Long time gone (Crosby revisited)

David Crosby died on this day last year aged 81. For much of his life he seemed to epitomise the prevailing counter culture that had sprung up in the late 60s & early 70s. A stoner* for sure, yet Crosby was capable of writing some of the most sublime songs, not just of the times, but songs that are still revered to this day. You need look no further than the first album he recorded with Graham Nash and Stephen Stills: it's littered with them. I'm going to go with Long Time Gone. If you have a spare few minutes then I implore you to check out the version on Tom Jones' TV show in late '69, together with future band mate Neil Young on guitar.

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Long Time Gone (1969)

Talking about Crosby, I was up on Merseyside at the weekend gadding about and, once again, found myself being drawn to Antony Gormley's Iron Men on Crosby Beach. I took some friends who'd never seen them before; it was interesting watching their reaction when they saw them for the first time. I've decided Liverpool will become an annual pilgrimage. I love the city. I love the people. I love the vibe. What more can I say? I know BlogCon24 is currently in the planning stages - if you'e looking for a host city...

Before I go, and keeping with the Crosby theme, I recently found this photo of me. It was probably taken  a couple of years before we left Nottingham, so that dates it around 2008. We'd lived on Crosby Road a little shy of twenty years. I've always said had we have hit the twenty mark we may never have left. Talk about a fork in the road; that would have changed the complexion of this blog for sure, make no mistake. (I may pick this up at a later date - my head is clear now so I can talk about it without all the baggage I'd previously been dragging around.) 

* Not sure how he squared the circle in later life when he brought out his own brand of weed - Mighty Croz, It  probably seemed like a good idea at the time but it's his songs, I hope, that we'll remember him by.