by It’s borderline impossible to create the chemistry a supergroup like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (CSNY) had in their prime.
That’s the kind of synergy that only comes once in a lifetime, and even if they had all the pieces lined up ahead of time, there was no way any other singer-songwriter was going to be able to have that kind of musical sixth sense they had with each other. But even if we can’t create that kind of magic again, who’s to say that there can’t be another version of the group a few years down the line?
Then again, we would have to be looking more at the nature of what every person brings to the table. The biggest appeal of CSNY was how Neil Young was the caustic one, Graham Nash was the mainstream guy, Stephen Stills was the engine of the group, and Crosby was the leading mastermind, so if we’re looking at the full lineup of a new version of that, there would have to be a bit more attention to detail when looking at every member.
And that doesn’t mean that some of the biggest names in other groups aren’t fair game, either. As much as some artists have carved out their own kinds of supergroups, there is always room for more interesting pairings if everyone comes together with the right idea and the passion to play together.
Whether they actually made the best music is anyone’s guess, but the point is to find people who would all be compatible with one another to make the best music. It’s anyone’s guess whether this would be a glorious trainwreck or a musical fireworks show, but either way, it’s not like they would leave us all short of things to talk about.
Creating the modern CSNY
Phoebe Bridgers
Out of all the modern singer-songwriters, Phoebe Bridgers almost feels like a shoo-in for a modern version of this kind of group. While she might not be wild enough to make entire albums out of spite like Neil Young did, every one of her records is about her doing whatever the hell she wants to do. And yet, when she finds the right idea, it’s enough to break anyone’s heart in two when they peel back the layers of her songs.
While boygenius might be the closest thing to a folk-rock supergroup that we’re going to get in this day and age, it’s clear that Bridgers was always the standout behind the group, even if Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker have done great work on their own. All of them are responsible for making those records sound fantastic, but if things end up going south, Bridgers is bound to have a lot more gas in the tank to work off of any other musical master.
