Zack: Not long after we started this little venture
of ours, Emily and I were in a record store, killing time by flipping through
the used stacks. I noticed a copy of Déjà vu that I think was like $3 or so and
mentioned that it was on the list. Emily bought it, figuring we could play it
on either the one at her parents' house or the one I had been thinking about
buying (I never did). I’m not even sure if she remembers that purchase, but we
are not listening to it on vinyl. To date, Thriller is the only album we’ve
done that with. Which is sort of a shame, because Déjà vu was superb. And I’m
not just saying that because of the love affair I’ve started with Neil Young
since I first listened to Rust Never Sleeps over winter beak my sophomore year
of college. Déjà vu has just a brilliant blend of four brilliant songwriters,
all at the peak of their powers. At some points, it just seems unfair that all
four of them were allowed to all work together on a single project. I’m amazed
they didn’t go over the salary cap, especially since they brought Jerry Garcia
in as a role player/glue guy on Teach Your Children. Listening to (or at least
trying to) it for the first time on what is almost guaranteed to be a scratched
up vinyl probably would have been special. Alas, these are not luxuries that
can be afforded adults with lives to lead. Hopefully one day we can. Anyways, I
hate to start reminiscing like this (we have another 16 albums to go before
that post), but it’s hard not to with an album like Déjà vu. Besides for the title,
it’s just a perfect album to put on and play and think about things.
Favorite Tracks: Country Girl; Everybody I Love You;
Helpless
Emily: The story of me listening to this album started on a train parked at Marcus Hook station in Delaware County. This story also ends on the same train, at the same station about 40 minutes later. There was police activity further down the line, so what should have been a routine commute home ended up being a nearly 2-hour layover that ended with some classmates and I banding together to split an Uber to get back in the city before it got dark. The time spent on the train, though, ended up being a great quiet time to listen to some music. Déjà vu totally fit the bill. It's understated and seemingly simple, unless you listen closely. That's when you can really pick up on the masterful songwriting at play here. Although Déjà vu occasionally seemed to be narrating the endless wait for the train to start moving (Helpless) and the repeated announcements that there was no new information to report (Déjà Vu), the time on the train ended up being a near-perfect environment for really delving into Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. For their next album, though, I hope the train will be moving.
Favorite Tracks: Everybody I Love You; Country Girl; Teach Your Children
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