David Crosby – If I Could Only Remember My Name-50th Anniv. (LP 2021 Reissue)

Singer-songwriter David Crosby’s solo debut, If I Could Only Remember My Name, was dismissed by critics when it came out in 1971. Over the years, however, appreciation has grown for the album’s adventurous aesthetic, stacked harmonies and haunting lyrics about loss and confusion. Billed as Crosby’s solo debut, the album was anything but a one-man project.
Instead, it was one of his most collaborative efforts, featuring an all-star cast of players that included members of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Santana, along with Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and others.
If I Could Only Remember My Name was recorded throughout 1970 and early 1971 as Crosby was dealing with the shocking death of girlfriend Christine Hinton, and the overwhelming success of CSN/CSNY.
“I’m fuckin’ lucky”. “I don’t know if I have two weeks left of life or 10 years, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is what you do with the time. If you sit there on your butt and worry about dying, then you fucking wasted it. I haven’t been wasting it. I’m having a really good time, and feeling wonderfully about it. Sooner or later, something is going to break. Right now, my life is pretty great.”
This reissue goes a long way to completing Crosby’s life and creative cycle that, now at 80, remains vibrant and shows no sign of slowing down soon.