Customer Reviews

Complete Guide to the Music of Crosby, Stills, Nash and ...

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Considering the incredible impact Crosby, Stills & Nash had when they burst on the music scene and their continued popularity, I was amazed to find no Amazon reviewer had tackled this concise yet first-rate summary of the music they made as a group, as individuals, duos and so on. Though physically small (5 1/2" x 4 3/4"), author Johnny Rogan's book packs a lot of interesting and insightful commentary - along with pix - in its 191 pages. Music fans will want to check this one out.

First off, Rogan's book is not a guide to everything released by all four men. It does provide a chronologically-arranged, album-by-album, track-by-track analysis of every song recorded on (officially released) albums by CS&N, CSN&Y, Stills, Crosby, Nash, Crosby & Nash, Stills' group Manassas and the Stills-Young Band. It does NOT include solo recordings by Neil Young. There's a separate volume in the series for that.

In any case, it's a nostalgic treat paging through Rogan's book, remembering classic songs like 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,' 'You Don't Have to Cry,' 'Carry On,' 'Sit Yourself Down,' 'Immigration Man,' 'Long May You Run' 'Wasted on the Way,' 'American Dream,' etc. Along with his own short, sweet and mostly dead-on appraisals, Rogan includes bits and pieces of background information and quotes from the boys that makes this book a fascinating read.

While there have been duds, dead-ends and near-misses along the way, the CSN&Y legacy of breathtaking harmonies, inventive musicianship and meaningful lyrics will endure. Rogan's book is an invaluable guide to appreciating that legacy. Highly recommended.