In the wake of the breakup of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in 1970,
all four band members became solo acts. Songs for Beginners, Graham Nash's debut solo
album, contains material similar to the songs he wrote for CSNY and the Hollies - simple
melodies with plaintive, autobiographical Iyrics sung in his reedy tenor. Nash begins with
"Military Madness, a singles chart entry, which ties a contemporary anti-war message
to his own birth during World War II. Nash's songs are sometimes intimate and tender
ballads, as in "I Used to Be a King" and "Sleep Song," sometimes
elaborately produced anthems as in the album-closing medley "Chicago/ We Can Change
the World." One may miss the harmonies found in his groups, but his songcrafting
ability is his own. ("Chicago," a song featured on Crosby, Stills, Nash &
Young's 4 Way Street album, was a Top 40 hit for Nash in an abbreviated version of the one
heard here.)
William Ruhlmann
Billboard Review: 6/12/1971
This is truly a worthy album for anyone, whatever his tastes. Nash is
one musician who makes sense and can carry a tune to fit the mood and timbre of a song.
The Iyrics here are quite important and meaningful in what is for the most part a soft
sounding album. The LP contains some of Nash's finest work including "Chicago"
and "Simple Man" his current hit single.
