Reflections

Graham Nash has never enjoyed the high profile of his collaborators David Crosby, Neil Young or Stephen Stills, yet he has contributed a great deal to their music and written a handful of songs that have become classic rock standards. Each aspect of his 40 year career is represented on this 64-track set, beginning with his work with the Hollies, following through his peak with CSN&Y, and then his years of solo work and on-again, off-again work with his different partners. Certainly "Carrie Anne," "King Midas In Reverse," "Marrakesh Express," "Our House," and "Teach Your Children" are the most obvious examples of Nash's refreshing child-like optimism and clear-hearted melodies. An acoustic demo of "Right Between the Eyes" is a beautiful representation of Nash's deceptive simplicity. Reflections boasts a hefty number of previously unreleased tracks but many are actually alternate mixes, interesting but not an emptying of the vaults in terms of undiscovered songs. If Neil Young represents the harder edge of the CSNY ensemble then Nash stands as the group's most sincere and laid-back member, as many of the later tracks included here are pleasant soft rock.