Nash offers "Reflections," gets busy with CSN

Nash offers "Reflections," gets busy with CSN


By Gary Graff Gary Graff – Mon Feb 2, 6:08 pm ET

DETROIT (Billboard) – As his "Reflections" box set is released Tuesday (February 3), Graham Nash is already busy with a number of other projects -- including a new Crosby, Stills & Nash covers album the trio is making with producer Rick Rubin.

"I just had David and Stephen at my house in Hawaii for 10 days, and I've heard glimpses of some really great stuff," Nash told Billboard.com. But he doesn't want to reveal the songs they're working on "until we've sat down in front of Rick and played him all the stuff we have for the record."

That will happen in mid-February. "We'll go see Rick Rubin and play it all for him. If he thinks we're ready, we'll probably go into the studio within a week and get to work," he said.

Nash -- who performs Monday night (February 2) at a show to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Buddy Holly's last concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa -- said that CSN plans to tour this year to commemorate the 40th anniversary of their first album.

He's also starting work on a Stills box set, which he predicts will exceed the three-disc length of his own "Reflections" and Crosby's "Voyage" in 2006, which Nash co-produced.

"Stephen's box set is going to be much more difficult to put together because of the volume of music," Nash noted. "He was a recording fool. He would stay in (the studio) for days and record lots and lots of things."

That includes a tape of Stills jamming with Jimi Hendrix. Of that material, Nash said that he and Stills will determine "if there's enough to make a separate disc."

Concurrently, Nash is working on a Crosby Nash live disc from acoustic shows in 1993, and a benefit album for the Children's Defense Fund consisting of hit songs for which he and Crosby sang backup.

As for "Reflections" -- which features four unreleased songs and a wealth of unreleased mixes amidst its 64 tracks -- Nash said the project "was a little difficult for me, because I pride myself on not looking back and ... being much more interested in the song we're writing now and the show I'm gonna do in a week. But I was forced to look back at my musical life, and it was very interesting. Seeing all that stuff and what I wrote about emotions and love and tears and laughter and anger, it was quite a journey. I came away with the feeling that I might be worth a s--t."

Reuters/Billboard