Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader [Paperback]

Dave Zimmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2004

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young have been hailed as "The American Beatles" and "Folk-Rock's Mount Rushmore." They launched a trail-blazing acoustic-electric sound in 1969 and have been captivating listeners with their music ever since. Coming together as refugees from three seminal '60s bands-the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and the Hollies-the combined talents of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young have influenced several generations of musicians while proving to have enduring appeal to fans of all ages. As rock and roll's first "supergroup," CSNY generated an enormous amount of media scrutiny-from their galvanizing appearance at Woodstock to multi-platinum, chart-topping albums such as Deja Vu, from David Crosby's miraculous recovery from life-threatening addictions to the band's resurgence for enormously successful concert tours. Now, noted CSNY historian Dave Zimmer distills the best of the journalism on these four remarkable artists, ranging from group portraits to individual profiles to in-depth interviews to incisive commentary by such writers as Cameron Crowe, Ben Fong-Torres and David Crosby himself. 4 Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader is an open window into one of the most popular groups of all time, offering a fascinating look at their highly charged musical relationships and how they have changed over the decades, along the way revealing a colorful chronicle of the music of an era that continues to echo into the new millennium.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young constituted an occasional band of generally positive critical repute but plagued by inability to work together. Editor Zimmer presents an exploration of their on-again, off-again feuding and sweet harmonizing via articles, interviews, and excerpts spanning from 1969 to 2002. Highlights include "The Confessions of a Coke Addict," in which Todd Gold debriefs Crosby on debauchery for People; Rolling Stone stalwarts Ben Fong-Torres, Cameron Crowe, and Mark Christensen holding forth on various topics; and Roy Carr and others' articles for CREEM and Crawdaddy. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A surprisingly readable alternative to the standard biog...A collection of well-crafted and revealing articles...A simple idea, nicely done." -- Q March 2004

"An impressive collection of material about this ground-breaking folk-rock group." -- The Well 5/11/04

"Excellent...any book that has the presence of mercurial motormouth David Crosby is never going to be a dull read." -- Record Collector June 2004

"From free-flowing optimism to free-basing despair--the ultimate CSNY anthology...Stellar journalism from some of the greatest U.S. rock writers." -- Uncut April 2004

"Offers dozens of insightful glimpses...[A] comprehensive guide to all things CSNY...A must-have for any genuine music lover." -- Curled Up with a Good Book March 2004

"Sure to please fans of this remarkable group." -- Bookviews.com March 2004

"The best rock writings about this extraordinary band...The spats, the egos, the drugs, the groupies...are all here." -- Dirty Linen April/May 2004

"There is a patina covering these texts, a certain richness to the coverage." -- Glorious Noise 02/16/04

"What these colorful portraits share is...a crystal-clear vision of the days when rock 'n' roll was still a mystery." -- Harp April/May 2004

"[A] well-groomed collection of interviews, articles and essays...also functions as an excellent recounting of rock journalism's journey." -- Relix June 2004

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306812770
• ISBN-13: 978-0306812774
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Read For All Music Fans, February 28, 2004

By 

p j higham (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader (Paperback)

Thirty 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".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting, exciting book, March 12, 2004

By 

"waylonizer" (Mt. Shasta, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader (Paperback)

This book is riveting, even electrical, for anybody who wants an inside look at the music business. The selections are in interview form, so as you read, it feels like the music stars are sitting in nearby chairs as they detail inside stories, opinions and perspectives. The author/editor who put it together, Daved Zimmer, did a fantastic job, and no one came better prepared for the job. When Crosby was arrested, I saw that Mr. Zimmer was the one who the New York Times sought out for comment. Even if you are only distantly interested in CSN&Y, but are fascinated with the music biz, you will find the book hits the bulls-eye.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars CSN&Y Articles, November 5, 2004

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader (Paperback)

Dave Zimmer has complied articles from the thrity-five year career of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The articles are great because they are from the time the events in the band's career were actually unfolding and you don't get that filtered look of biographies that were written years later. The more interesting articles are from the early days especially ones by Lenny Kaye and Cameron Crowe. A worthwhile read for all fans of CSN&Y.