Crosby, Stills & Nash

Stills dominated the recording, and said the record was his baby and that he had the tracks in his head. Crosby and Nash played guitar on their own songs, and Stills does not appear on Guinnevere or Lady of the Island, which feature Crosby and Nash alone. Crosby bristled at the plan for Long Time Gone, as he thought he should play rhythm guitar on his own song, but Stills persuaded him to leave and he returned to find the backing track won him over. Dallas Taylor drummed on most tracks, with Jim Gordon on Marrakesh Express.

The album was released by Atlantic on May 29, 1969. It reached number 6 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and was certified four times platinum. Marrakesh Express and Suite: Judy Blue Eyes both made the Top 40. The cover, photographed by Henry Diltz, shows Nash, Stills and Crosby in the reverse of the order of the title. The band went back to reshoot it in the correct order but the house had been demolished. Rolling Stone ranked it number 259 in 2003. Paul Kantner was credited as co-writer of Wooden Ships on the expanded reissue.