If I Could Only Remember My Name...
(1971, Atlantic SD-7203)

Track: Music Is Love [3:16]
Recorded in: Heider's Studio C

Actually derived from a "log tape" running while the song was worked out with Messrs.. Nash,Crosby & Young, then David left the studio (A&M studio C in LA), and Graham and Neil worked on into the night on it. On one of the first Croz sessions at Heiders, Nash walked into the room and delivered a 2 track to David, a completed mix of the song. Graham was a bit put off when I asked him for the eight track so I could remix; I think he thought the piece was done.... The phasing came about while I was trying to wild-sync the original work tape back onto the 8 track master (the original transfer was distorted). David walked in and loved it and it was my idea to hold off the phasing until the song kicked in.

The date I get out of the Nash Library where the master is stored is "8/23/70". That sounds about right and dovetails with the events that followed.

1. CN & Y were goofing around on that day in A&M's little studio C in Los Angeles Ca. (Joni's room where everything from 'Blue' to 'Heijera' were recorded) and the basic track for "Music Is Love" had evolved. Multiple takes were done and were recorded, and still exist on a mono full track tape.

2. Henry Lewy was indeed the engineer, and apparently Crosby left after the take was made and thought nothing more about it until we started the solo record (IICORMN) around 11/70.

3. Nash and Neil proceeded, perhaps the same night after David left, to embellish the original log tape.

4. Henry was apparently instructed to copy the log tape take to an 8 track, which I later discovered had not been aligned and the levels were way off, causing massive distortion on the peaks. I know this because the audio on the 8 track version of the performance was bad and the mono log was not distorted at all. The overdub tracks, however were properly aligned, which might indicate some work on another day, such as the vibes and percussion or other vocals.

5. Nash appeared at Crosby's solo session and presented him with a finished mix of MIL which he loved. Nash thought the song was done. I asked Nash to get me the 8 track so I could mix it again. He was a bit put off by this, seeing as he thought it was complete. But I had a hunch that it could be improved.

6. When I put the 8 track up and compared against the log, I had realized what had happened and the distortion really bothered me. So I took the log tape and attempted to put it wild onto an open track, using a VSO to lock it in. This, of course when monitored with the original, created a phasing effect. When Crosby heard that, he ran in and said 'what the hell is THAT?' -- he loved the phasing, which had not become a common effect yet.

There were no digital boxes to do 'phasing', and only a handful of records had used the effect although it was well known in the audio world. The first hit record using phasing was 'The Big Hurt' by a female singer in the '50s named Toni Fisher. When I was a kid, that record came out and I had discovered the effect for myself by recording a record on tape and then synchronizing with the original and mixing them together. So I had, in theory, done it before.

7. I can only assume the original reason for their meeting in that studio on that day. Perhaps they were listening to remote tapes that would become 4WS. I had not met Henry until 1979, when Joni presented 'Mingus' to the Elektra staff, of which I was a member at the time.


Crosby, Nash & Young	Live to mono basic track, vocals, guitar
Neil Young	Bass Congas & Vibes o/d

Track: Cowboy Movie [8:02]
Recorded in: Heider's Studio C

Another song that almost got away.... Recorded completely live, and an early rough mix as well... Crosby pulled this song out only twice (never demoed) and blew all of out minds.... I was using really thin tape at the time, Scotch 207, because I was mixing at 30 ips and needed slightly more than 15 minutes per reel (side).
We tried to mix this many times, but finally went back to a rough mix from earlier. Both channels severely limited with UREI 1176 limiters with no stereo link, so the center image floats around. Another example of my 'not knowing any better' with good results.

David Crosby	Vocals & Electric Guitar & Electric Guitar Double
Jerry Garcia	Lead Guitar Left and Right
Phil Lesh	Bass
Mickey Hart	Drums
Bill Kreutzmann	Tambourine

Tamalpais High (At About 3) [3:28]
Recorded in Heider's Studio A & C

Basic tracks actually recorded by the RCA guys, Maurice Iraci and Allan Zentz. I recorded all of the vocals and added the Garcia overdubs. And mixed it.

David Crosby	Electric Guitar & Multiple Vocal
Phil Lesh	Bass
Jorma Kaukonen	Lead Guitar
Jerry Garcia	Lead Guitar
Bill Kreutzmann	Drums

Laughing [5:20]

Recorded in: Heider's Studio C

The most magical track of all; it happened so fast, I remember little about recording and mixing this. Track with Phil,Bill, and Croz... overdubs with Garcia on Steel,Multiple vocals and a small Joni part. All in a day or so. Unknown to me at the time, Crosby had been woodshedding this and other tunes on this record for years, waiting for this moment.

David Crosby	Electric and Gigantic Acoustic Guitar & Multiple Vocal
Jerry Garcia	Pedal Steel Guitar
Phil Lesh	Bass
Bill Kreutzmann	Drums & Tambourine
Joni Mitchell	"In the Sun" vocal

What Are Their Names [4:09]

Recorded in: Heider's Studio C

Another live track, made up by the entire band on the spot. Another example of our "record everything" policy at work! Various noodling by the guitars turns thematic after all, and lyrics penned by the Croz on an envelope were added the next day by the PERRO chorus (it was like a SF "WE ARE THE WORLD" experience ). There were not enough headphones for the singers, so I put the track up on the speakers for the singers' cues.

David Crosby	Electric Guitar, Lead Vocal
Jerry Garcia	Lead Guitar
Neil Young	Lead Guitar
Phil Lesh	Bass
Bill Kreutzmann	Drums
The PERRO chorus	David Crosby, Paul Kantner, Joni Mitchell, Grace Slick,Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, David Freiberg,Graham Nash

Traction In The Rain [3:40]
Recorded in: Heider's Studio C

Multiple Crosby acoustic guitars with live vocal and autoharp played by Laura Allan (heard playing and singing on the unreleased "Coast Road"). A section was duplicated on an 8 track so a verse with harmonies could be added (Crosby, Nash & Allan). Laura's autoharp was compressed beyond industry standards, and keeping with my experimental attitude, in stereo.

David Crosby	Guitar and Vocal
Laura Allan	Autoharp
Crosby, Nash, and Allan	Vocals

Song With No Words [5:53]
Recorded in: Heider's Studio A

Another RCA track, with vocals and Croz's acoustic overdubs recorded by me. Mixed in a couple of hours. Original tracking engineer: Allen Zentz

Crosby	Electric and Acoustic Guitar & Multiple Vocals
Graham Nash	Vocal
Jerry Garcia	Lead Guitar
Jorma Kaukonen	Lead Guitar
Greg Rolie	Piano
Michael Shrieve	Drums
Jack Casady	Bass

Orleans [1:56]

Recorded in: Heider's Studio A

Another song Dave had in his pocket for some time, we cut all of the vocals and guitars in an evening... all Dave. This is a Crosby arrangement of a traditional French folk song, with the lyrics being a list of some cathedrals in France. This was completed on the first day of recording.

David Crosby

Gigantic Acoustic Guitar & Multiple Vocals

I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here [1:19]

Recorded in: Heider's Studio A

Late at night.... very wasted.... just me and Croz and Ellen Burke (my lady and assistant at the time) in Heider's studio A SF (downstairs).... recording overdubs with echo chamber.... Croz starts dicking around with the echo..... asks me to put fresh tape on..... I record Crosby live singing with two tracks each pass, 5 passes of two tracks later, you have "I'd Swear"....... No other overdubs, no retakes, ever. 15 minutes of cosmic skydrop. I had never seen the Muse work so magically.

David Crosby

a capella vocal