So Far | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | August 19, 1974 | |||
Recorded | 1968–1970 | |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Length | 42:36 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B− [2] |
Tom Hull | C− [3] |
So Far is a 1974 compilation album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Shipping as a gold record and peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, it was the band's third chart-topping album in a row. It has been certified six times platinum by the RIAA, and is the second best-selling album by any configuration of the quartet in tandem after their 1970 studio album, Déjà Vu .
The album contains five of the band's six singles to date, omitting "Marrakesh Express", all of which had reached the Top 40. It is the first release on long-playing album of the single "Ohio" as well as its b-side "Find the Cost of Freedom", and the only place both can be found on one compact disc. [n 1] The other five tracks were taken from the band's two studio albums, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Déjà Vu, although the other singles appear here in their album-length versions and mixes.
The album's 11 studio tracks derived from a group that had only issued 22 to date. Graham Nash later insisted that the group was against the album's release, calling the concoction of a greatest-hits album from two LPs and one non-LP single "absurd". Atlantic Records wished to capitalize on the highly publicized and anticipated reunion tour of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in 1974, however, and such was the demand for any new product by the quartet that So Far topped the charts anyway and went gold immediately.
Young appears on only four of the album's 11 songs: "Ohio"; "Find the Cost of Freedom"; "Woodstock"; and "Helpless". He had only appeared on half the tracks of the Déjà Vu LP. The remaining songs without Young, with the exception of "Déjà Vu", also appear on Crosby, Stills & Nash's Greatest Hits compact disc of 2005.
The cover art was painted by the group's friend and colleague Joni Mitchell. The album was reissued on compact disc in 1988 and again in 1995 after being remastered by Joe Gastwirt at Ocean View Digital using the original master tapes. It was reissued yet again, with no apparent additional remastering, on September 30, 2008. The album has been rendered relatively superfluous with the appearance of the Crosby, Stills & Nash box set in 1991, which contains all of these tracks with the exceptions of "Helplessly Hoping", "Woodstock", "Guinnevere", and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", which are in either different versions or different mixes.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Source | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Déjà Vu" | David Crosby | Déjà Vu , 1970 | 4:10 |
2. | "Helplessly Hoping" | Stephen Stills | Crosby, Stills & Nash , 1969 | 2:38 |
3. | "Wooden Ships" | David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Paul Kantner | Crosby, Stills & Nash | 5:26 |
4. | "Teach Your Children" | Graham Nash | Déjà Vu | 2:53 |
5. | "Ohio" | Neil Young | Non-album single, 1970 | 3:00 |
6. | "Find the Cost of Freedom" | Stephen Stills | B-side of the "Ohio" single | 2:01 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Source | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Woodstock" | Joni Mitchell | Déjà Vu | 3:52 |
2. | "Our House" | Graham Nash | Déjà Vu | 2:58 |
3. | "Helpless" | Neil Young | Déjà Vu | 3:34 |
4. | "Guinnevere" | David Crosby | Crosby, Stills & Nash | 4:38 |
5. | "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" | Stephen Stills | Crosby, Stills & Nash | 7:24 |
Additional personnel
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian RPM 100 Albums [4] | 1 |
UK Albums Chart [5] | 25 |
Australian Album Charts | 77 |
US Top LPs & Tape (Billboard) | 1 |
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums [6] | 1 |
US Record World Album Chart [7] | 2 |
Year End Album Charts
Chart (1974) | Rank |
---|---|
Canada Album Charts [8] | 16 |
US Cashbox Album Charts [9] | 50 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [10] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [11] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) was a folk-rock supergroup comprising American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young, they were known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). They are noted for their intricate vocal harmonies and lasting influence on American music and culture, their political activism and their tumultuous relationships.
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Manassas. As both a solo act and member of three successful bands, Stills has combined record sales of over 35 million albums. He was ranked number 28 in Rolling Stone's 2003 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and number 47 in the 2011 list. Stills became the first person to be inducted twice on the same night into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. According to Neil Young, "Stephen is a genius".
After the Gold Rush is the third studio album by the Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released in September 1970 on Reprise Records. It is one of four high-profile solo albums released by the members of folk rock group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu. Young's album consists mainly of country folk music along with several rock tracks, including "Southern Man". The material was inspired by the unproduced Dean Stockwell-Herb Bermann screenplay After the Gold Rush.
Déjà Vu, is the second studio album by American folk rock group Crosby, Stills & Nash, and their first as a quartet with Neil Young. Released in March 1970 by Atlantic Records, it topped the pop album chart for one week and generated three Top 40 singles: "Woodstock", "Teach Your Children", and "Our House". It was re-released in 1977 and an expanded edition was released in 2021 to mark its fiftieth anniversary.
"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" is a song written by Stephen Stills and performed by Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN). It appeared on the group's self-titled debut album in 1969 and was released as a single, reaching number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. In Canada, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" peaked at number 11. The song imitates the form of a classical music suite as an ordered set of musical pieces.
Crosby, Stills & Nash is the debut studio album by the folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN), released in 1969 by Atlantic Records. It is the only release by the band prior to adding Neil Young to their lineup. The album spawned two Top 40 singles, "Marrakesh Express" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", which peaked respectively at No. 28 during the week of August 23, 1969, and at No. 21 during the week of December 6, 1969, on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album itself peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. It has been certified four times platinum by the RIAA for sales of 4,000,000.
CSN is the third studio album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, released on Atlantic Records on June 17, 1977. It is the group's second studio release in the trio configuration. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart; two singles taken from the album, Nash's "Just a Song Before I Go" and Stills' "Fair Game" charted on the Billboard Hot 100. It is currently the trio configuration's best selling record, outselling 1969's Crosby, Stills & Nash by 200,000 copies. It has been certified quadruple platinum by RIAA.
Stephen Stills is the debut solo album by American musician Stephen Stills released on Atlantic Records in 1970. It is one of four high-profile albums released by each member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their 1970 chart-topping album Déjà Vu, along with After the Gold Rush, If I Could Only Remember My Name and Songs for Beginners. It was primarily recorded between CSNY tours in London and Los Angeles. It was released in the United States on November 16, 1970, and in the United Kingdom on November 27, 1970.
Songs for Beginners is the debut solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. Released in May 1971, it was one of four high-profile albums released by each member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their chart-topping Déjà Vu album of 1970, along with After the Gold Rush, Stephen Stills and If I Could Only Remember My Name. Songs for Beginners peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, and the single "Chicago" made it to No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has been certified a gold record by the RIAA.
Replay is a compilation album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, appearing in 1980 on the Atlantic Records label. It contains no material with Neil Young, but does include CSN solo projects. It peaked at No. 122 on the Billboard 200, their first album not to chart in the top ten.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, released by Rhino Records in 2005. It peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200, debuting at that position on April 2, 2005 with first week sales of 33,000 copies, and spending eight weeks on the chart. Its current sales sit at over 640,000. The album was dedicated to Cass Elliot with great thanks to Neil Young.
Stills is a 1975 studio album by American musician Stephen Stills. It is his third solo album and his first release on Columbia Records. The album was a commercial success on release, charting at number 19 on the US album charts, but was released to mixed critical reaction.
Voyage is a 3-CD box set by David Crosby. It features highlights from his career as a solo artist and with groups including The Byrds, various permutations of CSN&Y, and CPR. The tracks are arranged in general chronological order of release. One full disc is devoted to previously unreleased material, mainly acoustic demos.
"Teach Your Children" is a song written by Graham Nash in 1968 when he was a member of the Hollies. Although it was never recorded by that group in a studio, the Hollies did record it live in 1983. After the song was initially recorded for the album Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969, a much more enhanced version of the song was recorded for the album Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, released in 1970. As a single, the song peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that year. On the Easy Listening chart, it peaked at No. 28. In Canada, "Teach Your Children" reached No. 8. Reviewing the song, Cash Box commented on the "incredible soft harmony luster" and "delicately composed material." Billboard called it "a smooth country-flavored ballad that should prove an even bigger hit on the charts [than 'Woodstock']." Stephen Stills gave the song its "country swing", replacing the "Henry VIII" style of Nash's original demo.
4 Way Street is a live album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and their second album as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It was originally released as Atlantic Records SD-2-902, shipping as a gold record and peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. A document of their tour from the previous year, the live recordings presented were taken from shows at the Fillmore East on June 2 through June 7, 1970; The Forum on June 26 through June 28, 1970; and the Auditorium Theatre on July 5, 1970.
The core discography of supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young consists of eight studio albums, five live albums, six compilation albums, four video albums, and 19 singles. Originally formed in 1968, the group released one album as the trio Crosby, Stills & Nash before recruiting Neil Young into the band for their first concerts in 1969. Of the band's eight studio albums, three have also included Young; and of the group's numerous tours, the quartet configuration has made concert tours in 1969, 1970, 1974, 2000, 2002, and 2006.
"Ohio" is a protest song and counterculture anthem written and composed by Neil Young in reaction to the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970, and performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It was released as a single, backed with Stephen Stills's "Find the Cost of Freedom", peaking at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 16 in Canada. Although live versions of "Ohio" and "Find the Cost of Freedom" were included on the group's 1971 double album 4 Way Street, the studio versions of both songs did not appear on an LP until the group's compilation So Far was released in 1974. The song also appeared on the Neil Young compilation albums Decade, released in 1977, and Greatest Hits, released in 2004.
Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music is a 4-CD live box-set album of the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Bethel, New York. Its release marked the 25th anniversary of the festival. The box set contains tracks from Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More, Woodstock 2, and numerous additional, previously unreleased performances from the festival as well as the stage announcements and crowd noises. Just prior to the box set's release, Atlantic Records released a much shorter 1-CD version entitled The Best of Woodstock. In 2019, Rhino Records issued a 38-CD box set called Woodstock – Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive which includes every musical performance as well as stage announcements and other ancillary material.
Carry On is a 4-CD career retrospective box set by Stephen Stills. It features highlights from his career as a solo artist and with groups including The Au Go Go Singers, Buffalo Springfield, Manassas, and various permutations of CSN&Y. The tracks are arranged in general chronological order of release. The album also includes previously unreleased material.
The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 1969 and 1970 concert tours were two separate tours that covered North America, and Europe, before the band broke up for the first time.