David Crosby issued his debut solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name some 50 years ago. In retrospect, it is almost certainly his best solo album, ranks among the best he has ever recorded, and represents one of the best showcases of that late ’60s/early ’70s California sound.
Rolling Stone points out that, If I Could Only Remember My Name was recorded throughout 1970 and early 1971 as Crosby was dealing with the shocking death of girlfriend Christine Hinton, and the overwhelming success of CSN/CSNY. It features a stunning roster of guest musicians, including Jerry Garcia, Joni Mitchell, Grace Slick, Phil Lesh, Micky Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Gregg Rolie, and Jack Casady along with Graham Nash and Neil Young.
Now, the album is getting an extended 50th-anniversary reissue with more than a dozen previously unreleased demos and alternate takes. The release date is set for October 15, 2021.
As Pitchfork notes, earlier this year, Crosby announced that he’d sold his entire music catalog to Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group, citing financial hardship from his inability to tour throughout 2020. He released his newest album, For Free, in July. The record included a guest appearance from Michael McDonald on “River Rise” and the Donald Fagen collaboration “Rodriguez for a Night.”
To preview the release, Crosby also released a demo for “Riff 1.”
