"Deja Vu" is one of the landmark albums of all time. It's also one of my personal favorites, and an essential CD, not only for fans of CSN&Y, but for all fans of rock and roll music.


The Single Biggest Album To Come Out Of The Sixties!   November 13, 2001
 44 out of 50 found this review helpful

From the ouset of their star-crossed collaboration, it was clear that this was to be the best of the new super-groups, composed of discontented refugees who either quit or were bounced from other monster groups like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and the Hollies. When after an initial success with a first album the group decided to add Still's former partner in crime from the Buffalo Springfield group Neil Young to the line-up, the strange witches brew of creative energy and talent that resulted exploded onto the contemporary rock scene at Woodstock to an amazed audience with such power and originality. Of course, this number one album was the first result of their original collaboration, and it shot to the top of the charts, where it remained for years!

This album is full of smash hits and breath-taking sounds, from the opening "Carry On" to the elegiac "Teach Your Children" to the faux-comical "Almost Cut My Hair". They don't make a single false step here, in what was then acclaimed to be the first technically "perfect" studio album. Indeed, everything is seemingly perfect, from the plaintive sounds of Young's piercing falsetto in "Helpless" to Nash's masterfully gentle ballad "Our House". Of course, their masterpiece on this album is the epic tribute to "Woodstock", a cover of Joni Mitchell's song that they rushed to include on the album after hearing her sing it to them on the phone right after the Woodstock festival, which she couldn't get to because of the traffic.

To see how well they transformed her folksy dirge into a rock classic is to understand their native talents and interpretive skills. Everything here is terrific, and my own favorites of "4 and 20" and "Everybody I Love You" are less played and appreciated than most of the other hits emanating from this classic album. This is easily one of the ten best albums from the sixties, and one everyone who calls himself (or herself) a rock fan must own and have on the shelf. In my humble opinion it is the single best effort from that era. Enjoy!


The Biggest Album To Come Out Of The Late Sixties!   August 26, 2000
 27 out of 30 found this review helpful

From the very beginning of their fateful collaboration, it was clear that this was to be the first of the new super-groups, composed of discontented refugees who either quit or were bounced from monster groups like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and the Hollies. When after an initial success with a first album the group decided to add Still's former partner in crime from the Buffalo Springfield group Neil young to the line-up, the strange witches brew of creative energy and talent that resulted exploded onto the contemporary rock scene at Woodstock to an amazed audience with such power and originality. Of course, this number one album was the first result of their original collaboration, and it shot to the top of the charts, where it remained for years!

This album is full of smash hits and breath-taking sounds, from the opening "Carry On" to the elegiac "Teach Your Children" to the faux-comical "Almost Cut My Hair". They don't make a single false step here, in what was then acclaimed to be the first technically "perfect" studio album. Indeed, everything is seemingly perfect, from the plaintive sounds of Young's piercing falsetto in "Helpless" to Nash's masterfully gentle ballad "Our House". Of course, their masterpiece on this album is the epic tribute to "Woodstock", a cover of Joni Mitchell's song that they rushed to include on the album after hearing her sing it to them on the phone right after the Woodstock festival, which she couldn't get to because of the traffic. To see how well they transformed her folksy dirge into a rock classic is to understand their native talents and interpretive skills. Everything here is terrific, and my own favorites of "4 and 20" and "Everybody I Love You" are less played and appreciated than most of the other hits emanating from this classic album. This is one of the ten best albums from the sixties, and one everyone who calls himself (or herself) a rock fan must own and have on the shelf. Enjoy!


REJOICE! REJOICE!   May 20, 2000
 16 out of 16 found this review helpful

This album has been part of the fabric of my life for thirty years now. Few records are quite so perfect from beginning to end as this one. It has what I believe are some the best songs ever written by these artists--Stephen's triumphant "Carry On", and his anguished and poignant "4&20"; Graham's lovely "Teach Your Children" and "Our House", David's "Almost Cut My Hair" (a signature tune if there ever was one) and the wonderfully trippy "Deja Vu"; Neil's near-operatic "Country Girl" and the exquisite "Helpless", one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful pieces of popular music ever. . .But DEJA VU doesn't stop with the songs. The sublime moments are seemingly endless--the guitar duelling on "Woodstock", the majestic climax to "Country Girl", the hazy, scatty intro to the title track, Jerry Garcia's wistful steel guitar on "Teach Your Children". . .and of course the gorgeous harmonies throughout. Man oh man, has this music enriched my life, and it will continue to do so for as long as I draw breath. . .and hopefully beyond.