CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG: FIFTY BY FOUR (2014)

Not my generation, so although they are already well documented and I like a lot of the songs, there was plenty in here I didn't know. Pretty comprehensive, time-wise as well. Starts with Buffalo Springfield, then goes to the Laurel Canyon scene and the formation to CSN. They needed a touring band after recording the first album, so they tried some people, then added Young who had clashed with Stills in Buffalo Springfield. Then, over the years, the four released records in different permutations of between one and four people. Lots of coke was consumed. Follows the band all the way through to the Bush2 era.

Some things I learned: There was more than one song that I thought was released by a different combination of CSNY. Young was pretty non-political, but was influenced by Crosby. At one point, they had to bring backup people on tour because Crosby was hoovering so much coke that he was unreliable on stage. Young said he would rejoin the four person unit if Crosby got clean, which he did. Stills was really the driving force behind the band. Crosby's girlfriend died while they were recording an LP. They were booed by the crowds pretty hard in the midwest and south in the mid 2000s when they played a song about impeaching Bush.

The film also talked about them basically representing the excess of rock in the 70s, which seems pretty accurate.

Good movie.