Stephen Stills Albums Ranked

Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two 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.” Stills’ first solo album, Stephen Stills, earned a gold record and is the only album to feature both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Its hit single “Love the One You’re With” became his biggest solo hit, peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Stills followed this with a string of solo albums, as well as starting a band with Chris Hillman called Manassas in 1972. In summer 1974, Young reunited with CSN after a four-year hiatus for a concert tour that was recorded and released in 2014 as CSNY 1974. It was one of the first stadium tours and the largest tour the band has done to date. CSN reunited in 1977 for their album CSN, which became the trio’s best-selling record. CSN and CSNY continued to have platinum albums through the 1980s. Here are all of Stephen Stills albums ranked.

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10. Man Alive! (2005)

“Here again is his deep and compassionate insight into matters of the heart, his playful spirit, catchy turns of phrase, uncanny sense of melody, and love of and eagerness to experiment ever-successfully with many varied and inviting musical genres. There’s no tinkering around with musical instruments on this album–whether it’s breathtakingly gorgeous, understated acoustic or bluesy electric romp, his guitar phrasing is impeccable–never silly, always adventurous, never a wasted note or opportunity. And from gritty growl to sweet, smoother tones reminiscent of his earlier years, he draws from a fascinatingly diverse range of vocal dynamics in owning any style of music he pleases, as always refreshingly free of boasting or pretense.”

9. Still Stills: The Best Of Stephen Stills (1976)

“”Change Partners” is a great opening song, featuring steel guitar. Peaking at #43, that song should have been a top ten hit. In “Nothing To Do But Today,” Stephen complains about being on the road too long, and wants to just stay home in “Relaxing Town.” That’s surprising, as he was still a young man at that time. The sublime “Fishes and Scorpions,” a reference to astrological signs, features great guitar work from Eric Clapton. “Sugar Babe” is a heartfelt love ballad, while the rocking “Marianne” alludes to a woman who may have substance abuse problems. In “Know You Got To Run,” paranoia runs deep, along with depression and loneliness. As I get older and experience the loss of loved ones, and contemplate my own mortality, the final lyric of the song really resonated with me. “And I may see you tomorrow never more again.”

8. Just Roll Tape (2007)

“JUST ROLL TAPE is like finding a missing musical link, in this case one that was lost for almost 40 years. On April 26, 1968 — 9 days before Buffalo Springfield’s farewell concert and six months before recording the first CSN album — Steve Still’s stayed in the studio after a Judy Collins Session to put down on tape some new songs he was working on. Some would end up on CSN’s first record, some on his solo and Manassas recordings, some never to be heard again. We hear Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Helplessly Hoping, and Wooden Ships as they were being birthed (or close to), Change Partners and Now Begins the Task, Black Queen, and others.”

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7. Bread & Roses Festival: 4th September 1978 (2014)

“Fantastic live set.This may be a quasi-bootleg,official in europe,and dodgy elsewhere but it still remains a fabulous recording.This is a fantasic StephenStills live recording,far better than the official 1975 live release.His guitar playing is brilliant and his vocals are the best i have heard in any live recording of him,be it official or bootleg.Klondike have done all Stills fans a great service in releasing this concert.It is a recording that deserves to be heard over and over again.This is Stills at his concert best.”

6. Illegal Stills (1976)

“This album should have been recognized for what it was: an unmistakable statement from a great artist that, contrary to popular opinion, his skills had not diminished one bit. “Ring of Love” and “Circlin'” would have sounded right at home on top 40 radio, while “Soldier” was haunting and “The Loner” blew Neil Young’s version of the song out of the water. The band is hot, the songs are excellent, the arrangements are imaginative, and on the whole this compares very favorably with the two Stills albums that get all the accolades – the debut, and the first Manassas album.”

5. Live (1975)

“Stephen Stills is one of my all-time favorite artists, and this live album caught him with a really good band and in top form. Always a pleasure to listen to, a nice version of Four Days Gone will stay in your mind forever! I really recommend this to anybody that wants Stills in top form; nice concert feels to the whole album.2 people found this helpful”

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4. Thoroughfare Gap (1978)

“Thoroughfare Gap is in the direction of the sound is refined on the extension line of the previous work in the first half and hard rock-like second half and LP AOR and fusion scent contrasting albums. Cover recording of Duane Allman’s Midnight Rider.”

3. Stills (1975)

“Perhaps amazingly, the album manages to have a unified feel and an excellent flow, capturing Stills at his best, with song after song being a gem. Many of these songs definitely fall into the ‘feel-good’ category, yet beneath the surface lie some surprisingly confessional and incisive lyrics. “Turn Back The Pages” (written by Stills and Donnie Dacus), with its slower verses and uptempo singalong choruses, is a great uplifting opener to the album. The deceptively laidback “My Favorite Changes” has tasty guitar licks and some great offhand humor including the wonderfully ‘dumb’ wordless background vocals.”

2. Stephen Stills 2 (1971)

“Stephen Stills and the musicians with whom he plays produce music that is sophisticated, elegant, beautifully produced and highly musical. Change Partners, Singing Call, Sugar Babe, Know you’ve Got to Run & Marianne-all amazing songs and my favorite- Fishes & Scorpions. Word Games was also very good. The music stands the test of time. From anybody else, this album would be judged to be a masterpiece.”

1. Stephen Stills (1970)

“This is such a good album. I think it is a good as the classic CSN&Y albums. Good strong songs with a list of rock legends playing along. Black Queen is an amazing live song with Stills showing his guitar expertise. “