Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: The Essential Collection of Rock's Most Iconic Supergroup

Stagehand✌: An in depth understanding of a very popular band. The history of the band, their disappointing live shows etc.
I saw them in CT. 1977? I thought they were ar their best.

United States on Apr 11, 2023

William Cook: Good summery of the group

United Kingdom on Feb 08, 2023

Martin DelSignore: A very detailed account of CSNY ( and their various musical configurations). Amazing that they persevered (sort of), and lived to tell about it all. Extensive music facts contained in this book,and well covered story lines (and there are many!) Good insight into their troubled worlds and the various "orbits" they have been in over the past 50 years. You may have heard some of the "stories" about their journey, but the chronological format lends clarity to the bands story (and then some!)

United States on Oct 08, 2022

peter brux: I've read a lot of books about this band and it's individual members, yet I have still learnt a lot more from this book. The author has used multiple sources to answer questions like where did CSN first sing together, and whilst that's a question we'll never be sure of the answer too, it's great to read who said what and when!
Also a very good appreciation of how Neil Young used CSN to further his career, I've always suspected Young's reasons for joining CSN weren't purely for the band's benefit but to further his own solo career! However even Graham Nash has stated publicly that he's earned money from Neil's input into the band so I look at it as a win win. If you're a lover of the music of CSN&Y, and you want to learn more about their history, then you'll enjoy this book.

United Kingdom on May 07, 2021

Bigangbo Bonanno: While I enjoyed the book, it was for me, and author acknowledged at end allot was retread information. There were some details more elaborate than prior. I will say talented famous musicians seem to like being jerks or drama queens. I really like CSN , more than with Young, but my opinion is not same as most who believe Young was always needed, I was never a big fan of Young, yes there are some of his songs I truly like, but CSN from their first album was the group for me. Young was an added attraction that was good but to me did not top their first CSN work, was just a different vibe , good yes, since then if I have to chose I prefer the CSN newer work over the CSNY work, there are exceptions though. Young on his own work was the correct way to go for Young fans, he was always better on his own.

United States on Mar 28, 2020

malcolm s: This is another example of a biography that would gain much by trimming 150 pages.author is clearly absorbed in his topic and portrays four individuals of great individual and collective talent who have all to some degree -some more than others-wasted their full potential.
Nothing is spared of stories of bickering and drug abuse although author to his credit does not indulge in a sensation t tional style in reporting such events
I am glad I read th he book but less irrelevant as my detail would have made it much sharper and more enjoyable

United Kingdom on Dec 06, 2019

JP Cantillon: Recently I saw Echo in the Canyon, the documentary about the Laurel Canyon music scene in the mid to late 60s. I was struck by several things in the film, one of which was Graham Nash's enduring optimism about the power of music. Another was my realization that David Crosby is the American version of Keith Richards, still here in spite of his attempts to do otherwise...and remembers it all.
Crosby's brilliance as a songwriter, performer and producer are well documented here as is his voracious appetite for drugs and self destruction. That he was enabled by his partners for so many years, in furtherance of even more money (in Crosby's case for drugs), is sad.
Browne cohesively details the rise and fall of America's first supergroup. It's easy to forget how influential CSN and CSN&Y were, and how by being together they pushed each other individually to be better artists, similar to The Beatles.
Highly recommended.

United States on Sep 05, 2019

bob dismas: The better written of the two battling bios, although as other reviewers have noted, marred by some sloppy editing. Much as I've always admired Neil Young's work, I have to agree with David Browne's underlying premise that his addition to the CSN mother-ship ultimately brought the ship down. To my ears, the first album (Crosby, Stills and Nash) was near perfection; with album number two (Deja Vu) the seeds of destruction were sown. Stills' confidence undermined by the addition of his musical brother Young; Crosby slipping deeper and deeper into his drug-induced haze; Nash unsuccessfully taking on the role of peacemaking middle child, and Young's ego being fed even as he's selfishly using the band to jump start his own solo career. Nash's Wasted On The Way tells the tale, truly. So many false starts, abandoned albums, unattained dreams and lost friendships. CSNY plays out like a Greek tragedy in modern times. Lost boys with fatal flaws who occasionally touched greatness, then immediately threw it all away. We should be thankful for those great moments.

United States on Jul 07, 2019

William Roberto Wilson: I feel that the author wanted to gain credibility by dropping endless lists of names to compensate for the fact that he was not able to interview Neil Young and Stephen Stills. The story of CSN&Y is too much told from the point of view of Graham Nash and David Crosby. It is not a biography to end all biographies about CSN&Y.

Canada on May 26, 2019

Amazon Customer: If the life of this band was as repetitive and boring as this book, we might never have been treated to their great music. I am a fan of CSNY's music, but like many fans my age, I lost track of the band after the mid-70's. This book fills in all the blanks, more blanks than I really needed to know about. CSNY's story illustrates what happens to many popular bands, with some members seeking solo careers, some or all depending on past popularity to keep up the cash flow they've come to rely on.
It's obvious that a lot of research went into this book. But do we really need to know what happened to these guys every day for 50 years. You'd have to be a diehard, obsessive fan to be want to follow every spat and breakup of CSNY during that time. So, for you diehard fans, this book is a wealth of information. For the rest of us, we could probably skip the middle 200 pages.

Canada on May 09, 2019