'Live at Berkeley 1971' by Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills opens this 1971 concert album with his biggest hit, “Love the One You’re With,” a paean to free love (and the entitled touring rock star life). The show got hotter once that was out of the way. These previously unreleased recordings are a reminder that Stills was an important artist outside CSN&Y and a talented guitarist as the spotlight clung to him on the acoustic set (a nod to his roots in ‘60s folk). He was also capable of superb songwriting with an impressive catalog by this time, including such less-known numbers as “Word Game” and “Do For the Others.”
Stills also sounded entirely comfortable with the blues (“Black Queen”) and Carter family-style country (“Jesus Gave Love Away for Free”). His old buddy David Crosby joined him, sharing vocals on “You Don’t Have to Cry” and “The Lee Shore.” The full band set is the album’s real surprise, featuring the five-man Memphis Horns injecting “Bluebird Revisited” and “Lean on Me” with the powerful dynamism of Stax-Volt soul.
