The successful selling of Crosby, Stills, and Nash as one of rock's first "supergroups" was, above all else, a marketing triumph. The insipid folk trio with a penchant for predictable three-part harmonies were packaged as a brilliant, innovative rock band and sold, no questions asked, to a generation that would go on to make history for a consumerism as voracious as its perceptive powers were small.

Think about that, and then give a listen to junk like "Our House," "Wooden Ships," and "Long Time Gone." Or the simpering "Helplessly Hoping"! That, my friends, is a truly awful song, and I'm not kidding. And think about this: CSN are still touring baseball stadiums and large arenas – and yet after 35 years, 7 of the album's 19 songs date back to the group's debut. I mean, even CSN – who couldn't recruit Neil Young fast enough – knew they were in trouble.

And speaking of Young, the entire package says much about him. Two of those references come when mentioning that Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young were the group responsible for 1970's Déjà Vu. That he isn't onboard here is no surprise – given the stormy history of Y to CSN. But yank "Ohio," "Helpless," and "Everybody I Love You" from the band's collected works, and what you're left with has the bite of a boomer with dentures.

Oh, yeah – "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and "49 Bye-Byes" were strong, ambitious songs in their day, and Steven Stills was once a talented musician. But CSN needed Y in order to rock, and when it came to Laurel Canyon folk music, Joni Mitchell could compose and play rings around these three. CSN were, when all was said and done, as safe as America wanted the '60s generation to be. That the huge, motley army of outcasts and outlaws bought into the supergroup hype that launched this trio shows how easily the so-called Woodstock Nation was tamed. And that was a real shame. (J.H. Tompkins)