[Review] David Crosby: Thousand Roads (1993)
He’s the human cicada of rock & roll: disappearing for years at a time only to return and make some noise.
Kronomyth 3.0: The road to hell is paved with good musicians
Apparently, it takes a village to make a David Crosby record these days. I’m guessing that was partly to widen the pool of potential liver donors. Crosby himself only writes a few songs (two of them with Phil Collins and Joni Mitchell) and sings, although his voice isn’t what it used to be. Still, he’s got enough gas left in the tank to make a good album. Thousand Roads is, honestly, much better than I expected. Of course, I expected to find him face down in a pool at this stage, so a simple pulse is a victory. You’ll find much more than a pulse here, starting with the opening Hero, which is a real gift from Phil Collins. The title track, the only song written completely by Crosby, is another winner that’s as prickly as a cactus. In between, you’ll find very good songs written by Marc Cohn (Old Soldier), Jimmy Webb (Too Young to Die), Noel Brazil (Columbus), Stephen Bishop (Natalie) and Joni Mitchell (Yvette in English). Well-placed harmonies hide the cracks in Crosby’s voice, while some of the top studio musicians in the business (Jeff Porcaro, Michael Landau, Craig Doerge, Jim Keltner, Russell Kunkel) provide a flattering setting. Now, you could argue that David Crosby was a legend late in leaving who should have suffered his dotage in quiet reclusion, but legends will do as they please. And I would counterargue that a besmalled Crosby besmallens us all. We’ve been down this road and the most interesting part of the journey is behind us. Still, we can agree that the pleasure of a journey isn’t where you’re walking to but who you’re walking with, and Crosby proves to be good company again on Thousand Roads.
The Songs
A1. Hero (Phil Collins/David Crosby) (4:39)
A2. Too Young to Die (Jimmy Webb) (5:45)
A3. Old Soldier (Marc Cohn) (4:58)
A4. Through Your Hands (John Hiatt) (4:33)
A5. Yvette in English (Joni Mitchell/David Crosby) (5:53)
A6. Thousand Roads (David Crosby) (4:31)
A7. Columbus (Noel Brazil) (4:26)
A8. Helpless Heart (Paul Brady) (4:18)
A9. Coverage (Bonnie Hayes) (3:22)
A10. Natalie (Stephen Bishop) (4:55)
The Players
David Crosby (vocals), Bernie Leadon (electric guitar, acoustic guitar), Leland Sklar (bass) with Stephen Bishop (harmony), Jackson Browne (harmony), David Campbell (arrangements), David Watkins Clarke (bass), Marc Cohn (acoustic piano), Phil Collins (percussion, keyboards, vocals), Luis Conte (percussion), Larry Corbett (cello), Paulinho Da Costa (percussion), Craig Doerge (keyboards, arrangements), Armen Garabedian (concert master, violin), Berj Garabedian (violin), Scott Haupert (viola), Bonnie Hayes (keyboards), Ethan Johns (drums, additional electric guitar, percussion), Ruth Johnson (violin), Suzie Katayama (cello), Jim Keltner (drums), Russell Kunkel (drums), Michael Landau (electric guitar), Kipp Lennon (harmony), John Leventhal (guitar), Andy Fairweather Low (electric guitar), Dimitrie Levici (violin), Graham Nash (harmony, harmonica), Maria Newman (viola), Pino Paladino (bass), Dean Parks (guitar, flute), Jeff Pevar (guitar), Jeff Porcaro (drums), Daniel Smith (cello), Benmont Tench (keyboards), C.J. Vanston (keyboards), Jimmy Webb (acoustic piano), Paul “Wix” Wickens (keyboards, accordion), Evan Wilson (viola), David Young (acoustic bass). Produced by Stephen Barncard, Marc Cohn, Phil Collins, David Crosby, Nick Davies, Glyn Johns, John Leventhal, Dean Parks, Phil Ramone, Don Was; engineered by Stephen Barncard, Nick Davies, Paul Dieter, Ed Goodreau, Glyn Johns, Rik Pekkonen; guitar overdub engineered by Rob Eaton; executive producer: Jan Crosby.
The Pictures
Art direction by Graham Nash. Cover photograph by Guido Harari. Cover art by Marc Holbert.
The Plastic
Released on compact disc and cassette on May 4, 1993 in the US and the UK (Atlantic, 82484), Canada (Atlantic, CD 82484) and Japan (Atlantic, AMCY-546). Reached #133 on the US charts.
