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David Crosby — Laughing
Album: If I Could Only Remember My Name
Avg rating:
7.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2086









Released: 1971
Length: 5:17
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I though I met a man who said he knew a man
Who knew what was going on
I was mistaken, only another stranger that I knew

And I thought that I'd found the light
To guide me through my nights and all my darkness
I was mistaken, it was only reflections of a shadow that I saw

And I thought I've seen someone who seemed at last
To know the truth
I was mistaken, only a child laughing in the sun

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh in the sun
Comments (159)add comment
 thewiseking wrote:

How bout a rename to Young and Still, Nash and Crosby..............io descending order



Have you considered therapy for your pathological cynicism?
 philonair wrote:

R.I.P. David Crosby. I Still got the first C,S,N Album from 1969 on vinyl, and i love it!




Ditto.
Hard to believe he's been gone for over a year already (May 24, '24 now). It's difficult  losing so many artists that were part of one's musical development/imprinting.
I think his new music of recent years--Here If You Listen, Skytrails, and Lighthouse--is just as beautiful as the music he made when he was "at the top of his game."  Miss him dearly.
Thanks RP! Much appreciated! 
 buddy wrote:
Actually, David at the top of his game. {#Wink}


To have such success so early in life, it's the ultimate drug isn't it?  You chase that high for the remainder of your life.  As evinced by his life from that point onward.  So it goes I suppose.  
Listening to this today - to think no more David Crosby, no more Gerry Garcia - are we not the lucky ones to have these albums and tracks and memories!
RIP
I've had many wonderful years of listening/watching David  - with The Byrds, Solo, and with the Guys.

He took harmony to another level. 

Thank you 
💔
RIP 
For me - this IS the track that shows off David Crosby's voice - and the harmonies with Graham Nash are so special - I just love it - whenever this is played on RP I just have to stop - trun up the volume and listen - thank you David Crosby and RIP 19-Jan-23
RIP Crosby. With the life he lived I always suspected he'd be the first to go.  His debut album was panned on original release (Village Voice called it "a disgraceful performance") but it's critical reputation has increased over the years. Love the slow burn of this track.
Bill -thanks for the quick response on the playlist.  RIP David.
 philonair wrote:

R.I.P. David Crosby. I Still got the first C,S,N Album from 1969 on vinyl, and i love it!


Wow. That would be an amazing thing to have. CSN(Y) were such a huge part of my childhood, and I go back to them when the world is overwhelming. Their music helps me feel like it's going to be OK. I haven't listened to much solo Crosby, but I should.

ETA: dang it, Bill. How dare you make me cry with your heartfelt (and accurate) words.
R.I.P. David Crosby. I Still got the first C,S,N Album from 1969 on vinyl, and i love it!
Flashbacks!!!
Thank you thank you for playing some Crosby.  I hare a lot of Nash and a lot of Young on RP but not as much Crosby as I'd like.
Love hearing the subtle / not-so-subtle sound of Joni Mitchell in the background
Well Bill and Rebecca - today started with Sheep from Floyd and ends with Laughing from David Crosby  - what a better way to start the weekend - thank you from London!
Brings back so many memories. Great harmonies One of a kind for sure!
Love that bass slap-around.
 thewiseking wrote:

How bout a rename to Young and Still, Nash and Crosby..............io descending order

if you're talking simply reverse alpha, sure - it's a great trick if testing for sobriety or dementia

 thewiseking wrote:

How bout a rename to Young and Still, Nash and Crosby..............io descending order



Your name should be the very last then.
I hear Joni.  https://youtu.be/yerIf1lS3_Y
Never get tired of hearing that short-scaled Guild bass backing up by that soaring steel.
God Like?  No, better!!!!
How bout a rename to Young and Still, Nash and Crosby..............io descending order
The sun is out - it is a beautiful early autumn late afternoon - thanks Bill
Perfect thank you oh almighty RP folks! 🧡🎶🧡
Marvellous
 chinaski wrote:
Posted 3 years ago but worth repeating:
Recorded in the same studio at the same time and with the same cast of musicians and singers as was for Jefferson Starship's Blows Against the Empire. Don't know why I didin't like it back in the day but over the years it's become top shelf material.
 
 
 

Even if the original comment was more than 4 years ago - it's a Saturday afternoon - the sun is out for a change!  I'll pull this Jefferson starshipout of my record collection, blow off the dust, place it on the turntable and , with eyes closed, listen to the whole album!
This may be my most favorite song of all time. I'm so wrapped up with it emotionally being one of three albums I bought the Summer of '72 while living in a shack on Cape Cod with two other guys (the other albums being ELP's Trilogy and Jackson Browne's Saturate Before Using). God but we played the grooves off of those three albums, and when the mood and moment were just right we'd play Crosby's solo album and skip straight to Laughing and just get lost in the harmonies, the thrill of hearing members of other bands that I loved making their unmistakable contribution to the song-Jack Casady's thumpy bass and Garcia's otherworldly pedal steel (God, but I wish he'd played that thing more; I loved his take on the instrument) and then it gets to that crescendo of harmony toward the end of the song and suddenly Joni Mitchell's voice gets a little more attention in the mix and she hits that impossibly high note that just sends the thing over the top.
Anyway, it was a great summer and this song always takes me right back to that place and time. 
Lost all respect for david after he dissed EVH
 jagdriver wrote:
Classic Tracks: David Crosby's "Laughing"

A number of years later, Garcia himself noted that during that era when he was playing steel on a lot of albums, “The nicest thing I did during that period was on Crosby's solo album. I like what I did on that, generally speaking. I particularly like the pedal steel on ‘Laughing.’ That was some of the prettiest and most successful of what I was trying to get at at that time.”
 

It blew me away when I found out that Jerry was playing pedal steel here. He does a great job. 
yes to all the comments bell...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! Magical slide 
 allenrudd wrote:
Garcia makes this song.
Garcia playing slide guitar?  Has to be.... loved it!
Sheer bliss , the word 'classic' is over used, but this album must surely rank as a real classic.
Garcia makes this song.
Perfect. Just perfect.
 
Thank you Bill!
One of the greatest musician of his generation. And a masterpiece.
This is the first album I ever purchased.  Fabulous 
 bluehz wrote:
Always brings a calm to my spirit when I hear this song. It's not even that great of a song - just something about it - it's like a MOOD IN A BOTTLE.
 
You're right, enough so that I'm going to +1 to an 8.  LLRP!!
Always brings a calm to my spirit when I hear this song. It's not even that great of a song - just something about it - it's like a MOOD IN A BOTTLE.
Thanks Bill!
Thanks RP!  Moved me to buy this reissue vinyl.
moved from 9 to 10.    He still sounds amazing and I love it.
This song has me thinking about a hammock
 Proclivities wrote:

If there were they must have been ones that limited his lyric-writing range to that of a twelve-year-old.
 
I agree, but doesn't it just sound so lush?  I am always disappointed when it ends.
Still love this- I think I'll leave my office early - put this on - drive home, top down and enjoy a late winter sunny afternoon in London - afterwards I'll play Jefferson's 'Have you Seen the Stars Tonite' just to complete a Jerry Garcia afternoon!! 
Posted 3 years ago but worth repeating:
Recorded in the same studio at the same time and with the same cast of musicians and singers as was for Jefferson Starship's Blows Against the Empire. Don't know why I didin't like it back in the day but over the years it's become top shelf material.
 
 
 midnightcurry wrote:
pure bliss!
 
{#Yes}
Actually, David at the top of his game. {#Wink}
Jerry at the top of his game
 prs wrote:
There is something very special about David Crosby and Graham Nash harmonies - even when you hear them, out of the blue, on the two David Gilmour albums - who's playing that steel guitar?

ps - I should have looked back through the thread - it is Jerry Garcia!!

 
I haven't read the liner notes (remember those?) in a lot of years,  but my recollection is that this track was basically Crosby and the Dead together with some special backing vocals. Garcia on pedal steel, Lesh on bass, and you can hear Joni Mitchell in the harmonies.
This time, I realize that I hear a resonance of it in Jason Isbell's Children of Children; he weaves sonic tapestry with similar harmonics.
This time hearing it, I realize that I hear a resonance of it in Jason Isbell's work; he is weaving sonic tapestry with the same harmonics.
pure bliss!
Thanks Bill - what a great wake-up track for a grey, rainy morning in London
 bb_matt wrote:
I wonder if there were any drugs involved in the creation of these lyrics. 

 
If there were they must have been ones that limited his lyric-writing range to that of a twelve-year-old.
 bb_matt wrote:
I wonder if there were any drugs involved in the creation of these lyrics. 

 
Maybe. Probably. 
And...?
Let's start a documented list of songs, symphonies, movies, books, paintings, theater, etc. created, composed and/or performed under the influence of drugs and booze. Gonna be a L-O-N-G fucking list. 
 
This song is… good for the ears!
There is something very special about David Crosby and Graham Nash harmonies - even when you hear them, out of the blue, on the two David Gilmour albums - who's playing that steel guitar?

ps - I should have looked back through the thread - it is Jerry Garcia!!


California dreamin' on such a winter's day

Just too good
I wonder if there were any drugs involved in the creation of these lyrics. 
 Will62 wrote:
 Agree but Deja Vu is mighty close.

 
I agree with both of you!
 ppopp wrote:
The best album to come out of any element/s of the CSN&Y stable is this one. Pure genius.

  Agree but Deja Vu is mighty close.


 Chrisjea wrote:

Where is the Plus 10 button?  Just great listening

 

Thank you Bill



 
You're Welcome
Listened to this very album (yes - real vinyl) just yesterday.

A sublime 10
So much meaning to this song.
Like Excalibur in the stone awaiting the worthy hand to wield it so too were Martin guitars created in 1833 awaiting the individual and collective hands of CSN&Y to release the beauty built within. IMO none before or since have done what they have with Martins.
I fear the more I delve into how-to's, the more I forget about not to's.
Crosby's best, 
by far 
One of my all time favorite albums.Played it a lot when it first came out.  I was also holding my 3 week old son and he turned his head to the sound when "Orleans" came on. We didn't know babies heard in-utero back then but he obviously had been listening  all along and liked it.  I just thought he was going to be another Jimmy Page or something. He wasn't but he still loves rock and roll.

Where is the Plus 10 button?  Just great listening

 

Thank you Bill


If I Could Only Remember My Name was recorded in the same time period with the same cadre of musicians as was Blows Against the Empire and the P.E.R.R.O sessions. That might explain some similarities. Imagine them all hanging out together. Read about it here: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Could_Only_Remember_My_Name
I never ever tire of this song. It's poignant and wistful...  stately...  and so well crafted that it's damn near perfect.  The entire album is fantastic and doesn't sound a bit dated. I bought last year's release Croz and was not disappointed. Those wanting to compare it to this are missing the point. He still has something to say - albeit differently.  This ranks with Hot Tuna's The Water Song as one of my Top Five ongs of all time.
what beautiful lyrics
This is really a nice trippy song. First time I heard it. 
 colt4x5 wrote:

You recall correctly. He's credited with guitar and pedal steel, as well as vocals on "What Are Their Names."
The performing personnel lineup on this album is staggering:
Crosby
Graham Nash
Jerry Garcia
Neil Young
Jorma Kaukonen
Laura Allan
Gregg Rolie
Phil Lesh
Jack Casady
Bill Kreutzmann
Michael Shrieve
Mickey Hart
Joni Mitchell
David Freiburg
Paul Kantner
Grace Slick 
Wow. 

 
Also appearing on 3 tracks, the pizza delivery guy, and the kitchen sink.
The best album to come out of any element/s of the CSN&Y stable is this one. Pure genius.
 colt4x5 wrote:

You recall correctly. He's credited with guitar and pedal steel, as well as vocals on "What Are Their Names."
The performing personnel lineup on this album is staggering:
Crosby
Graham Nash
Jerry Garcia
Neil Young
Jorma Kaukonen
Laura Allan
Gregg Rolie
Phil Lesh
Jack Casady
Bill Kreutzmann
Michael Shrieve
Mickey Hart
Joni Mitchell
David Freiburg
Paul Kantner
Grace Slick 
Wow. 

 
WOOOOOOOOOOO BABY WHAT A CREW!!!   
 Gregorama wrote:
Timeless perfection. If I recall correctly, Jerry Garcia played the Steel Guitar on this album.

Pure beauty. 
 
You recall correctly. He's credited with guitar and pedal steel, as well as vocals on "What Are Their Names."
The performing personnel lineup on this album is staggering:
Crosby
Graham Nash
Jerry Garcia
Neil Young
Jorma Kaukonen
Laura Allan
Gregg Rolie
Phil Lesh
Jack Casady
Bill Kreutzmann
Michael Shrieve
Mickey Hart
Joni Mitchell
David Freiburg
Paul Kantner
Grace Slick 
Wow. 
A most beautiful song, from what seems a lifetime ago. Thanks!
Timeless perfection. If I recall correctly, Jerry Garcia played the Steel Guitar on this album.

Pure beauty. 
 luv4music wrote:
David Crosby has publicly thanked Phil Lesh many times for his bass playing "making" this song so great.  Amen!

 
Probably the greatest D note in bass history kicking off the song.
A fine example of a tune as perhaps as perfectly crafted as can be done, and a fine synchronistic time indeed to be hearing it; Thanks!
 tpwals wrote:
Got to be David Crosbys best song ever
 
Absolutely, yes!  This has been an inspiration for me for decades.  It got me through some pretty tough times.  Joni Mitchell's haunting background always gives me chills.

Always wanted to make a video to this one for him.

Got to be David Crosbys best song ever
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
Harry Pearson played this for me on his high end equipment in Seacliff a few years ago. I'd not heard it before to my recollection. So when I heard this on my morning commute today I turned it up to 11.  hp left this world last week. May he RIP.
A college friend turned me on to this album while I was visiting her at her family's place just outside Teton National Park. This song totally takes me back to the first few listens of this great album cruising on the highway above the Snake River, the Tetons looming larger than life, the afternoon sun softly streaming through the windows, Jerry's slide cuts in and life is good indeed! ahh....

 
 luv4music wrote:
David Crosby has publicly thanked Phil Lesh many times for his bass playing "making" this song so great.  Amen!

 
Amen, indeed. One of the best, sweetest, fleeting moments of an era that's so far behind us but was so damn fine.
David Crosby has publicly thanked Phil Lesh many times for his bass playing "making" this song so great.  Amen!
Beautiful stuff.  Seems to have inspired so much that came after.


About new Crosby's 2014 studio album "CROZ",  Crosby says: 

"I wanted to challenge myself. Most guys my age would have done a covers record or duets on old material. This won't be a huge hit. It'll probably sell nineteen copies. I don't think kids are gonna dig it, but I'm not making it for them. I'm making it for me. I have this stuff that I need to get off my chest."

He also spoke about why they decided to release the album independently, saying: "We didn't have any money. None. We could have gone and gotten a deal, but everybody in the music business is very leery about the big companies and what kind of lifespan they might have. Most people are doing it on their own, so that's what we did."

He also spoke about how he got Mark Knopfler to play guitar on "What's Broken", saying: "That was a huge piece of generosity on Mark's part. We sent him the song and he just fucking killed it. He did me a huge favor and we don't even know each other. He's just brilliant." He went on to explain how he got Wynton Marsalis to play trumpet on "Holding on to Nothing", saying: "He's a consummate musician. "I took a chance and asked him and he just said, 'Yeah, send me the tape.' What he played was just beautiful. He has tone for days.

Aaron Lavery of "Drowned in Sound" gave the album a six out ten, saying "Anyone expecting a Bowie-esque return to centre stage or a fiery riposte in the style of Neil Young will be disappointed – but Crosby has never been a master of reinvention or an instinctive musical wanderer. If you’re looking for a neat musical reminder that David Crosby is one of the most influential men of his era – and can still sparkle with some of that same musical magic today, Croz is a worthy listen"





man back in the day that man could fill a hall with his voice, a cappella.
Superb
He could throw together a not to bad back up band also   {#Clap} 
Great Great Album!
Beautiful and soothing. I miss those CSN&Y days. Thank you for including this in today's afternoon line-up. {#Daisy} BTW, I know this isn'T CSN&Y, I just miss those days. :)


"What's Broken" is a song included on Crosby's 2014 studio album "Croz" It is his first studio album in 20 years. Interesting collaboration with Mark Knopfler on guitar, and Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, in the song "Holding on to Nothing". Amazing.


 calypsus_1 wrote:
Personnel Studio-album-

Laughing:
David Crosby - guitar, vocals
Graham Nash - vocals
Joni Mitchell - vocals
Jerry Garcia - pedal steel guitar
Phil Lesh - bass
Bill Kreutzmann - drums, tambourine

What Are Their Names:
David Crosby - guitar
Neil Young - guitar
Jerry Garcia - 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) - vocals


 
Wow, great sound
Not half bad Bill.. ;)  Just knowing, that we're all just passing through...just be decent to each other for crying out loud.  :)
The whole album is very worthwhile harmonic listening.
Really nice period piece! I love the ensemble of talent on display here; similar group as was on Kantner's rad Blows Against The Empire...
 kcar wrote:
Pretty cool: trip country, or folkadelic...with a hint of Indian influence. 

Can someone please, please tell me why Melissa Etheridge chose 58 year old David Crosby to be the biological father of her kids, especially after his near death from drug use and multiple health issues?  

  yes Crosby is scary, but was behind some awesome music, and you can hope that passes along to the child in a strong way

"So I'm sailing for tomorrow, my dreams are a-dyin'
And my love is an anchor tied to you, tied with a silver chain
I have my ship and all her flags are a-flyin'
She is all that I have left, and music is her name
Think about
Think about how many times I have fallen
Spirits are using me, larger voices callin'
What heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten
(I've been around the world) I have been around the world
(Lookin') Lookin' for that woman girl
Who knows love can endure
And you know it will
And you know it will"

 kcar wrote:
Pretty cool: trip country, or folkadelic...with a hint of Indian influence. 

Can someone please, please tell me why Melissa Etheridge chose 58 year old David Crosby to be the biological father of her kids, especially after his near death from drug use and multiple health issues?  

 
Kcar: 

"... please tell me why Melissa Etheridge chose 58 year old David Crosby to be the biological father of her kids, "

No offense against the artists but perhaps because she's just as wacked as he is/was?  Who knows what runs through the minds of such people.

 But, it means nada and has zero impact in my life, so I wish them well with the decision.  If I was mentor to the child, though, I think I'd council staying away from certain substances.  The genetic dice are probably loaded in that regard, and not in their favor either.

So it goes.

Highlow
American Net'Zen
Pretty cool: trip country, or folkadelic...with a hint of Indian influence. 

Can someone please, please tell me why Melissa Etheridge chose 58 year old David Crosby to be the biological father of her kids, especially after his near death from drug use and multiple health issues?  

2/6/14 update: Absolutely love this song. Jerry Garcia's steel pedal guitar work is amazing. And hey kids, another reason to dig this album!: 


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Could_Only_Remember_My_Name

"The album gained new recognition in 2010 when it was listed second on the Vatican's "Top 10 Pop Albums of All Time" as published in the official newspaper of the Holy See, L'Osservatore Romano. "


You just cannot make this stuff up.  
 Baketown wrote:
I have it on Vinyl,  priceless!

 
me too!
First time ever hearing this tune. A snowy Sunday morning and a sonically blissful tune with Crosby's voice like butter in the background.
Exquisite.  Pass the Owsley please...
One if the truly "perfect" recordings....timeless
 k-man wrote:
Oh man, Lesh on that Gibson bass.... What an astronaut.
 
I thought it sounded like Jack Casady. You sure it's Phil? I'll have to look into this...may be a purchase required too!

ETA: guess I shoulda done more back-scrolling. I can see this has been well-discussed!

ETAA: and holy cow, it was me making this same claim! Hahahaha{#Bounce}
 k-man wrote:
Oh man, Lesh on that Gibson bass.... What an astropsychonaut.
 
FYT
Classic Tracks: David Crosby's "Laughing"

A number of years later, Garcia himself noted that during that era when he was playing steel on a lot of albums, “The nicest thing I did during that period was on Crosby's solo album. I like what I did on that, generally speaking. I particularly like the pedal steel on ‘Laughing.’ That was some of the prettiest and most successful of what I was trying to get at at that time.”
I have it on Vinyl,  priceless!
What a trip, man!

Perfect late night surreal, aural journey into meditative bliss.
 black321 wrote:
How did i miss this album all through my college years and 20s? Now a favorite.
 
yeah...wow.
How did i miss this album all through my college years and 20s? Now a favorite.
Oh man, Lesh on that Gibson bass.... What an astronaut.
An amazing song by a great artist, and one of the most underrated albums of it's era. Artists participating on the album include Graham Nash, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Grace Slick, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, David's brother Ethan, David Freiberg, Jack Casady,  Greg Rolie, Michael Shrieve, Laura Allan, and others not credited. If you're into this era and these artists, it's a must-have.

A great underrated album!