Nash brought in an impressive group of guests to assist in the recording , including David Crosby , Jerry Garcia , Phil Lesh , Dave Mason , David Lindley , Rita Coolidge , and Neil Young ( under Young 's early 1970s pseudonym Joe Yankee ) . The making of this album directly followed his break-up with longtime girlfriend , Joni Mitchell . Many of the songs are about their time together . The Top 40 track " Chicago " concerned both the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the trial of the Chicago Eight , articulating the outrage Nash felt concerning those proceedings
1968 Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
Songs for Beginners