Customer Reviews

Neil Young: Long May You Run: The Illustrated History (Book)

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Long May You Run is, quite simply, a must-have for any Neil Young fan. Authors Daniel Durchholz and Gary Graff have done a magnificent job of chronicling Mr. Young's career, and the format of this book is very accessible and visually stunning.

The main section of the book consists of eight chapters that cover specific periods of Young's career (for example, "The Gold Rush, 1968-1972"). The material here is truly a delight, whether you sit down and read the chapters in order or just pick up the book and enjoy pages at random. The photos--many of them rare--are breathtaking, and the shots of concert posters, tickets, memorabilia, and "all things Neil Young" are lots of fun to look at. Also very enjoyable are the many feature essays within the chapters ("Train of Love: Travels on the Lionel Line," "Cowgirls in the Sand: Neil Young's Female Collaborators," and "Aerosmith's Joe Perry on Neil Young," to name just a few).

Following the eight main chapters, you get a wealth of additional information. First off is a comprehensive four-part discography, which includes Young's work as a band member or solo artist; singles; work as a guest artist; and tribute albums. Then comes a selected filmography, a terrific guide to Neil's primary sidemen, and a list of resources. Great stuff, for sure.

The icing on the cake, though, is the incredible presentation of everything. Voyageur Press gets an A++ for their beautiful, aesthetically pleasing design. Every page of this book is like a work of art, making it a tome you'll want to leave out on your coffee table for everyone to enjoy. Kudos to Durchholz, Graff, and Voyageur Press for a job well done! If you're a Neil Young fan, you must have this book!

Durchholz, Graff, and their editors have produced a fresh and interesting package on an incredible artist. Neil being Neil, any author would be hard-pressed to come up with fresh info, but it seems to me this book is greater than even the sum of its considerably many parts, offering an expansive collection of imagery presented on thoughtfully designed pages, not to mention the fact that the text doesn't descend into hagiography, calling into question releases, decisions, etc. that deserve to be called into question. That's something "coffee-table books" often fail to do. Barring Neil putting out something besides next fall's re-release of the fabulous book that was already included in NYA1, this is about the best we're gonna get when it comes to a solid illustrated Neil book covering his entire career. I was tempted to knock a star off for the annoying pixilation visible on the circles around the photo on the front cover (the devil's in the details, eh?), but that would seem capricious.

This is the best Neil Young book to date, simple" IT IS A MUST FOR

ANY NEIL YOUNG FAN.

Okay - I am a serious Neil Young fan and came on this almost by accident. I must say, for the most part, this is a really good book with great pictures and a nice complement to Jimmy Mc's book "Shakey" and the Archives V 1. The casual fan will learn something but the serious fan - probably not.

The discussion of "Old Black" - Neil's 53 LP (and probably the most iconic guitar in rock history) has factual errors without citation (come on, guys! - reference your sources!). For example, the authors say that the middle round chrome cover on the back of Neil's guitar is so that Neil or Larry Cragg can adjust the intonnation. How can that be? As someone who has made a replica of Old Black (and other LPs), I can tell you that this is not how you would adjust the intonation - that's what the ABR bridge is for. Also, almost no discussions on his amps or effects.

I don't believe NY had anything to do with this book (I mean, why would he?)

So, who is this book for? The casual fan - yeah - they would like it. The serious fan - you'll probably want it cause you bought everything else. But it's all old Field of Opportunity being plowed here. Gotta say though, I do like the pictures and the book is set up nice. We need a Joel Bernstein to really do a definitive NY book (which of course, he won't - not yet, anyway - that guy is so anal about the details).

This is a Beautiful Picture Book to look at while listening to Neil's music! ... Get this! Keep it along side of you while you are reading SHAKEY: Neil Young's Biography - the great book by Jimmy McDonough. They go hand-in-hand. Some of the pictures in this book are priceless. I've never seen them anywhere! The story of Neil's life and work is truly on-going, but if you want to catch-up with his prolific output, take a break and start here with this big, beautiful book. You're gonna love looking at it! ... YOWZA! - George Koumantzelis / The Aeolian Kid

I ordered this book for my boyfriend's birthday. He loves books and he loves Neil Young, and this definitely made him happy. The cover is gorgeous, the pages are sleek, and the color is superb. There's a nice detailed discography in the back, too. Very cool.

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my brother who is an avid Neil Young fan. He already has almost everything written on or by Neil, but this book caught my eye. My brother raved about it! He told me at first he thought it was just a new compilation of already seen stuff, but as he moved through the book he found articles, reviews and tidbits never before read.

I am so glad I chose this book!

Neil Young: Long May You Run is a visual and critical tribute to the songwriter and his music, offering a lavish biography packed with over 400 photos including rare posters, 7-inch picture sleeves, and tickets stubs. It follows Young's life from his childhood to his latest music achievements and is a 'must' for any popular music library, especially collections appealing to Neil Young fans!

"Neil Young: Long May You Run: The Illustrated History"

Written by Daniel Durchholz & Gary Graff

(Voyageur Press, 2010)

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This is an impressive, lavishly designed coffee-table book devoted to the career of rock iconoclast Neil Young, from his early garage-rock roots in Canada through his LA rockstar years and more recent elevation to grunge-rock elder. The book mixes a linear historical narrative with sidebars about various feuds, love affairs and creative ventures, as well as testimonials from numerous musicians who express their appreciation for Young's talent and artistic integrity. There are also copious photographs and an astonishing array of Neil Young memorabilia -- ticket stubs, showbills, concert posters, highschool photos and other obscure items -- all drawn together in a well-designed graphic format. Predictably, the writing lapses into rock journalism formulae, but nonetheless I found it cogent and engaging -- I hadn't expected to read the book from start to finish, but was pleasantly pulled in, and certainly learned a lot about Young's career and creative arcs. (He was a Reaganite conservative in the 1980s? Who woulda thunk it?) It's a very good overview of a very complicated person, and is fairly honest and critical in its appraisal of his artistic triumphs and shortfalls.

This book will inevitably be compared to Jimmy McDonough's 2003 biography, "Shakey" (which I haven't read) but I don't think there's any need for a competition between the two; this tome is impressive in its own right, and will definitely please many a fan, particularly with the strong visual design and extensive archival materials. Check it out. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue book reviews)

Awesome Book,buy it.You won't be disappointed. Keep On Rockin' In The Free World. Steven