Graham Nash

Over The Years rhino

All aboard the Graham Nash express.

In his excellent, revelatory autobiography Wild Tales, Graham Nash managed to alienate just about every name he dropped, but his Mancunian/Salford candour is less evident on this 30‑song collection that selects his more famous songs and provides a decent batch of unreleased demos and mixes, including the first take of Marrakesh Express, which was written for and rejected by The Hollies.

Their loss was Nash’s huge personal gain since his understated presence in Crosby, Still & Nash (& Young) provided a counterpart to his stellar American chums.

The San Francisco demo of Our House and a Hollywood run through of Teach Your Children became staples of the supergroup, so it’s instructive to hear the whimsical blueprints.

The equally unadorned Pre-Road Downs is a highlight. In fact, all the demos show Nash in a good light, while the band’s take on Immigration Man, with David Crosby, fuses his own Green Card struggle to the wider topic.

It’s true that Nash is prone to bursts of tweeness but he’s managed to filter out many examples here, preferring to let slip some beefier moments like Horses Through A Rainstorm, which was pitched for Déjà Vu, and an early version of Right Between The Eyes. The net result is a fine primer and a boon for Nash fans.

Having made it to 76, he’s entitled to deal with his own history. Whereas once he was Wasted On The Way, on Myself At Last – the most recent inclusion – his eventful journey has a happy outcome.