CoronaVinyl Day 323 (C): If I Could Only Remember My Name by David Crosby

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "C," and I've already featured the first solo albums from Graham Nash and Neil Young (though not yet by Stephen Stills, but it's coming at some point) following CSNY's breakup after 1970's Déjà Vu, so let's go with David Crosby's solo debut album, 1971's If I Could Only Remember My Name.

Crosby, of course, got his start in The Byrds before forming one of the first true supergroups, Crosby Stills & Nash, with Nash (of The Hollies) and Stills (of Buffalo Springfield) -- and then Young (also of Buffalo Springfield) joined a year later.  Then, as quickly as they came, they had broken up and all gone solo.

If I Could Only Remember My Name reminds me a lot of CSN/CSNY, and perhaps that's because both Nash and Young perform a lot on the album.  And that's not all!  The backing musicians on this album are a who's who of late '60s/early '70s rock and roll.  Check out this lineup:

• Neil Young plays and/or sings backing vocals on three tracks (and co-wrote two tracks)
• Graham Nash plays and/or sings backing vocals on six tracks
• Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia (six songs), Mickey Hart (one song), Bill Kreutzmann (three songs), and Phil Lesh (four songs) play or sing backing vocals on various songs
• Jefferson Airplane members Jorma Kaukonen (two songs), Jack Casady (one song), Paul Kantner (one song), and Grace Slick (one song) contributed
• Santana lead singer/keyboardist and future Journey co-founder Gregg Rolie plays piano on one song, while Santana drummer Michael Shrieve plays on two song.
• Joni Mitchell sings on two songs
• Quicksilver Messenger Service and future Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship member David Freiberg sings on one song

The album went to #12 on the Billboard album chart, even though it only had one song that sniffed the Billboard Hot 100 ("Music is Love," which topped out at #95).  It was initially reviewed rather harshly by music critics, but it has become more appreciated as time has gone on.  I assume it's best enjoyed under the influence of some sort of hallucinogen.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Cowboy Movie"
This one is an extended jam in the same vein as CSN's "Wooden Ships" and Young's "Down By the River."  It's plodding and trippy, with some great guitars from Garcia, and snarling vocals from Crosby.  And the rest of the band ain't bad either, as it's Lesh on bass, Hart on drums, and Kreutzmann on tambourine.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "What Are Their Names"
This is another trippy song, but I'm choosing it mainly because of the amalgamation of talent that plays or sings on the song.  It's Dead-esque musically, and then the lyrics are just a chorus of ten singers.  Co-written by five future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers -- Crosby, Garcia, Lesh, Shrieve, and Young -- there are a whopping nine future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers who play and/or sing on this song:  (1) Crosby (guitar, vocals); (2) Garcia (guitar, vocals); (3) Kantner (vocals); (4) Lesh (bass, vocals); (5) Mitchell (vocals); (6) Nash (vocals); (7) Shrieve (drums); (8) Slick (vocals); and (9) Young (guitar, vocals).