Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young (Book) [Sheet music]

Nigel Williamson (Author), Neil Young (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Neil Young's musical evolution has been as versatile as rock itself: pioneering country-rocker with Buffalo Springfield; seminal folk-rocker with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; gentle acoustic guitarist; crashing hard rock electric guitarist; grunge prototype; and good-times rock 'n' roller. This cerebral singer/songwriter has penned unforgettable melodies, harmonies and lyrics, portraying plaintive sadness, lilting warmth and ragged anguish with his unmistakable tenor voice. Offering detailed analyses of this idiosyncratic musician's songs and the stories behind them, this book examines all of Young's key albums from 1967 to 2000, including such milestones as After the Gold Rush, Harvest, Tonight's the Night, Rust Never Sleeps, Harvest Moon, Silver & Gold and many others. An essential companion to one of the most important of all rock repertoires.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nigel Williamson bought his first Neil Young album in 1969 at the age of 15. A former political editor of Tribune, he then worked a political correspondent and columnist on The Times, before becoming that paper's news editor. Now freelance, he continues to write for The Times about music and culture, is a contributing editor to Uncut magazine and has a weekly column in Billboard. He is also one of the judges of the Technics Mercury Music Prize. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Sheet music: 160 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879307412
• ISBN-13: 978-0879307417
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( Y ) > Young, Neil

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Just Okay, July 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young (Book) (Sheet music)

First of all, did anyone proof read this book? There are typos on almost every page. Also, a thesaurus would have come in handy. If I had to read the words "Canon" or "Pastiche" one more time I would have had to gouge my eyes out. Also, the pictures are inverted, showing Neil and others playing guitar left handed. The information in this book is interesting, but it's all rehashed from other sources. Skip this one and buy "Shakey".

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is terrible..., April 27, 2006

By 

secoulte (Lake Tahoe, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young (Book) (Sheet music)

Not only is this book full of typos, its full of blatantly false information, most notable is the assertion that Neil stopped playing "Hey Hey My My" after Kurt Cobain quoted it in suicide note. I have personally seen him play that song at least 5 times since then and before this book was published. I have also read several interviews in which Neil dicounted the stories that he stopped playing it. There are numerous other errors that any serious Neil fan would clearly pick up on. Did the author do any research? Or did he just write on what he thought his personal knowledge was.

Secondly, alot of the stories or assertions behind the meanings of songs, seem to be just speculation, such as perhaps it means this or perhaps it means this. It would be better if the author actually delved into the circumstances under which the song was written.

I also don't like the clear personal bias and thoughts from the author. Instead of reading like a volume of information it reads like one mans opinions of the quality and meanings of Neil Young songs.

If it weren't for the full colour glossy photos (which someone else pointed out are sometimes reversed showing Neil playing guitar left handed!) this book wouldnt be worth the 3.99 I paid for it from the bargain bin at my local bookstore.

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth reading at all!, December 2, 2008

By 

Stin-G Bunion (Saskatchewan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young (Book) (Sheet music)

The author doesn't really know all that much about what he's writing about, and like the other reviewer commented, entire albums and songs are deemed not worthy of exploration. If I had wanted to read critiques of Neil's songs I would have bought a book of critiques. In retrospect buying this book was a mistake anyway because the songs of tell their own stories and part of what makes them so magical is that they are ambiguous. If you listen to Neil Young you know what you like or don't and derive your own meanings from the lyrics that will be much better than this author's lame explanations and ramblings. Do yourself a favor and buy Shakey: Neil Young's Biography if you want some insight. It's an excellent read if you're a fan and gives much better insight to the possible inspiration behind some of the songs.