A good Tuesday morning to everyone in the blogosphere. I am lying on a couch currently watching the Jason Bay news conference announcing his signing. As a Mets fan these are usually the most optimistic times of the season; pre-season mornings where established players don the blue, white and orange for the first time (well for Bay he came up in their farm system for a little while so that is not entirely true). On September 20th, 1976, Stephen Stills reunited for one album with Neil Young in the post-Crosby Stills & Nash era. Both proved to be prophetic in their song “Midnight on the Bay” (even though Young wrote the song). The song has the line “Midnight on the bay, sure feels good to be.” Two years later Jason Bay was born on September 20, 1978 and his signing with the Mets sure feels good to me.
The album that was prompted by Stephen Stills, the consensus 28th Greatest Guitarist of All Time voted on by Rolling Stone Magazine. Stills is a fantastic musician. The man has succeeded with Buffalo Springfield as a versatile guitarist who combined his acoustic/folk background with his blues and latin music foundation (the blues was inspired by his friend Jimi Hendrix who is just an okay guitarist). After Buffalo Springfield started falling off Stephen Stills moved on to form one of the first Supergroups with David Crosby of The Byrds fame and Graham Nash of the Hollies. Crosby Stills & Nash (& sometimes Young) just released back to back #1 albums so that is not a big deal or anything. Stephen Stills, while being a tremendous guitarist also wrote lyrics. The men of Crosby Stills & Nash shared the lyric responsibility and Stills, who flourished under Buffalo Springfield, wrote several hits including the first song which we will profile, “Love the One You’re With”
“Well there’s a rose in the fisted glove
And eagle flies with the dove
And if you can’t be with the one you love honey
Love the one you’re with”
This chorus is universal (well at least the last part which is often yelled out at concerts during the song…that and the doo doo doo doo part after it). It is just a very simple message by Stills which works perfectly. The song was quite successful and is still a noticeable song in the classic rock community today. It is a catchy lyric and Stills was able to capitalize on it. Yet, Stills’ best song is most definitely the renowned “For What It’s Worth” which is simply one of the best and most famous anti-war songs of all time.
“Paranoia strikes deep,
Into your life it will creep.
It starts when you’re always afraid,
Step out of line,the men come and take you away.
We better stop,hey what’s that sound,
Everybody look what’s going down”
This is my favorite portion of the song because of its truthfulness. There is no cryptic message or subtle hits at politicians or war. Stills is not afraid to state his opinion. War will come and take you away, cut and dry. Stills is just confidently and his lyric proves it strongly.
The Music Court 
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