HEAR TODAY TRAVELIN' WITH DAVID CROSBY.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Critic 

Songwriter, rock icon and master of harmony, David Crosby has led a life that has required two separate autobiographies.

A founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, his resume includes a decades-long solo career, multiple albums with Graham Nash, and a wealth of work with CPR, the trio Crosby formed with his son, James Raymond, in 1995.

Apart from his musical talents, Crosby -- son of award-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby (``High Noon'') -- is a well-liked and often notorious figure and social activist who was the inspiration for the freewheeling character played by Dennis Hopper in ``Easy Rider.'' In his 1988 memoir, ``Long Time Gone,'' Crosby chronicled his early years, his time in a Texas jail, recovery from substance abuse, and his re-emergence as a vibrant musical artist.

In the just-published sequel, ``Since Then: How I Survived Everything and Lived to Tell About It,'' Crosby takes readers through his life and career over the past two decades. Events include his liver transplant, becoming a sperm donor for Melissa Etheridge and her then-partner Julie Cypher, and getting busted (again) for possession of guns and drugs.

But at the heart of Crosby is music. Out today is the highly recommended ``Voyage'' (Rhino; $49.98), an illuminating three-CD retrospective that takes in 40 years of music spanning 1966 to 2006. The set includes two discs of essentials from the Byrds; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby's solo and collaborative work; plus a third disc of previously unreleased treasures. Produced by Nash and photographer, archivist and editor Joel Bernstein, the box includes in-depth liner notes, tributes from fellow musicians, and track-by-track commentary by Crosby as well as Roger McGuinn, Nash, Phil Lesh, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and others.

Also in stores today is a deluxe reissue of Crosby's transcendent 1971 solo turn, ``If I Could Only Remember My Name'' (Rhino; $24.98), which is among the most atmospheric records of the era. ``What Are Their Names?'' one of the most memorable songs from that album, turned up in the set list of CSNY's recent 50-city ``Freedom of Speech Tour,'' which was one of the best-reviewed concert treks of the year.

Back on dry land after an extended trip on his sailboat, Crosby was asked about the new releases.

Q: What was your reaction to hearing ``Voyage'' in the end?

A: I kinda thought some of these songs would would work well together, but the level to which Nash and Bernstein took it blew me out of the water. It takes some interesting twists and turns. They dug out some stuff that really hasn't been heard before. The idea was partly to separate the thread from the weave -- because some of the songs you've only heard in the context of CSN and CSNY. It shows how a lot of this material really holds up.

Q: Memories of making ``If I Could Only Remember My Name''?

A: In those days, making an album was a process of cooperation, collaboration and very little competition. It was cross pollination. When we made the record (with help from Nash, Young, Mitchell, plus members of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Santana) we were all good friends, and we did a lot of playing and singing on each other's albums. It's hard to make records in the same way today.

Q: Your epic ``Cowboy Movie'' seems to be about a gang of Old West train robbers and a fateful encounter with an Indian girl, but some insist it has a double meaning.

A: It's really about the first time CSNY broke up, but you need a code book to figure out who's who.

Here's a sample of other new releases in stores this week:

``Help!'' ``Here Comes the Sun'' and other remixed Beatles tracks make up the soundtrack to ``Love'' (Capitol; $18.98), Cirque du Soleil's Fab Four show in Vegas.

``Tha Blue Carpet Treatment'' (Geffen; $13.98) is the eighth solo album from rapper Snoop Dogg.

Loreena McKennitt is back after a long hiatus with the timeless-sounding ``An Ancient Muse'' (Verve; $18.98).

``Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards'' (Anti; $49.98) is a three-disc collection of 54 songs from Tom Waits, including 30 new ones.

``U218'' (Interscope; $13.98) is a hits package from U2 that spans 26 years and includes two new tracks.

Also in stores

``Siempre,'' Il Divo (Sony; $18.98)

``Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration,'' Celtic Woman (Manhattan; $18.98)

``Kingdom Come,'' Jay-Z (Roc-a-Fella; $19.98)

``A Beautiful Lie,'' 30 Seconds to Mars (Virgin; $18.98)

``Perception (Box Set),'' Doors (Rhino; $149.98)

``High Times: Singles 1992-2006,'' Jamiroquai (Sony; $18.98)

``As Daylight Dies,'' Killswitch Engage (Roadrunner; $18.98)

``Celestial,'' RBD (EMI Latin; $16.98)

``Stop the Clocks,'' Oasis (Sony; $18.98)

``Pac's Life,'' 2Pac (Interscope; $13.98)

``So Much More,'' Brett Dennen (Dualtone; $13.98)

``Nine Lives (Box Set),'' Robert Plant (Rhino; $99.98)

``Supernova,'' Rock Star Supernova (Sony; $18.98)

``Babel (Soundtrack),'' various (Concord; $19.98)

``Forever for Always, for Luther Vol. II,'' various (Rendezvous; $18.98)

``Johnny Mathis: A 50th Anniversary Celebration,'' Johnny Mathis (Legacy; $18.98)

``Russian Album,'' Anna Netrebko (Deutsche Grammophon; $16.98)

``Here and Now,'' Darryl Worley (903 Music; $19.98)

``Greatest Hits: The Atlantic Years,'' P.O.D. (Rhino; $18.98)

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

no caption (David Crosby)