David Crosby has a well-earned reputation for being an angelic-faced bad boy, a drug addicted ego freak. His work throughout the 60s and early 70s was mostly within the confines of The Byrds or Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. There is one record though, that to me is the standout among all the work of both of those bands, and it technically belongs to Crosby alone.
Crosby's first solo record, If I Could Only Remember My Name, as far as I am concerned, is one of the best albums ever created in the first place. It's an oddity for sure, and it seems miraculous that it was ever made. The album was recorded in San Francisco's Tenderloin in 1970/71. Sonically it's pure Cros-- heavy on the mystical harmonies, musically meandering all over the place-- but it also has guest appearances by Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, and Jorma Kaukonen, among many others. One of the best parts about the record is laying back, letting the sound float around you and then hearing intermittent vocals from Joni and Neil washing in and out of different songs. Though this is a solo album, the feeling of the record is often one of hazy collaboration, of seamless blending toward a greater vision. Someone needs to write a book about these recording sessions, if anyone can remember them!

The title just seems so fittingly Crosby! It always kind of cracks me up. The early 70s were a particularly drug-addled period for him. I recently read that he was referring to reincarnation with the title, not general confusion...but if you listen closely to the lyrics they seem to often reference being overwhelmed by city life, distrust and paranoia. All of this is presented in gorgeous, hooky tracks, so you could easily miss some of the more heavy themes. On the positive side of the lyrics, there are tracks like the beautiful and hippy-ish "Music Is Love." Check out this awesome performance of "Traction in the Rain" by Crosby and Graham Nash. This was on the BBC before the record was even recorded.

There are many reasons to add a sticker to the front of your release...Maybe the designer left out some minor detail (like the Band or Artist name)...Maybe there's an unexpected hit...other times repackaging a previous release requires an announcement of the enticing goodies that have been added to boost sales...the list goes onandonandon...Here's a collection of well done promotional stickers...




   Novelty design tie in for Ms. Ward's big hit    








   Moon Chart and Moog...perfect 70's pitch points






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Ben Tuttle
3+ years employment
Sound Man Extraordinaire


Q:  So Ben, what music did you listen to when you were a kid, like before you could pick yourself?  What was playing in your home?

BT:  My dad used to listen to the Beatles, I remember that.  Probably Rubber Soul and I remember listening to Chuck Mangione and Slim Goodbody.  He was an informative performer for kids and he wore a full body unitard that showed the inside of his body.  I saw him perform in Oakland when I was a kid, my mom took me.

What was the first music that really struck you and made you a big music lover?

George Gershwin "An American in Paris" and "Rhapsody in Blue" and Led Zeppelin.  Those were the first tapes that I ever listened to that I remember.  My brother turned me on to Houses of the Holy.

What's the first instrument you picked up?  Whatall do you play now?

Piano.  That was the first thing.  My mom made me take lessons when I was 5.  I didn't learn the music and I just did it by ear cause I figured out how to do it like that.

Now, drums, guitar, keyboards, vibes, saxophone.  Those are pretty much all the instruments I play on a regular basis.

What was the first live show you ever saw?
Slim Goodbody was the first show I remember but he didn't have a band or anything, so I guess the first live show I ever went to was the Dead.  My brother took me to see the Grateful Dead and while I enjoyed the new experience I ended up falling asleep.  I was a kid, I was 12 maybe.

joni mitchell is killing me lately, just killing me.

ever since i picked up  these new dick cavett show box sets that are out and watched the rock icons collection, my interest in joni has been re-established.  the very first episode in the set is the "woodstock episode," literally taped the morning hendrix ripped the sh*t out of the national anthem.  the show features jefferson airplane, joni and (in place of hendrix) stephen stills and david crosby, still covered in mud.

although the entire show is fantastic to watch, it's joni mitchell that affects me the most.  it's obvious that cavett is enraptured with her, and it's easy to see why.  draped in green velvet, with her young, open face and unbelievably crafted songs, she's a mind bender.  there's no one else like her, is there? 

the expressions on her face while she performs her song "willy", a song she says is  " for my man and for the moon", are so gorgeous--  she's living her way through the song, lost in her own memories and thoughts.  you can see the spark lit on her face throughout the performance and just  like the line in the song it is  "like a shiny light breaking in a storm."

i've watched it several times through, over and over.  the optimism and honesty doesn't live just on her face, it permeates the entire program and seems so foreign to me and to my experience processing much music released and performed on tv these days.  for some reason, we can't afford to be that optimistic anymore? all i can say is when it's there, it's beautiful to watch.