Stephen Stills Albums Ranked

Stephen Arthur StillsĀ (born January 3, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work withĀ Buffalo SpringfieldĀ andĀ 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 inĀ Rolling Stoneā€™s 2003 list of ā€œThe 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Timeā€ and number 47 in the 2011 list. Stills became the first person to be inducted twice on the same night into theĀ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. According to Neil Young, ā€œStephen is a genius.ā€ Stillsā€™ first solo album,Ā Stephen Stills, earned a gold record and is the only album to feature bothĀ Jimi HendrixĀ andĀ Eric Clapton. Its hit single ā€œLove the One Youā€™re Withā€ became his biggest solo hit, peaking at number 14 on theĀ BillboardĀ Hot 100. Stills followed this with a string of solo albums, as well as starting a band withĀ Chris HillmanĀ calledĀ ManassasĀ 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 asĀ 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 albumĀ CSN, which became the trioā€™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)

ā€œHere 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. Thereā€™s no tinkering around with musical instruments on this albumā€“whether itā€™s breathtakingly gorgeous, understated acoustic or bluesy electric romp, his guitar phrasing is impeccableā€“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.ā€

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

ā€œā€Change Partnersā€ is a great opening song, featuring steel guitar. Peaking at #43, that song should have been a top ten hit. In ā€œNothing To Do But Today,ā€ Stephen complains about being on the road too long, and wants to just stay home in ā€œRelaxing Town.ā€ Thatā€™s surprising, as he was still a young man at that time. The sublime ā€œFishes and Scorpions,ā€ a reference to astrological signs, features great guitar work from Eric Clapton. ā€œSugar Babeā€ is a heartfelt love ballad, while the rocking ā€œMarianneā€ alludes to a woman who may have substance abuse problems. In ā€œKnow You Got To Run,ā€ 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. ā€œAnd I may see you tomorrow never more again.ā€

8. Just Roll Tape (2007)

ā€œJUST ROLL TAPE is like finding a missing musical link, in this case one that was lost for almost 40 years. On April 26, 1968 ā€” 9 days before Buffalo Springfieldā€™s farewell concert and six months before recording the first CSN album ā€” Steve Stillā€™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 CSNā€™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.ā€

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

ā€œFantastic 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.ā€

6. Illegal Stills (1976)

ā€œThis 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. ā€œRing of Loveā€ and ā€œCirclin'ā€ would have sounded right at home on top 40 radio, while ā€œSoldierā€ was haunting and ā€œThe Lonerā€ blew Neil Youngā€™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 ā€“ the debut, and the first Manassas album.ā€

5. Live (1975)

ā€œStephen 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 helpfulā€

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4. Thoroughfare Gap (1978)

ā€œThoroughfare 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 Allmanā€™s Midnight Rider.ā€

3. Stills (1975)

ā€œPerhaps 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 ā€˜feel-goodā€™ category, yet beneath the surface lie some surprisingly confessional and incisive lyrics. ā€œTurn Back The Pagesā€ (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 ā€œMy Favorite Changesā€ has tasty guitar licks and some great offhand humor including the wonderfully ā€˜dumbā€™ wordless background vocals.ā€

2. Stephen Stills 2 (1971)

ā€œStephen 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 youā€™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.ā€

1. Stephen Stills (1970)

ā€œThis 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.Ā ā€œ