Whistling Down the Wire | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 25, 1976 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 36:36 | |||
Label | ABC Records (1976) MCA Records (2000) | |||
Producer | David Crosby, Graham Nash, Stephen Barncard | |||
Crosby & Nash chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Whistling Down the Wire is the third album by Crosby & Nash, released on ABC Records in 1976, the second of the duo's three-album deal with ABC Records. Cassette and 8-track tape versions of the album were distributed by Atlantic Records, to which Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were signed. It peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 album chart and was certified gold by the RIAA. [2] [3] Two singles were released from the album, "Out of the Darkness" and "Spotlight," of which only the first charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #89. [4]
in the summer and fall of 1975, after the success of their previous album, David Crosby and Graham Nash took the band that played on the album out on tour. In the course of recording sessions for this album, both were invited to add vocals to a project by Stephen Stills and Neil Young that would become that pair's only duo album to date, Long May You Run credited to the Stills-Young Band. What could have been a potential CSNY reunion got torpedoed after Nash and Crosby left Miami to finish the sessions for what would become Whistling Down the Wire, and Young and Stills reacted by removing the duo's vocals and other contributions from the master tapes. [5] Crosby and Nash vowed never to work with either again. They toured again to support this album in 1976, but by the end of the year reunited with Stills for the second CSN trio album, released in 1977. That album would successfully reactivate the trio on a more or less permanent basis, and there would not be a new Crosby & Nash studio album for another 28 years.
As on their previous two albums, the instrumental backing was provided by the group of session musicians known as The Section, here consisting of keyboardist Craig Doerge, guitarist Danny Kortchmar, and drummer Russell Kunkel, along with multi-instrumentalist David Lindley and bassist Tim Drummond and known as 'The Mighty Jitters' when on tour with the duo. Many tracks for this album, including "Time After Time," "J.B.'s Blues," and "Marguerita" were left over from the sessions for Wind on the Water . [6] The song Mutiny is a reference to the Mutiny Hotel in Miami, a noted hotspot in the 1970s. [7]
Both this album and its predecessor exemplify the sub-genre of soft rock prevalent in much of mid-1970s popular music. With two gold albums in a row, the duo's success on records had outstripped that of their former partner Stills, whose only gold album certification among his most recent five albums had been the one in tandem with Young. [8] Yet, when the opportunity arose, the pair agreed to join up with Stills and continue as Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
Sessions took place at Rudy Recorders in San Francisco, and the Sound Lab in Los Angeles. Whistling Down the Wire was reissued for compact disc on January 11, 2000, on MCA Records. It was made available again as part of MCA's new manufacture on-demand process.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Spotlight" | Graham Nash, Danny Kortchmar | 2:51 |
2. | "Broken Bird" | David Crosby, Nash | 2:44 |
3. | "Time After Time" | Crosby | 2:32 |
4. | "Dancer" (instrumental) | Crosby | 4:50 |
5. | "Mutiny" | Nash | 4:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "J.B.'s Blues" | Nash | 2:41 |
2. | "Marguerita" | Nash | 4:13 |
3. | "Taken at All" | Crosby, Nash | 3:07 |
4. | "Foolish Man" | Crosby | 4:29 |
5. | "Out of the Darkness" | Crosby, Nash, Craig Doerge | 4:24 |
Additional personnel
Production personnel
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA) [17] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Date | City | Country | Venue |
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23 May 1976 | Anaheim | United States | Anaheim Convention Center |
6 August 1976 | Concord | Concord Pavilion | |
12 August 1976 | Los Angeles | Greek Theater | |
18 August 1976 | Illinois | Southern Illinois University | |
20 August 1976 | Troy | Pine Knob | |
21 August 1976 | |||
22 August 1976 | Akron | Blossom Music Center | |
24 August 1976 | Pittsburgh | Syria Mosque | |
25 August 1976 | Philadelphia | Temple Music | |
27 August 1976 | Holmdel | Garden State Art Center | |
28 August 1976 | |||
3 September 1976 | Lenox | Tanglewood Music Center | |
4 September 1976 | Rochester | Community War Memorial | |
8 September 1976 | New York City | Central Park | |
9 September 1976 | |||
10 September 1976 | |||
11 September 1976 | |||
16 September 1976 | Edinburgh | United Kingdom | Edinburgh Playhouse |
17 September 1976 | Manchester | Free Trade Hall | |
22 September 1976 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Jaap Edenhal |
23 September 1976 | Eppelheim | Germany | Rhein-Neckar-Hall |
28 September 1976 | London | United Kingdom | Hammersmith Odeon |
22 October 1976 | Springfield | United States | |
26 November 1976 | Anaheim | Anaheim Convention Center | |
1 December 1976 | Tokyo | Japan | Budokan |
1 December 1976 | |||
12 December 1976 | Osaka | Festival Hall |
Long May You Run is a studio album credited to the Stills–Young Band, a collaboration between Stephen Stills and Neil Young, released in 1976 on Reprise Records. It peaked at #26 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the United States by the RIAA. The album is the sole studio release by Stills and Young as a duo.
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.
Daylight Again is the fourth studio album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and their third studio album in the trio configuration. It peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the final time the band made the top ten before the death of David Crosby in 2023. Three singles were released from the album, all making the Billboard Hot 100: "Wasted on the Way" peaked at No. 9, "Southern Cross" at No. 18, and "Too Much Love to Hide" at No. 69. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA with sales of 1,850,000.
Oh Yes I Can is the second solo studio album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young member David Crosby. It was released on January 23, 1989, 18 years on from his previous solo release, If I Could Only Remember My Name.
Journey Through the Past is a double LP soundtrack album from the film of the same name by Canadian / American musician Neil Young, released in November 1972 on Reprise Records, catalogue number 2XS 6480. It peaked at #45 on the Billboard 200. Its initial release was on vinyl, cassette tape, reel-to-reel tape, and 8-track tape cartridge. Although its follow-up Time Fades Away was finally released on CD in August 2017, Journey Through the Past remains the only 1970s Neil Young album yet to see an official CD reissue.
So Far is a compilation album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and their third as 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.
If I Could Only Remember My Name is the debut solo album by American singer-songwriter David Crosby, released on February 22, 1971, by Atlantic Records. It was one of four high-profile albums released by each member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu. Guests on the album include Jerry Garcia, Graham Nash, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and other prominent West Coast musicians of the era.
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.
Graham Nash David Crosby is the first album by Crosby & Nash, the partnership of David Crosby and Graham Nash, released on Atlantic Records in 1972, catalog SD 7220. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and a single taken from the album, "Immigration Man", peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 17 and 24, 1972. It was certified gold by the RIAA, and it was dedicated to Joni Mitchell, as "to Miss Mitchell".
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.
Crosby & Nash were a musical duo that maintained a separate career in addition to the solo endeavors of David Crosby and Graham Nash, and separate from the larger aggregate of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Crosby and Nash performed and recorded regularly during the 1970s, issuing five albums including three of original studio material. After the more or less permanent reformation of Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1976, the duo continued to play sporadic concerts from the 1980s through the second decade of the 21st century, issuing another studio album in 2004 and going on an extended concert tour in 2011.
CSN is a box set by Crosby, Stills & Nash, issued on Atlantic Records in 1991. It features material spanning from 1968 through 1990 from their catalogue of recordings as a group in addition to selections from Crosby & Nash, Manassas, and their individual solo albums. It peaked at No. 109 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The set is "dedicated to the loving memory of Cass Elliot, without whom most of this music may not have been made." A two-disc distillation of the box was released for other markets later in the year.
Allies is a live album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, released on Atlantic Records in 1983. A live concert clip for "Wasted on the Way" received some rotation on MTV at the time, as did the single "War Games". It peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard 200.
Earth & Sky is the third solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Graham Nash. It was released in February 1980 on Capitol Records.
Wind on the Water is the second album by Crosby & Nash, released on ABC Records in 1975. Cassette and 8-track tape versions of the album were distributed by Atlantic Records, to which Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were signed. It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 album chart and was certified gold by the RIAA. Three singles were released from the album, "Carry Me", "Take the Money and Run", and "Love Work Out", of which only the first charted, peaking at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Crosby–Nash Live is a 1977 live album released by Crosby & Nash. It was remastered and re-released in 2000 with one previously unreleased recording ("Bittersweet"), and one previously unreleased recording and song.
The Best of Crosby & Nash: The ABC Years is a compilation album from the duo of David Crosby and Graham Nash which was remastered and released in 2002. The album features music that appeared on Wind on the Water, Whistling Down the Wire and Crosby-Nash Live.
The Best of Crosby & Nash is a compilation album by Crosby & Nash released in 1978. It features tracks from the artists' solo albums as well as by the duo, although does not contain their biggest hit as a pair, "Immigration Man." Their final album on ABC Records, it is out of print, superseded in 2002 by a survey of their work for ABC released on compact disc.
Carry On is a compilation album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, issued on Atlantic Records in 1991, generally for the European and Australian markets. It is a two-disc sampler of their four-disc box set, CSN, released two months previously in the United States and the United Kingdom. It features material spanning 1968 through 1990 from their catalogue of recordings as a group in addition to selections from Crosby & Nash, Manassas, and their individual solo albums. It was reissued on 30 June 1998 on the WEA International record label. This compilation should not be confused with the Stephen Stills box set of the same name released in 2013.
Craig Doerge is an American keyboard player, session musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his keyboard work with Crosby Stills and Nash, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne.