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Cantankerous and secretive, Neil Young has banished authors from hisinner sanctum--until now. In Shakey, Jimmy McDonough distills more than300 interviews (including guarded yet revealing interrogations of Young himself)into the definitive biography: the skyrocket success, willful disasters, healthhorrors and triumphs, stunning comebacks, and highly colorful scuffles withequally impossible characters like Stephen Stills, David Crosby, and theincompetent yet brilliant musicians of Crazy Horse. Young is not quite the noblesoul some thought--he's an astounding control freak. But he is never less thanfascinating. "As ruthless as I may seem to be," Young tells McDonough, "yougotta do what ya gotta do. Just like a f-----' vampire. Heh heh heh." --TimAppelo ... Read more

Reviews (92)

The heart and soul of a loner.
"After the Gold Rush" (1970) and "Harvest" (1972) were two of the first records I ever owned, and I've been listening to Neil Young ever since. His music has influenced my life. Since 1967, Young has released nearly fifty albums and over four hundred songs (p. 16). However, as Village Voice journalist, Jimmy McDonough's 786-page biography reveals, although Young's "music might ooze with raw emotion," as a person, "stoic, inward Neil" is "frequently an impassive, impenetrable fortress" (p. 68). In writing his ambitious biography, McDonough followed his elusive subject for six years, talked to more than three hundred of Young's closest associates (p. 20), and interviewed Young himself for more than fifty hours between 1989 and 1996 (p. 741). As a result, McDonough triumphs not only in bringing his engmatic subject to life in these pages, but also in revealing how Neil Young has survived in the better-to-burn-out-than-to-fade-away business of rock and roll.

Interspersing his biographical discussion with "one endless, ongoing interview with Young" (p. 20), McDonough takes us on a journey through Neil Young's past, from the singer-songwriter's birth in Toronto on November 12, 1945 (p. 37), to his 1951 polio infection (p. 44), to meeting Stephen Stills in the Greenwich Village folk scene in 1964 (p. 112), to arriving in Los Angeles in 1966 to start Buffalo Springfield (p. 155), which remains a "painful memory" for Young, "linked forever to epilepsy and inner turmoil" (p. 231). "Epilepsy, band problems, management hassles, arrests," McDonough writes, "if you want to know how Neil Young was feeling circa mid-1966, pull out that beat-up copy of "Buffalo Springfield" and play "Out of My Mind" (p. 181). McDonough then follows Young through "a lotta destruction," a painful relationship with actress Carrie Snodgrass and two marriages, and numerous musical configurations in the uncompromising pursuit of his dreams. While Young avoids offering any insights into the meaning of any of his song lyrics, McDonough succeeds, at least, in providing us with the context of Young's life in which many songs were written, including his collaborations with Crazy Horse and Crosby Stills Nash and Young. About Neil Young--difficult artist, ferocious guitar player, poetic folkie, unpredictable control-freak, reclusive songwriter, model-train mogul, rancher and Ronald Reagan supporter (p. 18)--David Crosby says, "they don't call him Shakey for nothin'" (p. 232), and Graham Nash says "he's a very strange human being . . . very strange" (p. 249).

This "shouldn't be a book that makes me look like I'm great and that everything I did is perfect," Young advises McDonough. "So obviously it's not gonna be that kinda book . . . There are ways to say things where the reader can put things together. Draw their own conclusions (p. 11). In following Young's advice, McDonough's fascinating book examines the rock and roll life of a tortured, but musically-gifted loner in a way that will offer new insights to Neil Young's music.

G. Merritt

A Good Read For All Manner Of Neil Fans ...
If you're a Neil Young fan (whether rabid or just a sometime fan) this 700+ page book may be intimidating, but it's well worth the effort. It's very much a "life and times" book and the cultural landscape of the '50s-'70s, particularly, is well told. And, while the story is obviously the music, Neil's non-musical pursuits -- including his filmmaking efforts and business venture with Lionel Trains -- are addressed in detail.

The interviews with a wide array of Neil's family, friends, and musical colleagues, as well as an ample helping of Neil's own words, help dig deep into a complicated, funny -- and often cranky -- musical genius. And, while Neil gave his blessings to the bio (more or less), it's far from sugar-coated. In fact, it seems almost gleefully harsh in places.

My only criticism is that for many pages, the book seems less a biography of Neil Young, than an autobiography of author Jimmy McDonough. Initially it adds a bit of color, but eventually, it's as though a painfully talkative "hey, I'm important, too" fella invades the pages, and you can't get him to leave. I was mostly struck that McDonough seems to have harsh criticism for nearly every Neil Young album and a good number of his live performances. As I read, I began to feel guilty for liking many of the albums that were callously written off and I wondered why McDonough would write about someone whose body of work was ultimately so disappointing to him.

But, that's a minor annoyance. Music. Love. Drugs. Polio. Epilepsy. Politics. Cars. Trains. Crabby diatribes. And, the overarching influence of mom. They're all here. "Shakey" is a compelling, deeply researched, and well-told story -- the best Neil Young bio available.

GOD REST DAVID BRIGGS, He Drove Neil for years
An amazing Journey through Neils life made me reflect on my own life growing up with Rock and Roll!

Long May You Run
Jimmy McDonough, who obviously has a penchant for rubbing people the wrong way, crawled uphill in a hail storm to get this monster biography published. The struggle was well worth it. Young's formative years in Canada with his irascible mother Rassy make for an "innaresting" story of a frail, sickly boy who latches onto the sounds drifting north over the plains. This exhaustive study of his eventual career, though it celebrates the prodigious output of an insanely talented songwriter, never descends to idol worship. McDonough maintains a sharp critical eye throughout, and his unaffected prose is loose, often biting. When covering the Buffalo Springfield era, the author justifiably savages the pastiche excesses of "Broken Arrow" while praising the majestic "Expecting to Fly," a song that took Young and Jack Nitzsche a whole month to get right. And boy did they ever get it right.

The book fleshes out a large supporting cast and literally drips with atmosphere. You can smell the hippie idyll of Topanga Canyon slowly sour and feel the chemical depravity of sessions dragged down to stupor by honey slides, tequila, and the memory of fallen comrades. Interviews with Young, interspersed throughout the biography, reveal a self-absorbed artist enslaved by his quixotic muse. Changing musicians like they were flannel shirts or guitar strings, Shakey Deal admits to leaving a considerable wake in his tenacious pursuit of the perfect vibe.

me first
Here's what I came away with after reading 'Shakey':

1) the age-old lesson that wealth and fame corrupts applies to the idols of the counterculture as much as everyone else who came before them. To Young's credit, he has recognized and attempted to avoid their trappings. Unfortunately, Young apparently started life with an illusion of self-importance that, like many of the other figures in the book, was only magnified by wealth and fame. In fact, it seems to be a reality of life that wealth and fame only magnify whatever it is that you are, good and bad.
2) it is possible to believe you are superior to others because you don't overtly try to make yourself superior to others.
3) having musical talent doesn't make you in any way better than anyone else. It is what it is: musical talent. It's no different, really, than being talented on the baseball field, the battlefield, or even the kitchen.
4) Neil, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, the record producers and managers, virtually everyone in the book, has had a lot of pain dished out to them in their lives, and dished out a lot of pain on others. There's an abundance of bad parenting and selfish living that is brought to the fore here. It's interesting how fame and wealth puts a gloss over people's lives that makes the grass seem greener on the other side. I don't think many people would enjoy trading places with Neil given the hardships he's had to endure, including bouts with polio, epilepsy, introversion, and having a disabled child.
5) It's interesting how beautiful music somehow rises to the surface in the midst of such suffering and selfishness. That is the inspiring and compelling phenomenon running throughout this narrative. It is the portions of the book that detail this process, whether taking place in songwriting or performance, that truly held my interest.
6) I excuse the writer for falling into self-excess. Just proves he's no different than anyone else he's writing about. No surprise that in illuminating everyone elses run for the spotlight, some of the photons fell on himself.
7) If there's a Neil Young lyric you've always thought was deep and mystical, forget about it... even Neil can't tell you what it means. ... Read more

Book Description

Notes and tab for 17 super songs from Neil Young: Alabama * Broken Arrow * Cinnamon Girl * Country Girl * Cowgirl in the Sand * Harvest Moon * Heart of Gold * Helpless * Like a Hurricane * Long May You Run * The Needle and the Damage Done * Old Man * On the Way Home * Only Love Can Break Your Heart * Southern Man * Sugar Mountain * Tell Me Why. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1966, Neil Young drove a battered funeral car two thousand miles from his native Toronto to Los Angeles to seek his fortune in the music business. Nearly forty years of continuous writing and performing later, he is firmly established as one of the most influential and idiosyncratic singer-songwriters of his generation. His restless and innovative spirit ensures that he is one of the few rock veterans as vital in his old age as he was in his youth. Simmons provides fresh insights into Young's life so far. She also uncovers new facts about his friendship with Charles Manson, and closely examines his schizophrenic eighties output and musical return to form as the "Godfather of Grunge" in the nineties. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

whats the beef
I just don't get what some of these complaints are about this book. Yeah it's short but how I understand it is it was meant to be short - an introduction to Neil Young. And that was exactly what I was looking for. I've only just started getting into the man (yeah, I know!) and I didn't want to plough through 600 pages, but this really gave me a lot of insights into his character and his life and made me want to read further. Now I'm going to buy Jimmy macDonoughs book. But if you want something to the point and well written I would recommend this

Slight.
After reading this biography, I've no more insight than I would from reading cd liners. Very little insight into the characters in his life; nothing more than say CS&N's large egos. No interviews from on the scene characters, old band mates for ex. This book does not do justice to its subject.

WHAT??
I was very excited to get started on this book but about 15 pages into it, it states that Neil was at Woodstock and mentions CSN as "sidekicks". It was very wrong. I was truly dissapointed.

Small but perfectly Formed
I'll lay my cards on the table, I am what is commonly called a Neil Young obsessive so I wouldve been driven to buy the book whatever it was like. So no surprise I have a library full of, how shall I put this politely, mouse food. When I bought Sylvie Simmons' book on Neil Young I was a bit disappointed on first viewing to see that it wasn't very long - I've always loved her writing in MOJO magazine, especially of course when she's written about Neil Young, so I would have loved something the length of the Jimmy McDounough book (which I also bought). But do you know what? She packed more information and real insight into that short space than McDounough did into his huge tome (and actually I liked that too). So I'd say to any Neil Young fan, check Miss Simmons' book out, you won't be disappointed ... Read more

Book Description

Includes: The Old Laughing Lady * World on a String * Like a Hurricane * The Needle and the Damage Done * Helpless * Harvest Moon * Transformer Man * Unknown Legend * Look Out for My Love * Long * May you Run * From Hank to Hendrix. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Comprehensive look at the music
This book covers all of Neil's commercially releasesd music from Buffalo Springfield through Mirror Ball. Nothing earth shattering here and the book focuses entirely on the music and is NOT a biography but it is a nice little book.

It is not so much something to sit down and read as it is a reference guide. It would be a great reference guide for someone who is still looking to complete a Neil Young collection. Every song Neil released in that period (1966-1995)is listed and briefly reviewed. The book is organized chronologically by date of album (CD) release and has an index which makes it handy.

Rogan tries but....
As an avid reader of anything about Neil Young, I would rate this near the top of the heap, but that is relatively faint praise. Rogan writes and is edited better than Einarson (The Canadian Years) and David Downing (Dreamer of Pictures)and is less pretentious than Paul Williams (Love To Burn) but in the end,I probably enjoyed those books more. However, because I read those books first that may be partly due to the fact that necessarily this book covers the same ground.

Unfortunately, no one has yet written the definitive book on Neil so we have to make do with what is out there.

Hey Hey My My A Great Little Book
A compact book detailing Neil's career song by song. Very complete and thorough review. Rogan is a good writer and knowledgable about Neil Young and his famous cohorts. This is a fine companion to your Neil Young CD collection. ... Read more

Book Description

For more than 30 years, Neil Young's fans have appreciated his individualistic stance, his unique sound, and his determination never to take the easy route. Neil Young provides a concise, well-researched view into the career of this rock and roll giant. Alexis Petridis includes full biographical information and a complete discography as he explores the influence of Young on everybody from Sonic Youth and Ron Sexsmith to Nirvana. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

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.

Achieves what it sets out to do
This small book (small in size and only 138 pages, by the way, not 152) is apparently part of a series called "Kill Your Idols". Divided into three sections, ("The Story" fills only 51 pages; "The Music" 71 pages and it finishes with "The Legacy") it provides a neat encapsulation of Young's life and recorded output. Petridis' mini-reviews of Young's albums are fair and sensible. Accuracy is good, although there are errors in the small photo section.

To someone like me who buys every Young bio, there is, unsurprisingly, nothing new here. It would serve as a good primer, however, for someone trying to find out if the one singing "Heart Of Gold" and the one cooking up a storm playing with Pearl Jam on TV really are the same guy!

Mediocre
Unfortunately now that Neil has apparently scuttled the authorized bio supposedly due this year (he's actually being sued by the author!)we have to make due with plodding efforts like this which is obviosly compiled from other sources and contains no first hand info from Neil and maybe none from people who actually know Neil. The book is well researched though and the writing is passable, which is better than a lot of rock bios

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. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Before He Was a Rock Star
A detailed account of Neil's life before Buffalo Springfield. (Einarson also wrote a book on BS with Richie Furay) "Don't Be Denied" is probably the most valuable book available for people wanting information about Neil that is not otherwise widely known by Neil fans (and who else reads these types of books).

Einarson writes more like a small town newspaperman than "an author" but that is part of the charm of this book. Einarson is obviously proud that a fellow Canadian has achieved all that Neil has and unlike many who write these types of books never tries to place himself as a peer of the subject. I found the book informative and enjoyable.

My only complaint is that the copy i bought was not well manufactured with several pages at the end out of order and duplicated which made it cumbersome to read.

Well researched biography by obvious admirer
This book is thorough and well researched, but the prose is rather pedestrian and a good editor could have helped a lot. The pictures alone are worth the price for a real Neil fan.

Very interesting history
Of all the books on Neil Young I've read, this one is the most interesting and informative. He really delves into the man and the music. It's not gossipy at all, but very interesting. ... Read more

Book Description

As a writer in Wired magazine puts it, Neil Young is a "folk-country-grunge dinosaur [who has been] reborn (again) as an Internet-friendly, biodiesel-driven, multimedia machine." In Neil Young and the Poetics of Energy, William Echard stages an encounter between Young’s challenging and ever-changing work and current theories of musical meaning—an encounter from which both emerge transformed.

Echard roots his discussion in an extensive review of writings from the rock press as well as his own engagement as a fan and critical theorist. How is it that Neil Young is both a perpetual outsider and critic of rock culture, and also one of its most central icons? And what are the unique properties that have lent his work such expressive force? Echard delves into concepts of musical persona, space, and energy, and in the process illuminates the complex interplay between experience, musical sound, social actors, genres, styles, and traditions.

Readers interested primarily in Neil Young, or rock music in general, will find a new way to think and talk about the subject, and readers interested primarily in musical or cultural theory will find a new way to articulate and apply some of the most exciting current perspectives on meaning, music, and subjectivity. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A good review
I didn't realize this book was focused on the Rock and Roll Cowboy bootleg. I didn't have the bootleg when I bought the book but I still was able to enjoy it. I found Williams reactions to the songs interesting and it made me want to get the bootleg even more. When I finally did get it I reread the book and enjoyed it even more.

The music but not the man
Williams has written an ambitious book which attempts to review Young's music from his earliest commercial releases in 1966 through 1994. As the other reviews indicate a large portion of the book is devoted to a song by song review of the Italian bootleg 4 CD retrospective "Rock and Roll Cowboy". Unlike those reviewers I had owned "Cowboy" for years before reading "Love To Burn" so my criticism of the book is a little different. Put simply, this book should be titled "What Neil Young's music means to Paul Williams." While Williams has some interesting thoughts about some songs that's all they are -- his thoughts. Second, Williams sometimes succumbs to the dread rock reviewer's affliction of writing pretentiously and sometimes sounds like a sophomore English Lit major who just had his first class in music theory. For hardcore Neil Young fans it is in an enjoyable read because it is interesting to compare and contrast one's thoughts with Williams' but the book offers little insight into the thoughts of Neil himself. Of course, no available book has done that because Neil is not forthcoming and does not allow the authors opportunity to pick his brain. Which is a shame because Young is the most important figure in rock history (a bold assertion I know but one that could be amply illustrated by the RIGHT book), and his personal life is a remarkable story as well. We need but lack the magnum opus which chronicles how a kid from Canada came to L.A. formed a seminal and hugely influential band moved on to superstardom as a solo artist and with CSNY, then deliberately abandoned mainstream acceptance with a series of the darkest, rawest albums ever released by a pop musician (Time Fades Away, On the Beach and Tonight's the Night), only to end the 70's with a series of successful albums that contained not a hint of compromise to commercial formulas. Then after reaching the top a second time, Young again (to borrow a phrase from Dylan) threw it all away-- with a series of albums so determinedly eccentric as to alienate all but his most devoted fans. Then at an age when his contemporaries were all either dead, retired or all but irrelevant he soared again for a third time with a stunning series of albums including Freedom, Ragged Glory, Weld and Sleeps With Angels ( and more after the book was published). Williams meticuoulsy chronicles the music but misses them man who produced the largest, most daring and most compelling body of work in rock history. Unfortunately we Rusties have to make due with books such as this rather than the definitive biography (or dare we pray, autobiography) because of the Neil's reluctance if not refusal to divulge his essence to others. But in the end it is maybe just that reluctance, or maybe ambivalence is a better word that makes Neil what he is. The man clearly wants acceptance and success--- but only on his terms. He does what moves him at the moment and hopes it is popular but won't change a note or a word to make his music more accessible or commercial. And, in the end he has succeeded. I can listen to the music and discuss it with my friends so william's book gives relatively little to the hardcore Young fan (and who else is going to read a book like this?) other than an enjoyable night's read while blasting Rock and Roll Cowboy or other Neil on the stereo----- but you can do a lot worse than that with your time.

It should include the bootleg
This book could have been titled: "Review of a Bootleg."

I would have enjoyed this book a LOT more if I had had the bootleg "Rock and Roll Cowboy" to listen to while reading it. Williams is a great writer, but he spent far too much time discussing this bootleg that the average joe can not get. Thus I ultimately found the book to be incredibly frustrating and ended up TRADING IT FOR THE BOOTLEG! There's some kind of justice in that.

Enjoyable insights -but you must have the CD's discussed.
Book is very enjoyable as a listening companion to the music discussed. As usual, the author brings enlightening, personal observations on the music and artist. However, the majority of the book centers on the unofficial 4 CD bootleg "Rock and Roll Cowboy", which covers live performances for most of Neil's career. Until I tracked this bootleg down, reading the book was frustrating (to say the least). Once I got the bootleg, the book was immensely enjoyable. (So, there is no point to reading the book without having the music discussed.) (By the way, the music in this bootleg is a MUST for serious Neil Young fans.) - WGL ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An excellent outline of Neil Young's career (with photos)
This book is excellent for die-hard long-time Neil Young fans such as myself. It is essentially a chronological outline of Neil Young's musical career, with some narrative and many photographs interspersed with the outline. It starts at the begining of his musical career and ends at 1994, when the book was published. It also includes a discography. It is printed on high-quality glossy paper. The majority of the photos are black and white, but with a significant minority of the photos in color. It's fascinating to follow the twists and turns of Neil Young's career and his music. The outline tells when Neil Young recorded each of his songs, and it lists every concert he ever played by city and date. The narrative helps to expand on the outline and to move the story along. Highly recommended for serious Neil Young fans. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Neil deserves better than this...
Despite this book being a little on the old side (1994), its subject is such an interesting one that it's hard to see how it could not succeed. Neil Young's career spans 35 years and has seen him performing with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as well as with his own Crazy Horse and as a solo artist. While not generally considered the smartest rock voice on the scene, Young has more than made up for it with his refusal to compromise. Both in the creation of his records and in his personal life, he's always made it clear that things run his way or he's gone.

One could assume that a book about Neil's life would include many anectodes of life on the road and the rock star excesses along the way. One could also assume that the same book would dive deep into the interview archives and utilize the artist's own words to explain his actions. Neither is done here, though. Instead, we get an below average rock bio with more speculation than fact (and the facts are mostly common knowledge among fans). Oh, no, Neil's fighting with Stephen again! Oof. Young has always led a fairly private life, espcially since the 1980s. This book just doesn't know any more than the average fan.

The only thing that kept me interested in the slightest was the author's sometimes awkward interpretations of Neil songs and albums. While not every fan will want to see songs like "Welfare Mothers" and "Homegrown" put down as being "appalling" and "horrible", I was curious to see what the author was going to think of the next song or the next album (if only to cringe and shake my head).

If you don't know that Neil liked to yell at Crazy Horse or about his (and his wife's) work with the Bridge School, go ahead and read it. It's also sort of fun to hear the retelling of the making of Tonight's The Night just because it's a (rare) revealing look at how rock and roll can beautifully fall apart. But for any true fan (anyone who's listened to Hawks and Doves in the last six months), don't waste the time. There are surely better bios of Young.

don't buy this!
Let me start off here by stating one big point, I am a very big fan of Mr. Neil Young, but I have great trouble accepting the fact that the author of this book, David Downing, is infact a fan of Neil Young himself. How many biographies of major artists have you read contain nothing but put-downs on EVERY ( yes you read right, no exceptions) SINGLE album that artist has ever released? In fact, this isn't even a straight ahead biography. The author seems to fancy himself with the idea that he is some great record reviewer who is "in the know" as to what is good. He spends his time ranting and raving about every album. Even a classic such as "Harvest" or "After The Goldrush" has this kind of crap. Okay, there are some tidbits of important information in this book, but nothing any fan wouldn't discover by going over a few record jackets to scan the liner notes. also, one more point to Mr. Downing (a suitable name for such a pessimistic attitude) next time you write a book, make sure it is about something you like, not something you DISLIKE! you see, when I buy a biography on an artist I expect that the author has the same passion and love of the artist's work that I have and that we both feel that the artist has made mistakes and taken wrong paths which they all have at times in their careers. I expect that for a person to go through the effort to write a bio about someone, surely they would write about someone they admire, not someone they loath, such as you "apparently" loath this great artist, Neil Young. Ofcourse, any person is entitled to their opinion about an artist, but, if I didn't like a person I wouldn't write a biography about that person for someone who does enjoy that person's work to read. If I had never heard of Neil Young before in my life, after reading your book, I would pay to go to one of his concerts just to throw rocks at him hoping I could aim at his head, fortunately for myself, and Mr. Young, I was a loyal fan to his work long before I read this book of yours. now, a note going out to fellow neil young FANS: if you wanna read a good bio about Neil Young read the bio entitled "don't be denied" it was so long ago that I read this book that I don't remeber the author or any other information, but I have been searching in vain for it because it was just excellent. don't buy this crap and be disappointed like me.

An unauthorized bio is better than none
"A Dreamer of Pictures" is a fairly by-the-numbers account of the life of the great Neil Young. It makes for interesting reading if only because the reclusive Young is such a fascinating fuiure and there simply are no other comprehensive biographies of his life. The most interesting fact that I did not know was that Young's first professional band included the one and only Rick James! Young obviously offered author Downing no assistance in putting this biography together, and it shows. Maybe someday Neil will get the proper treatment that his place in rock music history deserves. Until then, we'll have to be satisfied by this "Dreamer."

Excellent all-round review of Neil's career and music
I have loved Neil's music since buying 'Everybody Knows this is Nowhere'. For some years I knew very little about him so I was really knocked out when David's book appeared. It kept me in my seat for a whole weekend (well virtually) and I still go back to it. Yes there are other good books out there, but this is a really good basic guide to the man and his works.

I'd say skip it, but what else is there????
Strange, but somehow appropriate, that no one has yet to write a definitive bio on Neil Young. There were some elements in here worth reading, but only if you're the most rabid of Young fans. Otherwise, stick with the The Rolling Stone Files, a comprehensive collection of articles and interviews with the man from the pages of that magazine. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hard to put down
This book is hard to put down. Scott gives a detailed description of his career, his relationship with Neil as a friend and as a son, Neil's rise to Stardom and plenty of interesting stories. It is a must for anyone wanting to explore Neil Young as a musician and as a person.

Very informative. Great insight to Neil's formative years.
Loved the book, bought others for friends. It's been several years, so I might read it again. Just gave one to 19 year female college student, she was very grateful! So Neil lives on!!Thanks Neil for all the hours of great music!!!!!

Any true Neil Young fan shouldn't miss this.
This book depicts Neil's life as seen from the eyes of his father's. Early childhood stories quickly give way to Neil's first meeting with Stephen Stills in New York, the journey to California from Ontario, formation of Buffalo Springfield etc. Chocked full of trivia, who met who and why various bands were formed. CSN&Y years up through the tour with the Shocking Pinks (and Dad)in the early 80's. I couldn't put this book down. Rather than have a fatherly perspective, Scott Young tells this tale as a biography of his best friend. I highly recommend this book if you're into Neil at all, you won't be sorry. ... Read more

Book Description

This complete and unauthorized audiobiography of Neil Young presents an inside look at this living legend. After a career of more than 30 years and record sales well into the millions, Young's influence can be seen in a number of bands and artists. With the growing interest resulting from his latest album Are You Passionate?, which debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard charts, it provides an opportunity for fans both old and new to get the real story behind the music. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique, best-selling series features quotes gathered over the years from family, friends, and the artists themselves giving the reader a personal insight into their music and world. Fully illustrated throughout with black and white photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Disappointing
"In His Own Words" is nothing but a compilation of previously published quotes lifted from old magazines, liner notes and the like. To even a diehard Young fan this book is a major disappointment. Unless you are a collector who simply wants any Neil related material available I would advise against purchasing this book. ... Read more