Friday, December 31, 1976

Human Highway: The CSNY Album That Never Happened

Human Highway

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Recorded: 1973 to 1976

Released: --

Peak: -- Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Genre: folk rock/classic rock

The Players:

The Follow-Up That Never Came

After the massive success of Déjà Vu, the “four prominent singer-songwriters” AT went their separate ways. They all had success with solo endeavors, each reaching the top 10 on the Billboard album chart with gold-selling releases. However, “the legacy and the amazing four-part harmonies of CSNY begged for a reunion, and that is exactly what was intended in 1973.” AT

From 1973 to 1976, the four assembled various times to record what was to be called Human Highway, but it never came to fruition. According to Graham, they had a definitive track list of ten songs, but it has never been revealed. WK He said, “We had great songs. It was going to be a great album…We had a great title. Human Highway? Are you kidding me? That's fabulous.” WK

In his book Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: The Wild, Definitive Saga of Rock's Greatest Supergroup, David Browne, called it “the Smile of the Seventies” (a reference to the Beach Boys’ famously unreleased album from the 1960s). WK He said, “They were still at the top of their game. It would’ve been a more mature, wiser, beaten-up Déjà Vu…What a missed opportunity.” WK

Crosby endorsed a reconstruction of the album after Neil Young released his second archive collection in 2020. He said Human Highway “would have been the best one, man.” WK

Hawaii 1973

The four went on vacation for a week in Hawaii in late May of 1973 to record. WK Nash said, “There was great music to be made. We had these great songs, like Neil's ‘Human Highway’ and ‘Maui Mama’ and we were rehearsing them on David’s boat and it was sounding great. We tried to put an album together – and it would have been a great album.” WK

However, plans were shelved. Nash said, “I’m not even sure what happened now; it was so long ago.” WK In his memoir Wild Tales, he said, “some business, some cocaine thing, went down, and suddenly we weren’t talking to each other.” WK

Broken Arrow Ranch

The next effort at recording took place at Neil Young’s Broken Arrow Ranch in Redwood City, California. In addition to recording the title cut, they also tackled “See the Changes,” “And So It Goes,” “Wind on the Water,” “Prison Song,” “Carry Me,” and “Time After Time.” WK “Nash even organized a band photo-op as a possible album cover.” AT

However, “The same old egos and preoccupations prevented the album from being finished.” AT Browne described rehearsals as “dysfunctional and uninspired.” WK In 1974, Stills told journalist Cameron Crowe, “I want to play. I want to sing. I want to make good records. And if that doesn't happen, I'm gone.” WK

Winterland Ballroom

After another set of failed recording sessions, the four went out on tour. They first performed an acoustic set at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom on October 4, 1973, at a Manassas concert. WK That set featured several songs from the Human Highway sessions, including the title cut, “As I Come of Age,” “Roll Another Number (For the Road),” “New Mama,” “And So It Goes,” and “Prison Song.” WK

1973 Recording Sessions

Song Title

Writer

Album Appearance

Record Date

Release Date

Notes

The Lee Shore Crosby CSN (box set) 12/28/69 9/30/91 3,6
As I Come of Age Stills Stills Mar ‘73 6/23/75 2,3,4,
5,6
Prison Song Nash Wild Tales April ‘73 1/2/74 1,4,6
And So It Goes Nash Wild Tales June ‘73 1/2/74 1,4,5,6
On the Line Nash Wild Tales June ‘73 1/2/74 2,5
Pardon My Heart Young -- May/June ‘73 -- 1
See the Changes Stills CSN 6/28/73 6/17/77 1,4,5,6
Human Highway (1973) Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 6/29/73 11/20/20 1,4,5,6
New Mama Young Tonight’s the Night Aug/Sep ‘73 6/20/75 3
First Things First Stills Stills 8/17/73 6/23/75 2,3,4,5
New Mama Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 9/10/73 11/20/20 --

1974 Reunions Concerts

In the summer of 1974, the four embarked on a reunion tour that featured many songs from the Human Highway sessions, many of which were released in 2014 on the live box set CSNY 1974. The tour “showed the band in a harmonious and energetic shape.” AT The “three-to-four hour concerts allowed the quartet to showcase a number of new songs that would theoretically constitute the Human Highway album,” AT inspiring another effort at working together in the studio.

More Recording Sessions

In December of 1974, the four gathered in San Franciso at Nash’s basement studio. Disagreements ensued and Stills even sliced up Nash’s demo tape of Wind on the Water with a razor. Nash kicked Stills out of the house. WK

The next effort was at the Record Plant where they worked on “Homeward Through the Haze.” Young left the sessions without any explanation. WK There was an attempted session in January 1975, but it was quickly abandoned. WK

Crosby said, “We had been at each other’s faces for too long. If you put all of us together for very long we drain on each other quite a bit. At the end of that long tour, going into the studio was a hopeless cause. Still was burnt out. I was burnt. Even Nash was less than his usual self. And Neil. Neil, Mister Dependable. He came into the studio and said ‘Great, out of sight. I’ll be back tomorrow night’ and never showed up again. That kind of trip really doesn't encourage you to work.” WK

Despite the disharmony, it is believed that the sessions produced “Different Tongues,” “Guardian Angel,” “Long May You Run,” “New Mama,” “Mutiny,” and the largely unknown “Western Witches.”

1974 Recording Sessions

Song Title

Writer

Album Appearance

Record Date

Release Date

Notes

Hawaiian Sunrise Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 6/16/1974 11/20/20 6
Pardon My Heart (1974) Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 6/16/74 11/20/20 --
Through My Sails Young Zuma 6/17/74 11/10/75 1,4,5,6
Goodbye Dick (live) Young CSNY 1974 (live box) 8/4/74 7/8/14 1
Traces (live) Young CSNY 1974 (live box) 8/21/74 7/8/14 1
Pushed It Over the End Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 8/27/74 11/20/20 3
Hawaiian Sunrise (live) Young CSNY 1974 (live box) 8/29/74 7/8/14 1
Love Art Blues (live) Young CSNY 1974 (live box) 8/29/74 7/8/14 1
Pushed It Over the End (live) Young CSNY 1974 (live box) 9/14/74 7/8/14 1
Love/Art Blues Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 12/10/74 11/20/20 3
Separate Ways Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 12/11/74 11/20/20 3
It’s All Right Nash unreleased concert film 1974 -- 3
My Favorite Changes Stills Stills 1974 6/23/75 3
My Angel Stills Stills 1974 6/23/75 3
Myth of Sisyphus Stills Stills 1974 6/23/75 --
Homeward Through the Haze (CSNY) Crosby CSN (box set) 12/16/74 9/30/91 1,4,5,6
Homeward Through the Haze (CN) Crosby Wind on the Water Dec ‘74 9/15/75 1
Wind on the Water Nash Wind on the Water Dec. ‘74 9/15/75 3
Western Witches Stills -- 1974 -- 3

1975 Recording Sessions

Song Title

Writer

Album Appearance

Record Date

Release Date

Notes

Carry Me Crosby Wind on the Water Mar. ‘75 11/8/75 3,4,6
Critical Mass Crosby Wind on the Water ? 9/15/75 3,6
Fieldworker Songwriter Wind on the Water ? 9/15/75 --
No One Seems to Know Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 9/11/75 11/20/20 --
Pardon My Heart (1975) Young Zuma ? 11/10/75 --

1976 Recording Sessions

In 1976, Stills and Young were working on what became the Long May You Run album while Crosby & Nash were recording Whistling Down the Wire. Young invited Nash and Crosby to Florida to add vocals to an “album that Stills and Young essentially had in the can at that point, effectively transforming it into an official CSNY reunion.” AT Nash said Young “sent us some of the songs, and they were great songs – ‘Midnight on the Bay,’ and stuff like that. And so we went and spent about two weeks putting vocals onto all of the tracks.” WK

Nash & Crosby then returned to Los Angeles to finish their album. With Stills & Young committed to a tour and wanting a new album out, they didn’t want to wait anymore and reverted to an album by just the two of them.

Song Title

Writer

Album Appearance

Record Date

Release Date

Notes

Long May You Run Young Long May You Run 2/5/76 9/20/76 --
Long May You Run Young Decade 2/5/76 10/8/77 1,4,5,6
Traces (1976) Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 2/8/76 11/20/20 3
Taken at All Nash CSN (box set) 4/1/76 9/30/91 1,4,5,6
Taken at All Nash Whistling Down the Wire ? 6/25/76 --
Ocean Girl Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 4/14/76 11/20/20 1,5
Midnight on the Bay Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 4/14/76 11/20/20 1,5,6
Human Highway (1976) Young Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 4/15/76 11/20/20 1,5
Black Coral (CSNY) Stills Carry On 4/19/76 2/12/13 1,4,5,6
Different Tongues Stills Illegal Stills ? 5/7/76 3
Stateline Blues Stills Illegal Stills ? 5/7/76 6
Time After Time Crosby Whistling Down the Wire Mar/May ‘76 6/25/76 3,6
Mutiny Nash Whistling Down the Wire ? 6/25/76 3
Out of the Darkness Crosby/ Nash/ Craig Doerge Whistling Down the Wire ? 6/25/76 6
Broken Bird Crosby/ Nash Whistling Down the Wire ? 6/25/76 6
Black Coral (SY) Stills Long May You Run Mar/May ‘76 9/20/76 --
Guardian Angel Stills Long May You Run Mar/May ‘76 9/20/76 3
Let It Shine Young Long May You Run Mar/May ‘76 9/20/76 3
Fontainebleau Young Long May You Run Mar/May ‘76 9/20/76 --
Make Love to You Stills Long May You Run Mar/May ‘76 9/20/76 --
Will to Love Young American Stars ‘N Bars Mar/May ‘76 5/27/77 --
Treetop Flyer Stills Stills Alone Mar/May ‘76 9/11/91 6
Little Blind Fish ? -- Mar/May ‘76 -- 1
Human Highway Young Comes a Time ? 10/21/78 --

Notes


1 Features all four members
2 Features Crosby, Stills & Nash
3 Songs rumored to have been intended for the album that were later re-recorded by individual members WK
4 Songs featured on the Albums That Never Were blog playlist
5 Songs featured on the SteveHoffman.tv playlist
6 Songs featured on the OntheRecords.net playlists

Spotify Playlist

Check out the Dave’s Music Database Spotify playlist for the above tracks.

Possible Track Listings for Single-Disc Album Versions

Here are three possible track listings for the album.

Albums That Never Were

  1. Carry Me
  2. See the Changes
  3. Through My Sails
  4. Prison Song
  5. Homeward Through the Haze
  6. Black Coral
  7. First Things First
  8. Human Highway
  9. And So It Goes
  10. Taken at All
  11. Long May You Run
  12. As I Come of Age













SteveHoffman.tv

  1. Human Highway
  2. On the Line
  3. And So It Goes
  4. As I Come of Age
  5. First Things First
  6. Through My Sails
  7. See the Changes
  8. Homeward Through the Haze
  9. Ocean Girl
  10. Midnight on the Bay
  11. Taken at All
  12. Human Highway
  13. Black Coral
  14. Long May You Run











OnTheRecords.net

  1. See the Changes
  2. Human Highway
  3. Taken at All
  4. Long May You Run
  5. And So It Goes
  6. Critical Mass/Wind on the Water
  7. As I Come of Age
  8. Homeward Through the Haze
  9. Prison Song
  10. Through My Sails
  11. The Lee Shore
  12. Stateline Blues
  13. Out of the Darkness
  14. Treetop Flyer
  15. Time After Time
  16. Midnight on the Bay
  17. Black Coral
  18. Broken Bird
  19. Hawaiian Sunrise

This is a consolidated version of two separate track listings offered at OnTheRecords.net.

Resources/References:

Related DMDB Pages:

First posted 3/18/2026; last updated 3/19/2026.

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