On August 20 and 21, 1971 Stephen Stills played the Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, California during his first solo tour. The performances were recorded and are being released for the first time on April 28.
Videos by American Songwriter
Hand-picked by Stephen Stills from his archive, Stephen Stills Live At Berkeley 1971 is a 14-track collection of previously unreleased live performances from his two nights in Northern California, which were originally recorded by Bill Halverson and produced by Stills.
Backed by The Memphis Horns, Stills embarked on his first solo tour in the summer of 1971 supporting his second album, along with a cast of musicians, including guitarist Steve Fromholz, bassist Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuels, drummer Dallas Taylor, keyboardist Saul Harris, and Joe Lala on percussion.
Dubbed The Memphis Horns Tour, Stills opened every show with an intimate acoustic set and closed each with an electric one.
Opening on Stills’ hit, “Love the One You’re With,” the live collection continues into other well-known favorites, including renditions of “49 Bye Byes” and “For What It’s Worth.” For “You Don’t Have To Cry” and “The Lee Shore,” Stills brought out a special guest on vocals, his late Crosby, Stills & Nash bandmate David Crosby, who died on Jan. 18, 2023, at 81.
Available in CD, vinyl, and digital formats, the Stephen Sills Live at Berkeley 1971 deluxe set features 2LPs, a limited-edition hand-numbered and signed (by Stills) framed self-portrait lithograph, and four 8×10 photos of Stills during the tour by photographer Henry Diltz.
“The intimacy of the Berkeley Community Theater seemed to serve as a focal point between the audience and the energy surrounding the social climate of the day,” said Stills in a statement. “It was my first tour as a solo artist and these shows were raucous and unrestrained, captured here in these recordings.”
Stephen Stills Live At Berkeley 1971 tracklist:
Side One
1. Love The One You’re With
2. Do For The Others
3. Jesus Gave Love Away For Free
4. You Don’t Have To Cry (with David Crosby)
5. The Lee Shore (with David Crosby)
Side Two
1. Word Game
2. Sugar Babe
3. 49 Bye-Byes/For What It’s Worth
Side Three
1. Black Queen
2. Know You’ve Got To Run
3. Bluebird Revisited
4. Lean On Me
Side Four
1. Cherokee
2. Band Introductions
3. Ecology Song
Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
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