Graham Nash – Wild Tales

Should have swapped the back and front covers back cover should be the front

The Aussie copy I had was a gatefold. On the left panel, all black with a single word "Hello!" in small print positioned at the bottom centre and on the opposite panel the lyrics. A second Aussie copy I had was also gatefold but the inside was the sleeve from the Chicago Transit Authority album – a mistake obviously. Sad to say I no longer have these albums with me.

1978? es un error.
Ese disco es de 1973, y podrías poner mas fotos?

Fantastic sounding record, with fantastic music to boot. I can't imagine it ever sounding better than this.

I've got another variant:
Matrix / Runout (Side 1 (etched)): WEA ST-A-733003" PF (and stamped) Manufactured in Germany
Matrix / Runout (Side 2 (etched)): WEA ST-A-733004 - A AT PR SIDE 2 GRAHAM NASH TML (and stamped) Manufactured in Germany

With Graham Nash also having a book entitled “Wild Tales”, which I assure you is far more compelling than this outing, which is not to say that the album’s not good, it’s just that Graham seems dearly in need of others around him who are on an equal footing, rather than simply contributing, and there are a veritable host of those ‘others’ who contribute here, including: Neil Young (credited as Joe Yankee), Joni Mitchell, Dave Mason, David Lindley, David Crosby, and many more who do a fine job at supporting Graham’s visions, it’ just that his visions attempt to come off with that full bodied recording richness that Fleetwood Mac accomplished, leaving Wild Tales to be delivered sounding rather sharp bleak and hollow without the stylish support of Crosby or Stills.

Sure, it would be easy for you to shrug off these words by saying that they’re just my thoughts on this introspective release that was supposed to set fires and explode onto the charts, yet even in 1973, with radio airplay still roaming strong, Wild Tales made not even a ripple with its sparse arrangements laced with an assembling of studio chatter, some funky bass lines and oddly muted and distorted guitar strings. Earnest or not, the album is composed of but two elements, political songs (all of which the world was tiring of) and love songs, both of which are presented with a sense of honesty, yet even though somber (due to his failed relations with both Joni Mitchell and Rita Coolidge), lacked a sense of passion … though in all honesty, these two ideas often get woven together to the point where it’s nearly impossible to tell what’s going on.

Another aspect of this release is that it’s rather short in length, with one thinking that with those country rock influences and ensemble cast of characters, that there could have been more soloing or instrument intoxication, something to stretch out the evening and play air-guitar to. Then there are those who will try to inform you that there’s a Laurel Canyon mystery held within these grooves, that being the death of Graham’s girlfriend Amy Gossage who had been murdered in a drug deal gone sideways that involved her own brother. Be that as it may, few realized that Graham was as deeply into the narcotic scene as any of the others around him, and that all of this sinister behavior finally marked the end of the hippie sunshine days for him … though the truth is, this album came out a full year before the murderous stabbing.

This is one of those albums that you look at, and instantly know that there’s something deeply wrong going on here simply by the expression on Graham’s face, and the huge coffee table book spread out on his lap with the image of a bare leafless winter tree, not to mention the cold stone floors and walls and hearth that contains no warming flame … strangely enough, the photo was taken in the same house that spawned images of warmth and love in the song “Our House.”

Without a doubt, this album is so underrated that in the near future it will be deemed an under appreciated masterpiece, remastered and boxed with addition songs and outtakes from those sessions.

Review by Jenell Kesler

My copy has as its label on side two: "Billy Cobham" "Spectrum's" side two label. Graham Nash music, just mislabeled.