David Crosby R.I.P.

I loved Crosby's voice, and both his voice and his presence added immeasurably to the bands he was in but, yeah, the way I see it he could never quite match the intensity and charisma of his fellow band members. I also saw him live, a couple times, and he never seemed to cut through the way I wanted him to. Maybe he was just too polite in a group setting?

The news of Crosby's death has prompted me to put my bought-soon-after-it-came-out LP of Mr. Tambourine Man on the turntable. Plastic inner sleeve. Pressing weighs a ton. It's probably the first time I've played it when I've had a high-end system. It's certainly the first time I've put it on the 'table this century.

In any event, son-of-a-gun is that album gorgeous. The guitars jingle-jangle majestically. The vocals angelically ring out. The rhythm section plays with purpose. What can I say? A religious experience.