Stephen Stills: Stills

Stephen Stills: Stills

Album #249 - June 1975

Episode date - July 2, 2025

The Top 500 of The Top 40
    0:00
    0:00

    Stephen Stills was responsible for creating (or being part of) some of the best ‘classic’ rock albums for a ten-year run from 1966-1975, which is to say that “Stills” is his last release that could qualify as a true ‘classic’.

    Some would even argue that this album does not stand with his best work, but I would argue that perspective with vigor, because I think this may the best work he’s ever done. There is a focus to the songs on “Stills” that holds them together. The fundamental theme is of a man struggling for peace of mind while warily embracing his newfound luck in love. When this marriage went south in only a few short years, so did the open sensibility that made “Stills” such an attractive album.

    His subsequent perspective would become much darker, and sometimes even a bit creepy. Songs like “Dark Star” and “Make Love to You” sound outright lecherous, which I found disconcerting after this ambivalent embrace of love. At his best, Stills is a romantic, and here he allows us to take peek into his soul at a time when he also seemed to be at his most vulnerable. He consistently addresses the passage of time throughout the album (“Turn Back the Pages,” My Favorite Changes,” “As I Come of Age”) while wearing his heart on his sleeve. He sounds like he really wants to be happy, but is uncertain of his fate, and that sense of push and pull is what makes “Stills” a very intriguing listen.

    Featured Tracks:

    Turn Back the Pages

    My Favorite Changes

    My Angel

    In the Way

    Love Story

    To Mama from Christopher and the Old Man

    First Things First

    New Mama

    As I Come of Age

    Shuffle Just as Bad

    Cold Cold World

    Myth of Sisyphus

    June 1975 - Billboard Charted #19

    Related Shows

    Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd: Jazz Samba

    Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd: Jazz Samba

    Album # 23 - May 1962

      0:00
      0:00
      Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

      Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

      Album #20 - April 1962

        0:00
        0:00
        Sinatra and Strings - Arranged and Conducted by Don Costa

        Frank Sinatra: Sinatra and Strings

        Album # 21 - January 1962

          0:00
          0:00
          West Side Story: Original Soundtrack Recording

          West Side Story: Original Soundtrack Recording

          Album #20 - October 1961

            0:00
            0:00
            Frank Sinatra: Nice 'n' Easy

            Frank Sinatra: Nice 'n' Easy

            Album #19 - July 1960

              0:00
              0:00
              The Dave Brubeck Quintet - Time Out

              The Dave Brubeck Quintet: Time Out

              Album #18 - December 1959

                0:00
                0:00
                Dinah Washington - What a Diff'rence a Day Makes

                Dinah Washington: What a Diff'rence a Day Makes

                Album #17 - November 1959

                  0:00
                  0:00
                  The Genius of Ray Charles

                  Ray Charles: The Genius of Ray Charles

                  Album #16 - October 1959

                    0:00
                    0:00
                    Marty Robbins: Gunfighter Ballards and Trail Songs

                    Marty Robbins: Gunfighter Ballards and Trail Songs

                    Album #15 - September 1959

                      0:00
                      0:00
                      The Everly Brothers: (Self Titled, Debut Album)

                      The Everly Brothers: (Self Titled, Debut Album)

                      Album #14 - January 1958

                        0:00
                        0:00
                        Nat King Cole -  After Midnight

                        Nat King Cole: After Midnight

                        Album #13 - 1957

                          0:00
                          0:00
                          Frank Sinatra: A Swingin' Affair!

                          Frank Sinatra: A Swingin' Affair!

                          Album #12 - May 1957

                            0:00
                            0:00