Classic Tracks: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s “Ohio”

It’s a rare song that makes you want to start a revolution, and one of the most heart-breaking, powerful and intensely inspiring of the lot is Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s response to the Kent State killings: “Ohio.”

In an era before the Internet or 24-hour news, “Ohio” was about as swift a reaction to current events as artists could make. After seeing photos of the tragedy (which took place May 4, 1970) in Life magazine, Neil Young wrote the lyrics and brought them to his bandmates, who were then in tour rehearsals.

“They were rehearsing during the day, and in the evening, I was working in Record Plant A with Stephen Stills on his solo album,” recalls engineer Bill Halverson. “One day, management called, saying, ‘It’s going to be different tonight. They have a song they really need to record.’ This was the 21st of May.”

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Halverson, who enjoyed working with the equipment he’d used as a staff engineer and then an independent at Wally Heider Studios, had rented a 3M M79 24-track machine from Heider, as well as several Shure 546 vocal mics and 547s for guitar amps. The band’s road crew loaded in amps and instruments, and helped Halverson set up. Drummer Johny Barbata’s kit and Calvin Samuels’ bass were placed in a carpeted part of the main room, and all of the singers/guitarists and amplifiers were in a more live part of the room.

“The four of them were within a couple of feet of each other, and there was a lot of intensity,” says Halverson. “There was probably a lot of leakage on the multitrack, but as long as everyone’s playing the right notes, leakage can be your friend.”

“Ohio” was recorded live, including those moving harmonies, David Crosby’s chilling vocal ad-libs (“How many more?”) and all of the guitar parts. The recording was complete in three or four takes.

Halverson and the band mixed the song that night on Record Plant’s Quad-8 console, listening on the studio’s custom Tom Hidley mains as well as a pair of Auratones. “I went back and listened before this interview,” Halverson says. “That song still gives me goosebumps.” Realism, as well as brilliance, being the order of the day, the band proceeded to make a live B side, “Find the Cost of Freedom.”