Allies is the eighth album by Crosby, Stills and Nash, their second concert document, and released on Atlantic Records in 1983. A live concert clip for “Wasted on the Way” received some rotation on MTV and VH1 at the time, as did the single “War Games.” It peaked #43 on the Billboard 200, and is currently out of print.
The album starts off with two studio recordings. The lead track “War Games” was written for the 1983 film WarGames and was released as a single by the group, which peaked at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was used in initial early promotional theatrical trailers and in a promotional video for MTV, but their participation in the project was cancelled at the last moment. The MTV video for the song was composed solely of scenes from the movie. The second studio track, “Raise a Voice” by Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, was appended to the 2006 re-issue of Daylight Again as a bonus track.
The rest of the album consists of live recordings from two different tours. The tracks “Shadow Captain” and “For Free” were recorded in Houston, Texas, on the 1977 tour for the CSN album. Presumably they were chosen as they were strong David Crosby performances, something becoming more difficult for Crosby to muster evidenced by his minimal participation on the band’s previous studio album as he dealt with personal difficulties that would eventually lead to his time in prison. The rest of the album derives from a show at the new Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, on the 1982 tour to promote Daylight Again.
David Crosby would spend time in prison in Texas during 1986, putting the group on temporary hiatus. As a result, there would not be another Crosby, Stills & Nash album until 1988 and their reunion with Neil Young, that five-year gap the longest between releases by the group to that point in time.
Tracks 1 War Games (Stephen Stills) 02:18 2 Raise A Voice (Stephen Stills; Graham Nash) 02:29 3 Blackbird (John Lennon; Paul McCartney) 03:01 4 Wasted On The Way (Graham Nash) 03:18 5 He Played Real Good For Free (Joni Mitchell) 03:57 6 Shadow Captain (Craig Doerge; David Crosby) 04:43 7 Dark Star (Stephen Stills) 04:57 8 Turn Your Back On Love (Stephen Stills; Graham Nash; Michael Stergis) 05:16 9 For What It’s Worth (Stephen Stills) 05:45 10 Barrel Of Pain (Graham Nash) 06:13
Musicians
1 War Games Bass - George Perry Drums - Jeffrey Porcaro Guitar - Stephen Stills Guitar - Danny Kortchmar Keyboards - Stephen Stills Keyboards - Craig Doerge Keyboards - James Newton Howard
2 Raise A Voice - Bass - George Perry Drums - Jeffrey Porcaro Guitar - Stephen Stills Guitar - Danny Kortchmar Keyboards - Stephen Stills Keyboards - Craig Doerge Keyboards - James Newton Howard
3 Turn Your Back On Love Bass - George Perry Drums - Joe Vitale Guitar - Stephen Stills Guitar - Graham Nash Guitar - David Crosby Guitar - Michael Stergis Keyboards - Mike Finnigan Keyboards - James Newton Howard Percussion - Efrain Toro
4 Barrel Of Pain Bass - George Perry Drums - Joe Vitale Guitar - Stephen Stills Guitar - Graham Nash Guitar - David Crosby Guitar - Michael Stergis Keyboards - Mike Finnigan Keyboards - James Newton Howard Percussion - Efrain Toro
5 Shadow Captain Bass - George Perry Drums - Joe Vitale Guitar - Stephen Stills Guitar - Graham Nash Guitar - David Crosby Piano - Craig Doerge Synthesizer - Craig Doerge Percussion - Joe Lala
6 Dark Star Bass - George Perry Drums - Joe Vitale Guitar - Stephen Stills Guitar - Graham Nash Guitar - David Crosby Guitar - Michael Stergis Keyboards - Mike Finnigan Keyboards - James Newton Howard Percussion - Efrain Toro
7 Blackbird Acoustic Guitar - Stephen Stills
8 He Played Real Good For Free Acoustic Guitar - David Crosby
9 Wasted On The Way Acoustic Guitar - Graham Nash Acoustic Guitar - Stephen Stills
10 For What It’s Worth Bass - George Perry Drums - Joe Vitale Guitar - Stephen Stills Guitar - Graham Nash Guitar - David Crosby Guitar - Michael Stergis Keyboards - Mike Finnigan Keyboards - James Newton Howard Percussion - Efrain Toro
Liner Notes
Producer – Graham Nash, Stanley Johnston, Stephen Stills Engineer – David Hewitt, Howard Albert, Jay Parti, Ron Albert, Stanley Johnston, Steve Gursky Engineer (Assistant) – Doug Williams, Gerry Lentz, Jeff Kallestad Mixed By – Stanley Johnston, Steve Gursky Art Direction – Jimmy Wachtel Photography – David Peters, Henry Diltz Mastered At Capitol Records Mixed At Rudy Records, Los Angeles Mixed At Devonshire Studios Phonographic Copyright Atlantic Recording Corporation Copyright Atlantic Recording Corporation
