Who is Glenn A. Baker and what is he doing here? Well, Glenn A. Baker is an Australian author who often writes on musical topics. For whatever reason, he is also the person who "conceived and compiled" this Australian collection of (some of) Stephen Stills' recordings circa 1975 - 1978. How Raven Records managed to gain access to these Columbia recordings, and why Baker was selected to "do the honors" of winnowing three and one-half albums down to one 77 minute CD is a question not answered by Bakers own extensive liner notes. The results are somewhat hit-or-miss (which is also a fit description of the quality of much of Stills' work for Columbia), but at the very least one does receive remastered versions of all the selected tracks, which in itself is nothing to sniff at.

At the time of its release in 2003, Columbia had already made available three of the four discs 'Turnin' Back the Pages' draws its selections from. Apparently Austrailia's Raven Records was unable to release a two CD 'anthology' (and being limited to about 80 minutes of music, one CD could not cover all four albums). At the same time Columbia was uninterested in simply releasing the only disc not yet available on CD for Stills' fans, 1978's 'Thoroughfare Gap'. The end result is that consumers are faced with owning either this abridged collection, or three of Stills' four Columbia releases in the inferior analog-to-digital (AAD, not remastered) format. Still unavailable in the CD format no matter what you do are four of the ten tracks from 'Thoroughfare Gap'.

So the question is... what do you get, and what don't you get? In 1975 Stephen made his first, and best recording for Columbia, an album titled 'Stills'. This is where you'll take your biggest 'hit' if you choose the 'Turnin' Back the Pages' compilation. Baker selects seven tracks from 'Stills', and five are sure-fire winners. 'Cold Cold World' and 'Love Story', however, are inferior to three tracks you won't be getting, 'My Favorite Changes', 'Myth of Sisyphus', and 'To Mama From Christopher and the Old Man' (which is noted as one of the "best cuts" in a Billboard Magazine press clipping included in Bakers liner notes). Also missing is 'My Angel' and 'Shuffle Just As Bad'. The biggest losses are the autobiographical 'My Favorite Changes', and the blues-piano closer for the 'Stills' disc, 'Myth of Sisyphus'.

'Illegal Stills', released in 1976, marked the beginning of the end for Stills' solo career. Seven tracks are chosen from this disc, but only five are essential. 'Stateline Blues', and especially 'Ring of Love' (a Donnie Dacus track) don't belong, and one of the finer numbers from the disc, 'Midnight In Paris' is omitted. Also omitted are one of Stills' weakest Latin influenced tracks, 'No Me Niegas', and 'Different Tongues'.

The liner notes mistakenly list 'Midnight Rider' as being from 'Illegal Stills', but it actually appeared on 1978's 'Thoroughfare Gap'. Six tracks from that disc are included here, and there isn't a lot to argue about, although I would have chosen the Latin influenced 'Woman Lleva' or 'Lowdown' over 'What's the Game' (perhaps selected due to the backing vocals from Dave Mason and Andy Gibb). Also missing are 'You Can't Dance Alone' and 'We Will Go On'. Keep in mind, however, that this disc is the only place you can access tracks from 'Thoroughfare Gap', and the title track, along with the covers of 'Not Fade Away' and especially 'Midnight Rider', a song Stills has been performing for much of his career (I caught Stills performing an acoustic duet of this track with Joe Walsh at a Manassas concert in 1973), are essentials for avid Stills' fans. Another track, perhaps the one with the most bite from 'Thoroughfare Gap', 'Can't Get No Booty', was co-written by Stills and session artist Danny Kortchmar, who also adds guitar and percussion to the track. The finest number is the acoustic title track, which likens life to the stuggles of a train pressing through mountain passes, and in the end concludes that "It's no matter, no distance, it's the ride". Owning this singular track is justification enough for purchasing the entire compilation.

Presented as bonus tracks are two numbers Stills serendipitously recorded with Al Kooper for Columbia's 'Super Session' disc way back in 1968, shortly after the demise of Buffalo Springfield. Both 'You Don't Love Me' (a Willie Cobb blues number) and Bob Dylan's 'It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry' are excellent tracks featuring Stills on lead guitar, but no vocals. Unfortunately, Stills also recorded a lengthy version of Donovan Lietch's 'Season of the Witch' for that disc which is not included here.

For cursory fans of Stephen Stills, this compilation can serve as a suitable replacement for the four discs Stills tendered with Columbia records. For avid fans, however, the appeal is solely in the remastered versions of already released tracks, and the opportunity to own three-fifths of 'Thoroughfare Gap'. Too bad that the economics of the situation render remastered versions of all Stills' Columbia tracks an unsavory business proposition. You'll have to decide how your personal economic situation, and available shelf space, dictate your choice of which Stephen Stills' Columbia discs to own. I chose this singular disc, but go figure.