The music world lost a legend with the passing of David Crosby last week at age 81. A California native, Crosby was twice honored for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, for folk band The Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash. His career spanned six decades and produced many memorable songs with his “angelic” voice and intoxicating lyrics. The Los Angeles Times played tribute to Crosby with a list of 12 essential songs. Here are few we have on repeat:
The Byrds, “Eight Miles High” (1966)
“The first real-deal psychedelic rock song? Many have made the case for this lush yet ferocious guitar jam about the lack of warmth “to be found among those afraid of losing their ground.” Co-written by Crosby and the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark — and later referenced by Don McLean in no less a rock history than “American Pie” — “Eight Miles High” went on to be covered by the likes of the Ventures, Roxy Music, Hüsker Dü, Tom Petty and the Netherlands’ Golden Earring, which stretched the song to a mind-obliterating 19 minutes.”
“I’d Swear There Was Somebody Here” (1971)
“Crosby’s own pick for his debut’s high point was the album’s haunting a cappella coda, which he called “probably the best piece of music I ever thought up” in a 2021 interview with The Times. Fans of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes can trace their faves back to here.”
“Rodriguez for a Night” (2021)
“Croz” launched a late-career resurgence for Crosby, who quickly followed the album with four more LPs on which he sounded as psyched to be writing and recording as he ever had. “For Free,” his most recent outing, peaked with this slinky jazz-funk song he co-wrote with Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, which he once tweeted was his “favorite band in the world, period.”
