Customer Reviews

Desperados: The Roots of Country Rock

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"Desperados" is a no-holds barred, chock full of insightful informative history of California Country Rock.

Author Einarson, who gave us an equally great read in his history of the Buffalo Springfield several years back has done it again.The story of California Country Rock is an important one, as it was in California with groups and individuals as diverse as Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons, Clarence White, Poco and two guys named Henley and Frey where this classic pop slice of American culture began.

Yet very little has been written of the glorious and at times tragic history of California Country Rock. From the start, the "purists" (what an inaccurate term for these cretins!) like Ralph Emery pooh-poohed the genre, and even to this day dedicated Country and Country Rock artists such as Haggard, Owens, Hillman, and even Dwight Yoakum aren't totally accepted in Nashville. On the other hand, the "with-it" underground rock stations looked with askance on what the Byrds, Burritos, and Poco were trying to accomplish. It was only the Eagles, who freely borrowed from Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman and Richie Furay, who achieved real success, and only after they became an atypical stadium rock band - leaving their country roots in the dust.

Parts of the narrative do leave the reader dangling in mid-air, especially when the author skips from one band to another without a clear, concise summarization - i.e., how long did the Corvettes back Linda Ronstadt, and who actually succeeded them, Swampwater or the future Eagles, for example? Or the time future Burrito John Beland backed two guys named Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther at the Troubadour club. And where is Steve Gillette? Or the influence of one Bob Stane, whose famed Ice House once energized the careers of White, the Dillards, the Dirt Band, and Jackson Browne, among others?

But to Einarson's lasting credit, he has not only filled an important cultural gap in his storytelling of the history of California Country, but those in the know will find the true and honest voices of ex-Byrds Hillman and John York, among others. He also gives a voice to those like Hearts and Flowers Larry Murray, whose own valued contributions have regrettably stayed in the shadows to this day.

Thanks to the pioneers of Country-Rock, the Byrds taking flight with "Younger Than Yesterday" and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", and the Burritos taking it further along with "The Gilded Palace of Sin" - Country Rock, a California original, has remained so influencial to this day - which is more than can be said of the dribble of one Ralph Emery. "Desperados" is a worthy and very important chronicle of that fabled time when as Gib Guilbeau put it, "when the steel cried and the 12-string jangled..."

For a while there in the '70s and '80s, it was chic to sneer at country-rock -- just another reason to hate L.A. In part, this was due to the style's runaway success, what with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt's domination of the soft pop market during the height of the disco years. Country rock has often been hard to pin down, though -- are we talking about the sleek Top 40 stuff, or the scrappy hippie bands that would just as soon pick up a sitar as a pedal steel? This book is a well-written, highly readable look at the history of this rather amorphous subgenre, spanning from Buck Owens' Fender-bending twanginess to the present-day musings of bands like the Jayhawks, Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams. The bulk of the attention is on the 'Seventies, when country-rock was a marketable niche, and Einarson does a great job fleshing out the personalities and development of the scene, including interviews with numerous artists who may seen peripheral or obscure to us now. There's also the inevitable eulogizing of the great Gram Parsons, amid a detailed portrait of SoCal's longhair hipster hordes, with a rich play-by-play of the artistic development of the Byrds, Michael Nesmith and Ricky Nelson, giving credence to a wealth of hippie-era experimentation which if often written off as indulgent or ill-formed, and helping frame its importance to the growth of the present-day "young country" Nashville crossover sound. Einarson's exploration of the deep interconnections between hard country and early rock is a little facile -- he points to Elvis and Hank Williams, where pre-rock artists such as Hank Penny and Moon Mullins might have been a little more instructive. But really, that's just nitpicking -- this is a fine book, and certainly a must for folks drawn in by the whole "No Depression" scene. Recommended!

John Einarson's Desperados is a definitive history of the musical movement that came to be known as country rock. It's chock-full of quotes from the pioneers in this genre--Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, Bernie Leadon, etc.--and tells the story of the various groups and individuals who were involved. If you liked Einarson's book on Buffalo Springfield (another must-read) you'll love this one.

Since I own tons of records by this work's focal artists, I figured I'd get this book. Not the best move, for a bunch of reasons. First off, as one writer referred to, it totally lacks organization. The chapters jump all over the place, making it hard to keep things in mind. Second, why should a work that deals with such lyrical and evocative music be written like a college term paper? Excuse me, Mr. Einarson, you're not proving a thesis, don't be afraid to inject some imagery! The BEST books about musical artists from this period (see Bud Scoppa's Byrds biography NOT Johnny Rogan's, and the wonderful "CSN") are better organized, more pictoral, and livelier! Man, if the times were as dry as Einarson's writing, this genre would never have come about!!!!!

And how anyone could knock the Byrds' "Untitled" album is beyond me....

John Einarson's Desparados is a great history of the musical genre that originated in the mid-60s and came to be called country rock. It's filled with quotes from musicians and other personalities who were associated with that music--Chris Hillman, Bernie Leadon, Gene Clark, Gram Parson, etc. If you loved Einarson's book on Buffalo Springfield, you'll also love this one. A must-read for fans of country rock.

I strongly recomend this boook, especially for fams of the Byrds, Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Gene Clark, Clarence White, Graham Parsons, or the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Another "Must Read", from my favourite Canadien author, how well I recall the time period 1969-1976,as I followed those whose stories shine once again,in this well written account,of a sometimes tumultous time,but never dull!! At long last, Gram Parsons is given his truthful due,as a sometimes brilliant,though mostly erratic musician,who was somewhat mis-cast as an innovator of his times. John Einarson has given us another well researched account-I look forward to his next book.

I guess I'm the lone detractor, but this book simply is not as good as it should have been, certainly not for anyone not already closely acquainted with the topic. Major problems: although Einarson sensibly avoids cramming every sentence with dates, he goes to the other extreme and includes so few that it's difficult to keep track of persons, events and band membership. Also, the book lack a chronology/time line; anyone not knowledgeable with the musicians involved will have a tough time remembering how and when a Byrd became a Burrito. Finally, the book has no index, which is just inexcusable. And some less serious problems: although most folks wouldn't call CSN/CSN&Y country rock, all members (except perhaps Graham Nash) certainly played country-influenced rock at some time. But you'd never know that from Desperados; aside from a couple of passing references, there is no discussion of them (while many pages are devoted to Ian and Sylvia/Great Speckled Bird, hailed as significant purveyors of country rock, although their efforts in that arena had virtually no influence in the U.S.) Finally, a good proofreader would have found minor typos such as the insertion of commas in the title of Steve Young's Rock Salt & Nails.
There are lots of interesting facts and comments in the book, but the lack of organization makes this a frustrating read.

While it is interesting to read about the roots of country rock, this book leaves a bit to be desired in regards to "structure". The chapters are a bit rambling at times. The publisher would have been advised to insert some page breaks in between subjects.

Fast & Sequre Delviery - Can Only recomend it further !