked:
“American Dream is the fifth studio album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and their second with Neil Young. Released in 1988 on Atlantic Records, it peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. To date, it is their final album of original material to receive either a gold or platinum citation by the RIAA.” —Wikipedia
“Neil Young promised David Crosby in 1983 that he would reunite with Crosby, Stills & Nash if Crosby could solve his problems with drugs and clean himself up. Five months in prison in 1986 for Crosby at the Texas Department of Corrections in Huntsville following his 1985 arrest for possession of illegal drugs and a semi-automatic firearm in West Palm Beach, Florida accomplished exactly that, and good to Young’s word the quartet assembled to record the second official CSNY studio album at Young’s ranch in Woodside, California with his handpicked production team.”
“David Crosby recounted, ‘The whole thing, the recording of American Dream, it got stretched out. And we did not have, really, the best group of songs to work with. Then, even though we did not have enough good songs, we ended up putting fourteen of them on the album! I think that was stupid.’ For the first time in the group’s history, none of the songs from a studio album became standard items in the group’s live repertoire.”
Do you remember American Dream? Are you a CSNY fan? GRADE: C
TRACK LIST:
| American Dream | 3:15 | ||
| Got It Made | 4:36 | ||
| Name Of Love | 4:28 | ||
| Don’t Say Goodbye | 4:23 | ||
| This Old House | 4:44 | ||
| Nighttime For The Generals | 4:20 | ||
| Shadowland | 4:33 | ||
| Drivin’ Thunder | 3:12 | ||
| Clear Blue Skies | 3:05 | ||
| That Girl | 3:27 | ||
| Compass | 5:19 | ||
| Soldiers Of Peace | 3:43 | ||
| Feel Your Love | 4:09 | ||
| Night Song | 4:17 |
I’m a big fan of CSN&Y but, like you, I wasn’t aware of this album! None of the songs ring a bell, either! I guess you can’t hit a home run every time!
Bob, AMERICAN DREAM was more like a bunt.
I’m a huge CSNY fan, but think that the critical assessment here is essentially correct. The only song on this album that I had the desire to listen to more than once was “Got It Made”. My advice: listen to their earlier albums and forget this dud!
Deb, your “dud” assessment captures the failures of this album. “Got It Made” is the best song on this CD. But the rest are forgettable.
Never heard of it! And Neil looks so clean cut in the picture. Amazing.
For a real time capsule, listen to one of Jackie’s favorites, DEJA VU LIVE, the 2008 recording of their 2006 Freedom Of Speech Tour (we saw them at Jones Beach in August of that year). They did most of the songs from Neil Young’s LIVING WITH WAR album (“Let’s Impeach the President” was one), along with older CSN&Y material – Wooden Ships, Teach Your Children, plus Stills’s Buffalo Springfield classic, “For What It’s Worth.” The tour was somewhat polarizing. I never understood why people came to see it when they should have known it was an anti-Iraq War concert, but a lot of people are oblivious and probably just expected a CSNY concert. Some walked out and others made their displeasure heard. But as I said, Jackie loved it.
Jeff, I’m with you on oblivious people. How can people be so removed from what’s happening NOW! Many of those women who voted for Republicans and now find their healthcare options and rights are curtailed claim on TV “they didn’t see this coming.” Yikes!
For the most part, I prefer my CSN without the Y. I can listen to Southern Cross on repeat ad infinitum.
Saw CSN live 35+ years ago. My date and I were the youngest people there by 35+ years. Cant’t say I recall hearing any of these songs then. Can’t say I recall any of these songs period. That’s said, I probably bought the album, played it once, and then it became a frisbee or placemat.
Greg, even though AMERICAN DREAM went platinium, I doubt if I’ll listen to it again. At any concert we attend these days, Diane and I are in the “Older” part of the audience.
I’m a fan but more of a Neil Young fan. His Helpless and Ohio are the two best songs CSNY recorded. I wasn’t even aware of this album.
Steve, this album slipped past my radar, too. But, after listening to it, I don’t need to listen to AMERICAN DREAM again. A word to the wise…