''Looking Forward'' is the eighth and final studio album by

Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) was a folk rock supergroup comprising the American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and the English-American singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by the Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Youn ...

, and their third as a quartet with

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

. It was released on

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

in 1999 and peaked at number 26 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with total sales nearing 400,000.

Background and recording

toured extensively through the 1990s, playing almost as many shows as they had in the previous decades combined. Since their previous album, no new solo albums were forthcoming from

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Manassas (band ...

Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is a British and American musician, singer and songwriter. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills ...

, but

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelic music, psych ...

had discovered his adult son James Raymond, the two starting a band with

Jeff Pevar Jeffrey Pevar is an American producer, band leader, composer, touring and session musician. Pevar was the co-founder of CPR, (with David Crosby and James Raymond), The Gilmour Project (with Scott Guberman, Mark Karan, Kasim Sulton and Prairie ...

yielding an album ''CPR'' in 1998. However, the band's relationship with Atlantic Records had soured, partly over a lack of push for '' After the Storm'', but mostly over the perception that the label now had very little interest in the group after they had made the company millions during the 1970s. They terminated their contract with Atlantic in 1997, and began to record CSN tracks out of pocket without a record deal.''Four Way Street Reader'', op. cit., p. 328. Article by Gary Graff, originally in ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...

'' February 2000. Working with Stills to compile the Buffalo Springfield retrospective box set,

became intrigued with these CSN sessions. Playing on some tracks in process, Young brought in three recordings he had earmarked for one of his own albums, "Looking Forward", "Slowpoke", and "Out of Control". The possibility of a new CSNY album attracted the attention of Young's label

, which duly released the album once completed. "Faith in Me" and "No Tears Left" were recorded in Ga Ga's Room in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

early on in the recording process. "Stand and Be Counted", "Seen Enough", "Dream for Him" and "Sanibel" were recorded at

Conway Recording Studios Conway Recording Studios is a recording studio in Hollywood, California. People and awards Conway started in the early 1970s as a mastering studio. In 1976, the studio began recording albums, including projects by Elton John and Stevie Wonde ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. "Heartland" was recorded at Ocean Studios in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

. The remainder of the album was recorded at Neil Young's facility, Redwood Digital, in

Woodside, California Woodside is a incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It has a council–manager system of government. The population of the town was 5,309 at the 2020 census. The town's population ha ...

Reception

''Looking Forward'' has sold approximately 370,000 copies in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

.Greasy Lake website CSNY album sales retrieved 23 August 2015
/ref> It received mixed critical reviews. In 2000, CSNY launched the CSNY2K Tour in support of the album, the quartet's first tour since the summer stadium tour of 1974.

Track listing

Personnel

CSNY

– vocals, electric guitar (3), acoustic guitar (7) *

– vocals,

Hammond B3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

(1), acoustic guitar (1, 2, 5, 8, 10), electric guitar (1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11), bass guitar (1),

batá drum The Batá drum is a double-headed hourglass drum with one end larger than the other. The percussion instrument is still used for its original purpose as it is one of the most important drums in the Yoruba land and used for traditional and relig ...

(1),

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell (instrument), bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. ...

(1),

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...

s (1),

maracas A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...

(1, 8),

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfic ...

(1),

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

(8), percussion (11) *

– vocals, acoustic guitar (10) *

– vocals (all tracks), electric guitar (1, 3–5, 7, 8, 11), acoustic guitar (2, 6, 10), piano (9),

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

(6),

tiple A tiple (, literally treble or soprano), is a particular type of guitar, typically with 10 or 12 strings but sometimes fewer, and is built in several distinct regional styles. A tiple player is called a ''tiplista''. The first written mention of ...

(9),

celesta The celesta () or celeste (), also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music ...

(11)

Additional personnel

* Joe Vitale – additional Hammond B3 organ (1), batá drum (1),

bateria The term ''bateria'' means “drum kit” in Portuguese and Spanish. In Brazil, the word is also used for a form of Brazilian samba band, the percussion band or rhythm section of a Samba School. ''Baterias'' are also used to accompany the B ...

(1), drums (3–5, 7, 8, 10–12) *

Spooner Oldham Dewey "Spooner" Lindon Oldham Jr. (born June 14, 1943) is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at FAME Studios as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on such hit R&B songs as Percy ...

–

pump organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...

(2), keyboards (6, 9) *

Mike Finnigan Michael Kelly Finnigan (April 26, 1945 – August 11, 2021) was an American keyboard player and vocalist, his specialty being the B3 Hammond organ. Working primarily as a freelance studio musician and touring player, he played with a wide variet ...

– Hammond B3 organ (3, 4, 8, 11) * James Raymond – acoustic piano (4, 7) *

Craig Doerge Craig Doerge (; born December 4, 1944) is an American keyboard player, session musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his keyboard work with Crosby Stills and Nash, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne. Biography He was born in ...

– keyboards (12) *

Ben Keith Bennett Keith Schaeufele (March 6, 1937 – July 26, 2010), better known by his stage name Ben Keith, was an American musician and record producer. Known primarily for his work as a pedal steel guitarist with Neil Young, Keith was a fixture of ...

–

Dobro Dobro () is an American brand of resonator guitars owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro was originally a gui ...

(2),

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a console steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings, enabling more varied and complex music to be played than with other steel guitar designs. Like all steel guitars, it can play ...

(2, 6, 9) * Snuffy Garrett – guitar (12) * Denny Sarokin – guitar (12) *

Donald Dunn Donald Dunn may refer to: * Donald "Duck" Dunn Donald "Duck" Dunn (November 24, 1941 – May 13, 2012) was an American bass guitarist, session musician, record producer, and songwriter. Dunn was notable for his 1960s recordings with Booker T. & ...

– bass guitar (2, 3, 5, 6, 9–11) * Gerald Johnson – bass guitar (4) *

James "Hutch" Hutchinson James "Hutch" Hutchinson (born January 24, 1953) is an American session bassist best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt. Though his work takes him nearly everywhere he primarily resides in Studio City, Los Angeles, California, and Haiku-Pauw ...

– bass guitar (7) *

Bob Glaub Bob Glaub (born May 10, 1952)Hageman, William (April 29, 2005)."The aces of bass: Five giants of an overshadowed instrument", Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. is an American bass player and session musician. He has played with such artists an ...

– bass guitar (12) *

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Do ...

– drums (2, 6, 9) *

Luis Conte Luis Conte (born 16 November 1954) is a Cuban percussionist best known for his performances in the bands of artists including James Taylor, Madonna, Pat Metheny Group, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart and Shakira. He began ...

–

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...

(1), batá drum (1),

congas The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are stave (wood), staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (drum), quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), an ...

(1), percussion (7) *

Alex Acuña Alejandro Neciosup Acuña (born December 12, 1944), known professionally as Alex Acuña, is a Peruvian–American jazz drummer and percussionist. He has also worked as an educator at University of California, Los Angeles, and Berklee College of ...

– additional timbales (1) *

Joe Lala Joseph Anthony Lala (November 3, 1947 – March 18, 2014) was an American musician and actor. In 1966, he co-founded the rock band Blues Image. Life and career Lala was born in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, into a family of Italian-American bac ...

– additional congas (1) *

Lenny Castro Lenny Castro (born September 19, 1956) is an American percussionist from the Los Angeles area. He is one of the most prolific percussionists of all time, appearing on hundreds of albums, including those by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Maroon ...

– percussion (4) * Vince Charles – percussion (12)

Production personnel

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) was a folk rock Supergroup (music), supergroup comprising the American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and the English-American singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by the Canadian singer-so ...

– producers (all tracks), mixing * Joe Vitale – producer (1, 8, 12), engineer (1, 8) * Ben Keith – producer (2, 6, 9) * Stanley Johnston – producer (12), engineer (12) * Stephen Stills – engineer (1, 8) *

Ed Cherney Edward Cherney (1950 – October 22, 2019) was an American recording engineer and record producer, based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Over his career, he earned four Grammy Awards, one Emmy Award, and five TEC Awards. Cherney was ...

– live drum engineer (1, 8) * Tim Mulligan – engineer (2, 6, 9–11), digital mastering * Bill Halverson – engineer (3, 5, 7), mixing * Robi Banerji – engineer (4) * Paul Dieter – engineer (4) * Aaron Lepley – second live drum engineer (1, 8) * John Hausmann – second engineer (2, 6, 9–11) * Tony Flores – second engineer (3, 5, 7) * Barry Goldberg – second engineer (3, 5, 7) * Lior Goldenberg – second engineer (3, 5, 7) * Robert Breen – second engineer (4) * DeVal Day – second engineer (4) * Jim Mitchell – second engineer (12) * John Nowland – analog/HDCD engineer * Nathaniel Kunkel – additional engineer * Keith Woods – tape archivist *

Gary Burden Gary Burden (May 23, 1933 – March 7, 2018) was an American artist specializing in the field of album covers. He is considered one of the pioneers of the concept of album cover art. Early life Gary Burden was born on May 23, 1933, in Cleveland, ...

– art direction, design, inlay typography, management * Jenice Heo – art direction, design, typography *

Henry Diltz Henry Stanford Diltz (born September 6, 1938, in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American folk musician and photographer who has been active since the 1960s. Career Photography Among the bands Diltz played with was the Modern Folk Quartet. W ...

– band photography *

Pegi Young Margaret Mary "Pegi" Young (née Morton, December 1, 1952 – January 1, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter, environmentalist, educator and philanthropist. Music career After marrying Canadian folk rock musician Neil Young in 1978, her deb ...

– front cover photography * R. Mac Holbert – outside folder band photo imaging * Frank Gironda – management * Gerry Tolman – management

Charts

References

{{Authority control Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young albums 1999 albums Reprise Records albums Albums produced by Neil Young Albums produced by Ben Keith Albums produced by Graham Nash Albums produced by David Crosby Albums produced by Stephen Stills Albums produced by Joe Vitale (musician)