Customer Reviews

Neil Young (Kill Your Idols)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

I'm happy to say this is not a typically gushing fan bio. Young is often applauded for his consistancy when he is compared to his contemporaries, perhaps because his most highly regarded work is spread out over a long period of time. Fans often forget that between "Tonight's the Night" and "Rust Never Sleeps" Mr. Young did in fact record "American Stars 'n Bars," that for every "Ragged Glory" there's a "Broken Arrow." Petridis is a harsh critic who does not praise a Neil Young album simply because it's by Neil Young. He realizes that, while Young's missteps may be interesting, they are not necessarily fun to listen to. Petridis also has unique observations on Neil's masterpieces, challenging the reader to look at these works in new, enlightening ways.

Additionally, the format of the bio makes it an enjoyable, easy read. After a biographical overview filled with amusing anecdotes that capture the spirit of Young's adventurousness, Petridis concentrates on the music. He comments briefly on each song Young has released officially, packing much insight into a few sentences. I recommend the book to casual fans and die hards alike.

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.

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.

The book is kind of thin - much of it is taken up with photos and discography. That being said, I quite enjoyed the
opening section where Neil's start in the music biz is laid out.
It's very clear that Neil wasn't an instant success and that
early on a willingness to hang in there despite setbacks as well as a happenchance intro to a future CSNY member were key.
One humorous error is the reference to an Honorary Music Doctorate awarded to Neil by Lockheed University in Thunder Bay.
Sounds like a good school to study aerospace engineering at, but
if there is a Lockheed University I don't think it's located in Thunder Bay. The author must be refering to Lakehead University which is in Thunder Bay - the name is apropos
because the city is located at the head of Lake Superior.

As a avid reader of anything to do with Neil Young I was pleased to have this book arrive on my doorstep and went right to it. I digested interesting antidotes (some I'd heard before and others I hadn't) and enjoyed the read. Albeit short I loved the outside perspective Petredis offered and it is sure to give the most die hard Neil Young fan food for thought. Many people may fade out as the book is slow to get going, but just as in Neil and me it just gets better the further you go and in the end you'll be heartbroken to find you've read the last page.

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!

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