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