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Graham Nash
Songs for Beginners
(Atlantic/Rhino)
First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2008, Volume 15, #11
Written by John Metzger
Mon November 10, 2008, 06:30 AM CST
In 1971, when he issued his solo debut Songs for Beginners,
Graham Nash already had a
well-established reputation as a pacifist and political activist, thanks to his collaborations with David Crosby,
Stephen Stills, and
Neil Young. By beginning the endeavor with Military Madness and
concluding it with Chicago/We Can Change the World, he cemented this
perception of his work. Thirty-seven years later, these tunes remain firmly
entrenched within the public’s collective consciousness, due to their unwavering
presence on the radio as well as in the set lists for his concerts. In many
ways, however, Military Madness and Chicago/We Can Change the World
are red herrings because they aren’t necessarily representative of the thematic
or musical constructs of the endeavor.
Songs for Beginners was born within the same creative, communal
atmosphere that also spawned Jefferson Starship’s Blows Against the Empire
and David Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name. Not surprisingly,
then, Nash’s debut boasts a similar smattering of special guests. Phil Lesh, for
example, provides the hefty bottom-end that underscores I Used to Be a King,
and Bobby Keys laces There’s Only One with his soulful, R&B-drenched
saxophone flights. Elsewhere, Neil Young, performing as Joe Yankee, and
Jerry Garcia respectively lend piano and pedal steel guitar accompaniments to several
tracks, while Dave Mason, Rita Coolidge, and David Lindley also contribute to
the affair.
Like the other star-studded endeavors that emerged from America’s west coast
scene during the late 1960s and early 1970s, all of the collaborative
appearances on Songs for Beginners are surprisingly ego-free. The fact
that Nash’s pals are famous in their own right has little to do with the success
or failure of the endeavor because none of them draw attention to themselves.
Instead, their contributions are delivered in such an unforced and unpretentious
manner that it is clear that their presence ultimately was designed simply to
serve Nash’s vision for the project.
Without a doubt, Songs for Beginners is a deceptively simple set, so
much so that it’s easy to overlook its charms and dismiss the collection
entirely. Nevertheless, the outing isn’t nearly as innocent and carefree as
Our House’s vision of domestic bliss or Teach Your Children’s social
idealism might suggest. Spurred by the collapse of Nash’s relationship with Joni
Mitchell, the bulk of Songs for Beginners revolves around the complexity
of his personal reflections on life, love, and loss. His optimistic outlook
remains intact, but, at the same time, he also delves deeper into the darkness
of the world as well as the heartache that had crept into the lives of him and
his pals.
Songs for Beginners is, then, an album that is as much about taking
charge of one’s life as it is about making a positive difference in the world.
Aside from Be Yourself, the effort’s utterly forgettable centerpiece,
Songs for Beginners is a remarkably focused affair. At first glance, it
might seem to speak to a particular moment in the past. Yet, bolstered by its
surround sound presentation as well as a carefully selected array of Nash’s personal
photographs, the elegantly introspective statements that he originally outlined
with the endeavor remain strikingly relevant today. 
Of Further Interest...
David Crosby & Graham Nash - Crosby & Nash / self-titled
Donovan - Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan
Joni Mitchell - Dreamland
Songs for Beginners is available
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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