Neil Young

by Alexis Petridis and Alex Petredis

Book Overview

After a career spanning over 35 years (and over 40 albums), Neil Young remains one of the most influential and important figures in rock music. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560252650
• ISBN13: 9781560252658
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press
• Length: 138 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.2" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Should be used more as a Neil Young Companion

This book is, as has been already stated by the other reviews, concise and to the point. The part that really interested me is the disassembly of each track and each album, not so much giving an interpretation (which is inevitable sometimes) but rather information about the song, and the situation from which the album was birthed. I take this book everywhere I go because of its small size and an easy reference if I'm listening to a song and want to know more about it (even if, at times, it is a biased account). The author and I don't always agree but he often provides a thoughtful, and sometimes unexpected, platform to approach this mans' art. The story and legacy sections are quick and have been stewed together with quirky trivia that could drive you into obsessive fandom. It gets through his life at a brisk pace and the pictures provided are fun to look at and are reproduced at a high quality, keeping in tune with the rest of the book. This book is an excellent purchase that every Neil fan should have stuffed into their glove compartment on those long, song-driven road trips.

concise, very readable

This is a concise book, but I mean that as a compliment - it does an excellent job of covering the key aspects of Young's life and career, without getting lost in the writerly junk that weighs down so many bios ("It was a bright and sunny day when Johnny entered the studio . . ." - ugh). The arcane details about the recordings are mostly covered in a separate annotated and critical discography - itself very readable, with many interesting insights and surprises. A nice approach that I'd love to see used in other music bios. Definitely recommended for Neil fans.FWIW, it's also a very sharp-looking book. A nice job all-around.

good for all fans

Although it's not as detailed as I wish it was, this is still a fine book that gives enough insight on the music and the life of Neil Young to make me enjoy it. There are good stories told in here and the book contains a song-by-song analysis of everything Neil did from Buffalo Springfield up until Looking Forward by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. It covers a lot of material and if you're looking for a good Neil Young book, get this.

Refreshing

I'm happy to say this is not a typically gushing fan bio. Young is often applauded for his consistancy when he is compared to his contemporaries, perhaps because his most highly regarded work is spread out over a long period of time. Fans often forget that between "Tonight's the Night" and "Rust Never Sleeps" Mr. Young did in fact record "American Stars 'n Bars," that for every "Ragged Glory" there's a "Broken Arrow." Petridis is a harsh critic who does not praise a Neil Young album simply because it's by Neil Young. He realizes that, while Young's missteps may be interesting, they are not necessarily fun to listen to. Petridis also has unique observations on Neil's masterpieces, challenging the reader to look at these works in new, enlightening ways.Additionally, the format of the bio makes it an enjoyable, easy read. After a biographical overview filled with amusing anecdotes that capture the spirit of Young's adventurousness, Petridis concentrates on the music. He comments briefly on each song Young has released officially, packing much insight into a few sentences. I recommend the book to casual fans and die hards alike.

Great for any Neil Young enthusiast

As a avid reader of anything to do with Neil Young I was pleased to have this book arrive on my doorstep and went right to it. I digested interesting antidotes (some I'd heard before and others I hadn't) and enjoyed the read. Albeit short I loved the outside perspective Petredis offered and it is sure to give the most die hard Neil Young fan food for thought. Many people may fade out as the book is slow to get going, but just as in Neil and me it just gets better the further you go and in the end you'll be heartbroken to find you've read the last page.