Happy Anniversary: Graham Nash, Innocent Eyes

A lot of accomplishments leap to mind when Graham Nash’s name is mentioned, ranging from his time with the Hollies to his work alongside David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and – when the spirit moves him – Neil Young. Nash has also had a solo career of some note, with his debut, 1971’s Songs for Beginners, earning him a gold album, and his most recent effort, 2002’s Songs for Survivors, earning him considerable critical acclaim. On the other hand, the album Nash released 28 years ago today was neither a critical nor a commercial success...although it did have some seriously catchy tunes.

The ‘80s was a tough decade for a lot of artists, with way too many musicians feeling obliged to “get with the times” and switch up their sound somewhat in hopes of scoring more attention from radio and/or video programmers. As such, Innocent Eyes found Nash drifting away from the acoustic-oriented sound that had dominated the majority of his past work and turning in tunes that were chock full of synths, most notably the title track. It’s a great pop tune, make no mistake, with its memorability aided immeasurably by Nash harmonizing with Kenny Loggins on the chorus, but it still wasn’t enough to get the song any significant airplay.

While the album does have a tendency to sound totally of its time, if you can get past the gloss surrounding the songs, tracks like “See You in Prague” and “Don’t Listen to the Rumours” do tend to stick with you for the long haul. Oh, and if you’re a CSN fan, you may be surprised to find that the song “Chippin’ Away,” which the band recorded (with the help of James Taylor) and released as a single in connection with the Berlin Wall being torn down, first appeared on Innocent Eyes. Take a quick trip back in time and give the album a spin, won’t you?