Manassas - Down The Road (1973)

"Down The Road" is the second and last album by Stephen Stills' band Manassas. It was released in 1973.

Unfortunately this was the last gasp for Manassas as Stephen Stills was again moving on. In retrospect he should have realized that this band was a keeper.

All the musicians from the classic first release were back. Drummer Dallas Taylor, guitarist Chris Hillman, percussionist Joe Lala, pianist Al Perkins, bassist Fuzzy Samuels, and steel guitarist Al Perkins formed a tight and talented unit. They were also a notable live band. Stills, Hillman, and Taylor shared production chores for the second album in a row.

Members of the group wrote or co-wrote five of the ten tracks with Stills. That means Stills took a solo writing credit for the other five, which was a much smaller percentage than the first album and may say something about his overall commitment. There is a lot of listenable material here. “Isn’t It About Time” is a hard edged rocker with Joe Walsh bringing his guitar virtuosity to the mix. “Down The Road” is another competent rock tune. Even Chris Hillman gets into the rock ‘n’ roll act on “Lies” with his lyrics about superficial love. “Rollin’ The Stone” is the final track and it sends Manassas rocking into the night. To truly appreciate this track you need to turn your stereo system up to near sonic levels, sit back, and hang on to something.

One of the favorite track may be “Pensamiento” which is a nice Latin influenced rock fusion piece with Stills providing some stellar piano work.

"Down The Road" remains very representative of early seventies rock. It was also a farewell to one of the better bands of its time.

Track listing

01.  Isn't It About Time (Stills)  - 3:02

02.  Lies (Hillman)  - 2:55

03.  Pensamiento (Escoto, Stills)  - 2:36

04.  So Many Times (Hillman, Stills)  - 3:30

05.  Business on the Street (Stills)  - 2:55

06.  Do You Remember the Americans (Stills)  - 2:05

07.  Down the Road (Stills)  - 3:16

08.  City Junkies (Stills)  - 2:50

09.  Guaguancó de Veró (Lala, Stills)  - 2:51

10.  Rollin' My Stone (Samuel, Stills)  - 4:50

Personnel

Stephen Stills - guitar, piano, bass, vocals

Dallas Taylor - drums

Chris Hillman - guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals

Joe Lala - percussion, vocals

Al Perkins - guitar, pedal steel guitar, banjo

Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuel - bass, vocals

Paul Harris - piano

Joe Walsh - slide guitar

Bobby Whitlock - keyboards

Sydney George - flute

Jerry Aiello - organ

Charlie Grimes - guitar

Guille Garcia - percussion

Lachy Espinol - percussion

Pat Arnold - vocals

Notes
Released:  April 23, 1973

Genre:   Country Rock

Length:  30:50

Label:  Atlantic

Producer:  Stephen Stills, Chris Hillman, Dallas Taylor

(36) Manassas - Manassas (1972)

Manassas was an American rock band, formed by Stephen Stills in 1971.
"Manassas" is their 1972 debut double album.
Rock, folk, blues, country, Latin, and bluegrass have all been styles touched on in Stephen Stills' career, and the skilled, energetic musicians he had gathered in Manassas played them all on this album. What could have been a disorganized mess in other hands, though, here all gelled together and formed a cohesive musical statement. The songs are thematically grouped: part one (side one on the original vinyl release) is titled "The Raven," and is a composite of rock and Latin sounds that the group would often perform in full live. "The Wilderness" mainly centers on country and bluegrass (Chris Hillman's and Al Perkins' talents coming to the forefront), with the track "So Begins the Task" later covered by Stills' old flame Judy Collins. Part three, "Consider" is largely folk and folk-rock. "Johnny's Garden," reportedly for the caretaker at Stills' English manor house and not for John Lennon as is often thought, is a particular highlight. Two other notables from the "Consider" section are "It Doesn't Matter" (later redone with different lyrics by the song's uncredited co-writer Rick Roberts on the first Firefall album) and "Move Around," which features some of the first synthesizer used in a rock context. The closing section, titled "Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay," is a rock and blues set with one of the landmarks of Manassas' short life, the epic "The Treasure." A sort of Zen-like meditation on love and "oneness," enlivened by the band's most inspired recorded playing it evolves into a bluesy groove washed in Stills' fierce electric slide playing. The delineation lines of the four themed song groupings aren't cut in stone, though, and one of the strengths of the album is that there is a lot of overlap in styles throughout.

Track listing

The Raven
1.  Song of Love  (Stephen Stills)  - 3:28
2.  Medley  - 3:34
     (a) Rock & Roll Crazies  (Stephen Stills, Dallas Taylor)
     (b) Cuban Bluegrass  (Stephen Stills, Joe Lala)
3.  Jet Set (Sigh)  (Stephen Stills)  - 4:25
4.  Anyway  (Stephen Stills)  - 3:21
5.  Both of Us (Bound to Lose)  (Stephen Stills, Chris Hillman)  - 3:00

The Wilderness
1.  Fallen Eagle  (Stephen Stills)  - 2:03
2.  Jesus Gave Love Away for Free  (Stephen Stills)  - 2:59
3.  Colorado  (Stephen Stills)  - 2:50
4.  So Begins the Task  (Stephen Stills)  - 3:57
5.  Hide It So Deep  (Stephen Stills)  - 2:44
6.  Don't Look at My Shadow  (Stephen Stills)  - 2:30

Consider
1.  It Doesn't Matter  (Chris Hillman, Rick Roberts, Stephen Stills)  - 2:30
2.  Johnny's Garden  (Stephen Stills)  - 2:45
3.  Bound to Fall  (Mike Brewer, Tom Mastin)  - 1:53
4.  How Far  (Stephen Stills)  - 2:49
5.  Move Around  (Stephen Stills)  - 4:15
6.  The Love Gangster  (Stephen Stills, Bill Wyman)  - 2:51

Rock & Roll is Here to Stay
1.  What to Do  (Stephen Stills)  - 4:44
2.  Right Now  (Stephen Stills)  - 2:58
3.  The Treasure (Take One)  (Stephen Stills)  - 8:03
4.  Blues Man  (Stephen Stills) (In tribute: Jimi Hendrix, Al Wilson, Duane Allman)  - 4:04

Released:  April 12, 1972
Recorded:  Criteria Sound Studios, Miami, Florida
Genre:  Country Rock
Length:  70:07
Label:  Atlantic Records
Producer:  Stephen Stills, Chris Hillman, Dallas Taylor

Personnel
Stephen Stills - vocals, guitar, bottleneck guitar, piano, organ, electric piano, clavinette
Chris Hillman - vocals, guitar, mandolin
Al Perkins - pedal steel guitar, guitar, vocals
Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuel - bass
Paul Harris - organ, tack piano, piano, organ, electric piano, clavinette
Dallas Taylor - drums
Joe Lala - percussion, vocals
Sydney George - harmonica
Jerry Aiello - piano, organ, electric piano, clavinette
Bill Wyman - bass
Roger Bush - acoustic bass
Byron Berline - fiddle
Jerry Garcia - pedal steel guitar