Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader Review

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Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader ReviewThirty years ago my dad "accidentally" flooded the garage, destroying my carefully harvested collection of UK and US publications containing interviews with, articles about and occasional references to CSNY, who for me were "the" band of the early to late 1970's. This latest manifestation of Dave Zimmer's love for the music of, and fascination about the individuals in, the USA's first "supergroup" means I now have access again to many of those writings.
Ranging from 1970 to 2002 in terms of first publication, the articles and interviews cover the development of CSNY from a self confident, but untested, aggregation of individuals through to being elder statesmen of rock capable of selling out tours of major venues in the early 21st century. Although the primary ingredient is pieces that focus specifically on the band as a whole, Zimmer leavens the mix with items that focus on the individuals, using them to cast a more oblique and often revealing light on the activities and behaviour of the "main" band. Not surprisingly, the majority of the articles come from US publications; that said, these include both the usual suspects - primarily "Rolling Stone" and writers such as Cameron Crowe - and also less well known (at least in the UK) publications such as "Crawdaddy" and "Creem". There are, however, some significant pieces from UK publications such as "Melody Maker" and UK writers such as Roy Carr and Vicki Wickham.
Music is the central interest of Zimmer's selection of pieces. CSNY were, however, notable for the nature of their personal, as well as professional, lives and the issues are not shied away from. Some of it requires reading "between the lines", but such articles as Roy Carr's interview with David Geffen, Zimmer's own major interview with Graham Nash and the pieces on David Crosby's drug addiction deal with the issues head on.
Inevitably, there are some personal favourites that didn't survive what must have been a rigorous editing process. Dave Zimmer is, however, to be massively congratulated for delivering a consistent and coherent narrative thread and fitting together the jigsaw like pieces of 30 years of writing to present a clear and illuminating picture of one of the major popular musical outfits of the late 20th century. A worthy companion to his and Henry Ditz's "Crosby, Stills and Nash: The Biography".Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader Overview

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Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited Review

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Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited ReviewClinton Heylin's revised edition of Behind the Shades is, at this point, the definitive Dylan biography, and is not likely to be surpassed anytime soon. In spite of it's comparative neglect in relation to Sounes' Down the Highway (published almost simultaneously, to coincide with Dylan's 60th birthday), Heylin's book is a more informative and rewarding book.
In tone, Heylin's writing is not as journalistic as Sounes', and more judgmental of Dylan as artist and musician. It draws heavily on interview material with associates and friends of Dylan's, and is significant in giving detailed attention to Dylan's career in the 80's and 90's, which is necessary for anyone seeking to understand Dylan's recent critical resurgence.
Based on his knowledge as the world's pre-eminent Dylan scholar, Heylin gives extensive commentary on Dylan's albums and their recording, a process he has given even greater attention to in his companion book Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions (1994). This is one of the major differences between Heylin's book and Sounes'. Sounes does not focus so much on Dylan as a musician or even Dylan as a lyricist. Sounes' biography is more, well, biographical, providing tons of anecdotal accounts of Dylan's life and travels, while missing the point - Dylan matters because of his music and his lyrics above all else. His life, so cloaked in mystery and seclusion, is a mystery, and will remain so. A recording artist is ultimately most communicative through their recordings - through what they are, what they're not, and how they are presented to the artist's audience. Sounes attempts to fill in the mystery of Dylan's life, which is ultimately an impossible task, at the expense of communicating any real understanding of his music.
Heylin's biography is also superior in that it draws on an extensive knowledge of Dylan's unreleased recordings. When dealing with a subject whose own officially released canon is so often poorly representative of his recording career, Heylin's knowledge is wide-ranging and intensely critical. An informed and considered discussion of Dylan's unreleased recordings, which are in many cases superior to those he has chosen to issue, is especially important when examining Dylan's 1980's output, a series of albums sometimes marred primarily by the choices of which songs and takes of songs to include on the released albums. Sounes barely acknowledges the existence of important unreleased recordings, and that diminishes the importance of his biography considerably.
Sounes' one trump over Heylin's biography is the much-publicized revelation of Dylan's second marriage. How important this biographical detail is to understanding or appreciating Dylan's music, however, is very debatable. If you are looking for an easily-readable, readily-digestable account of Dylan's life with little detailed discussion of his music, go for the Sounes bio. Otherwise, Heylin's Behind the Shades, especially in its new revised edition, is the real deal and is the preeminant Dylan bio. Highly recommended.Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited Overview

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Pickin' Up the Pieces: The Heart and Soul of Country Rock Pioneer Richie Furay Review

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Pickin' Up the Pieces: The Heart and Soul of Country Rock Pioneer Richie Furay ReviewRichie Furay, a great musician and songwriter who arguably has one of the best tenor voices to ever grace the sounds of rock or country, has written an exceptional memoir. Fans of the post-folk era California sound, country-rock, 60's/70's rock n' roll and those faithful to Christian beliefs will all enjoy Furay's unique perspective of how music became his life, and also led him to his true vocation, the calling as a pastor with Calvary Chapel in Colorado.
For those readers who may fear too much Christian influence for whatever reason, rest easy. While Furay has woven an intimate tale of his life, illustrating how his music career contributed greatly to his ultimate religious vocation, he is honest and factual, and resists the temptation to be preachy or overbearing in his recollection of one of the greatest eras of American music. The chronology of the times, his view of former bandmates, the music industry in general and reflective behind-the-scenes insight of the groups Buffalo Springfield, Poco, Souther-Hillman-Furay, and the other bands/duos he has performed with since leaving strictly secular music behind, run the gamut, from the elation of being in the R n' R Hall of Fame, to the disappointment of being considered washed up and out of style when he embraced Christianity in his mid-30's, just as he was trying to keep his profile high as a solo artist. Richie Furay shows the same courage and conviction in writing this book that he has shown throughout his musical career, staying true to his beliefs in his talent, his wife and family and those who work closely with him. His upbeat, outgoing attitude, which was his trademark as a musician and in his songwriting, shines through in the retelling of his life, from his youth in Ohio, to stardom and frustration in southern California, to the epiphany he experienced shortly after moving to Colorado and literally struggling to salvage his musical career and his marriage simultaneously. Furay does not "sugar coat" the difficult experiences---including several major personal, familial and professional trials--- which makes the book even more appealing.
Naturally, the discography of his musical life is noted, as are interviews and other secondary resource material, giving Furay's biographical narrative a validity that other recent similar works lack. Throughout the narrative, he does not apologize for his beliefs and thematically inserts his Christian perspective in each chapter. This is a book written by a genuinely happy man who truly understands how blessed he really is, despite the fact that Poco has never received the superstar status he, Jim Messina and Rusty Young dreamed of when they formed that band in 1968, and that monetarily speaking, his musical career has not made him independently wealthy. It did, however, give him an avenue to find his true calling, and Furay makes it clear that the rewards he has found in his Christian congregation in Colorado have been the richest of his life.
For baby-boomer music enthusiasts, this book is a must. Reading it takes you back in time, and lets you enjoy the past with a positive vibe---just like the music of Richie Furay.Pickin' Up the Pieces: The Heart and Soul of Country Rock Pioneer Richie Furay OverviewWhen a young Richie Furay moved to New York hoping to make it big in folk music, God wasn't one of his concerns. But destiny was. Later, when he started Buffalo Springfield with Neil Young and Stephen Stills, it seemedFuray's destiny had finally arrived. Although the band recorded only three albums, it remains a touchstone of sixties rock music–with all five band members now enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Furay remained a musical pioneer, forming Poco and recording some of the first–and best–country rock music of the sixties and seventies. His work was a major influence on the Eagles and innumerable other bands. But he still had not found his destiny. It wasn't until his marriage almost disintegrated that Furay confronted his need for God. After co-founding two legendary bands and recording with a rock super-group, Richie Furay finally found his destiny. The long journey took him from sold-out arena concerts to the pulpit of a Colorado church, from rock royalty to the Rock of Ages.Destiny is often found in the places where we're not looking. As you follow the twists and turns in Richie Furay's inspiring journey, you'll gain fresh insight into your own.

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Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography Review

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Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography ReviewThis revised and updated edition is the third entry of Crosby,Stills & Nash:The Biography. The first edition was published in 1984 and chronicled the early years of CSNY.The prose by Mr.Zimmer and the photos by Mr.Diltz made for compelling reading.Anyone even remotely familiar
with these men and their music knows their history.It has always amazed me that CSNY became legend on the strength of two albums.CROSBY,STILLS AND NASH was released in 1969 right before the summer of Woodstock.Neil Young climbed aboard just before that historic event and the rest is history.DEJA VU came out in late spring of 1970 and it became a classic for the ages.The first edition follows the group up to 1984.The revised edition was published in 1999 and picks up where the first edition left off.Crosby's problems with drug addiction and his short prison stint are written about but not dwelled upon .The second edition ends in 1999 with the release of LOOKING FORWARD (CSNY'S third studio album in 29 years) and on the eve of the CSNY2K tour (their 2nd in 26 years).The 2008
edition would be a rehashing of previous events one would think,but that one would be wrong.So much has happened to both them AND us.There is new insight on Stephen Stills and Judy "Suite:Judy Blue Eyes" Collins that has never been revealed before.It IS an eye opener.CSNY went out touring right after 9-11 and there are a lot of photos from that tour.Then came 2006's FREEDOM OF SPEECH TOUR and THAT is what finally divides the artist and the audience. It is a fascinating read because of the insights Zimmer provides,not all of them of the same viewpoint as the celebated quartet.This 2008 edition is the keeper because
it lays out not only the lives of David Crosby,Stephen Stills,Graham Nash and Neil Young but the lives of their fellow generation (read baby boomers)as well. All four are well into their sixties but their fire has never dwindled. I can't think of any musicians that have put their entire career on the line like these cats have because they've always lived up to "being real".If this latest edition is the last one,it could not have ended on a higher note.Zimmer concludes in the final chapter that there is "no end in sight".Who knows? There may be MORE music to write,MORE songs to be sung and MORE audiences to be thrilled.A majestic American tale...and it is all true.
Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography OverviewCrosby, Stills & Nash created some of the most indelible songs and beautiful harmonies of the late 1960s and early 1970s: "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Woodstock," "Teach Your Children." This copiously illustrated account of the trio's personal and musical history tells the story behind the songs. Longtime CSN chronicler Dave Zimmer, with the full cooperation of the band, traces all of the performers from their musical roots to their first song together in L.A.'s storied Laurel Canyon; from their addition of Neil Young to Woodstock; and through their stormy years of creative conflicts, reunions, and reconciliations. This new edition has been fully reconfigured and updated to celebrate the trio's 40th anniversary and to accommodate over 300 photos, as well as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's controversial Living with War tour.

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Shakey: Neil Young's Biography Review

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Shakey: Neil Young's Biography ReviewI'm a huge Neil Young fan, with over two dozen of his albums in my collection. But I'm not a fanatic, and as a result I found his biography, "Shakey" to be as stimulating, but as frustratingly erratic as the artist himself. One thing Neil Young could never be accused of is self-censorship, and author Jimmy McDonough writes about him in the same vein, telling in nearly 800 pages a stoory that could have been more succinctly and powerfully conveyed in about half that number. McDonough spent over ten years working on the book, however, and I guess he felt that his huge investment of time justifies the book's length.
The book is a rambling narrative of Young's life, mainly as seen through the eyes of his closest associates, but is told in the Hunter S. Thompson "gonzo" style of journalism as McDonough frequently inserts himself into the story. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, in may have in fact been necessary, but it ends up padding the length. The main story is interspersed with a hundred or so pages of text from McDonough's various interviews with Young in which the artist is quoted verbaitim. It is a fascinating and unprecedented look into Young's mind, but again it starts to become wearing after awhile. Lengthy passages about such relatively uninteresting subjects as Young's passion for model trains slow things down even further.
Ultimately, "Shakey" is likely to be endured only by Young's most ardent fans and will not win the artist any new converts. But I get the feeling that Young would prefer it that way. As McDonough recounts, the quickest way to get Young to drop a song from an album is to tell him its going to be a surefire hit. He is that rare rock star who actually eschews popularity. Young remains a startlingly original talent after nearly four decades in the recording busines and for all of its flaws, "Shakey" manages to capture his essence.Shakey: Neil Young's Biography Overview

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