Songs For Beginners

Songs for Beginners is Graham Nash's debut solo album outside of CSNY. Released in 1971, it's a collection of songs reflecting change and starting over, recorded both in L.A. and SF in the aftermath of Nash's breakup with Joni Mitchell. Unlike Stills' and Crosby's works, Nash's is humbler, a true songwriter's album with star-studded players: Crosby, Garcia, Ethridge, Coolidge, Keys, etc. It's bookended by "Military Madness" and "Chicago," among the weakest songs. Despite the darkness, "Better Days" is an ode to self-determination, "I Used to Be a King" responds to "King Midas in Reverse," and "Simple Man" was written on the breakup's same afternoon. The parlor waltz of "Man in the Mirror" shifts keys and tempo a third in, transforming the sentiment. Ultimately, it's Nash's strongest solo work.