A real shame, I’ve just been delving into his solo stuff recently.

Graham Nash has a great story about him. Nash recounts landing at LAX and Mama Cass picked him up and drove him to the top of Laurel Canyon to Crosby’s house. She introduced Nash to Crosby. Crosby was sitting with a pile of weed and cigarette papers in front of him. They had a conversation and Crosby rolled perfect joint after perfect joint without breaking eye contact with Nash.

@uponthedowns Ah but Crosby and Nash were Stills Young then.
The Byrds are one of my favourite bands.
R. I. P. Mr Crosby

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Is-C-o6zsf8&feature=share

as Eddie Van Halen would now be thinking to himself… ‘meh’.

Genuinely saddened by this, a really talented and entertaining guy. Saw him live about four years ago, great gig

Amazed he lived as long as he did. Very sad but he made some amazing music with Stills, Nash and sometimes Young. Shall listen to “4 way street” this evening, an excellent live album with all 4 of them. First disc is acoustic and melodic with the second disc featuring a loud guitar sound courtesy of NY.

RIP David Crosby.

He made some great songs. So glad I got to see him play live in Manchester 2018, was fantastic.

Post fail.

as Eddie Van Halen would now be thinking to himself… ‘meh’.

I only opened the thread to see who would be first to write this.

I was thinking about which of the sixties greats would be next after Jeff beck died, and thought that David Crosby was getting on a bit. Although he was very engaged up to the end and still touring I think?

That generation is really starting to pass on now

I always liked him, although I’m more of a Gene Clerk fan, IOICRMY is a great album

I only opened the thread to see who would be first to write this

What’s the reference?

RIP.. another true great, gone.
I got into him off the back of neil youngs acoustic stuff, via CSNY.

Popbitch repeated an old story about Crosby in today’s email, in reference to Nash’s book…

One section he took particular umbrage with is this one: “Often I would knock on Crosby’s hotel door, which he kept propped open with a security jamb, and he’d be getting oral sex from two women – all while he was talking and doing business on the phone and rolling joints and smoking and having a drink.”

Crosby’s emphatic denial of this? “Not true… I don’t roll joints when I’m getting oral sex.”

I love this story

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/crosby-stills-nash/you-dont-have-to-cry

What’s the reference?

At the news of the death of Eddie Van Halen about 2 years ago, with floods of tributes from far and wide, David Crosby’s response to the loss of one of rock’s most influential mould breakng guitarist in decades, was ‘meh’.

Rather sullied my thoughts on him.

Amazed he lived as long as he did.

Me too.

Not a great fan of CSNY, they were always there but in that style I preferred Jackson Browne, and James Taylor. The contemporary comments on Crosby were rarely flattering but never speak ill of the dead eh!

Eddie Van Halen about 2 years ago, with floods of tributes from far and wide, David Crosby’s response to the loss of one of rock’s most influential mould breakng guitarist in decades, was ‘meh’.

To fair to David, he had a point. Eddie vanhalen was one of the most over rated and overhyped guitarists of all time.

Off topic, but vanhalen was never really on my radar, Poison, Bon Jovi and guns and roses, very much so.

Eddie vanhalen was one of the most over rated and overhyped guitarists of all time.

FFS ! And on that basis where do you place Mr Crosby in your bizarre hierarchy ?

In MTB terms it would be like Rob Warner going “meh” on hearing of Steve Peat’s demise, not that he would because even Warner doesn’t deserve comparison with Crosby. 🙂

If you tune in to Radio Caroline at 1 pm tomorrow I’m sure Peter Antony will do a fitting tribute to him.

I agree with Joshvegas

to be an influential and mould breakig guitarist you need to have influence and appeal outside of your genre and time.  Van Halen may have been a good technical guitarist ( I don’t know)  but the band were distinctly Meh and with no appeal outside of their little corner of the world

the band were distinctly Meh and with no appeal outside of their little corner of the world

You underestimate how huge they were. They were proper mainstream rock superstars. In terms of appeal, every single hard rock and metal band that came afterwards, took something from van halen.

” Van Halen may have been a good technical guitarist ( I don’t know) but the band were distinctly Meh and with no appeal outside of their little corner of the world”

Their little corner of the world where they sold over 75 million albums.
Ffs

RIP Crosby you certainly lived a life

correct.  did they transcend that american rock genre?    did they have an influence outside of that?

RIP David Crosby.

OK, enough about you, let’s have some bickering about Eddie Van Halen.

apologies.  all I did was agree with another poster

I’m with TJ on this one but everyone is entitled to their opinion. Technically good player as are Joe Satriani and that other fella who’s name I forget. Still sound like a computer playing guitar to my ears.

FFS ! And on that basis where do you place Mr Crosby in your bizarre hierarchy ?

Well quit obviously above EVH. I can tolerate almost any music of any genre EVH is one of very few bands that get turned off outright due to full shiteness of the music. Actually I take that back I turn it off because it’s exceptionally bland. Hailing him as some sort of influence on every hard rock and metal band that followed is hilarious.

For absolute clarity though it’s a meh from me for David Crosby and I quite like the Byrd’s and CSNY. It’s just old musicians who didn’t change the world by dying. It’s far sadder when young people like Scott John Hutchison and Amy Winehouse die early because they die early and it could be argued were not helped by their success i don’t even like Winehouse’s music at all.

And by meh I don’t mean I am happy anyone dies it’s just not that relevant.

My opinion of course.

did they have an influence outside of that?

Yes. The synth element had a huge impact beyond the rock genre

They’re also the 19th biggest selling album act of all time.

They may not be your cup of tea (they’re not mine either really), but they were a huge band

Totally OT now we’re on Van Halen. They were big at the time, influenced the whole hair metal thing and influenced metal playing. Beyond that I’d say they’re pretty much forgotten in a lasting cultural sense. They’re not iconic in the wider musical sense despite being big at the time. A pity as he was clearly a brilliant musician in an otherwise cheesy band.

Definitely some bias from me as I think 80’s Rock music is terrible and, in the main, has not aged well at all.

I’d say they’re pretty much forgotten in a lasting cultural sense

Eddie’s own amplification and guitar company

https://www.evhgear.com/

The design of his old guitar has become a recognised pop art design

The guitar scene in BTTF? Yeah, that was Van Halen he was copying

The Beat It solo

Damn, I thought it was Marvins cousin Chuck he was copying.

with no appeal outside of their little corner of the world

this is also true of Crosby Stills and Nash

And?

Eddie’s own amplification and guitar company

https://www.evhgear.com/

The design of his old guitar has become a recognised pop art design

Like I said not in a larger cultural sense. Everyone knows who Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Hendrix etc were. Not just people who are in a particular guitar playing niche. Billy Eilish didn’t know who Van Halen was in an interview.

It’s true of pretty much every musical act. Even The Beatles aren’t universally loved.