No comments about Harvest: Authentic Guitar-tab (Classic Album Editions).

1 comments about Neil Young: Anthology Easy Guitar.

1. The transcriptions in this book are horrid! It only has chords, no solos or anything. Do not buy this book! Your better off to check out tabs on the net.

3 comments about Journey Through the Past: The Stories Behind the Classic Songs of Neil Young.

1. I give this book four stars instead of five because the author tends to write off entire albums as [bad] not bother giving the songs adequate review space, especially "Re-Ac-Tor" and "Hawks and Doves," which I think are two of Young's best albums. In fact, the author doesn't like much of anything Young did in the 80s, except "This Note's For You," and this is largely due to his own personal biases (sp?) against the content and genres of the albums. Other than that, this is a adequately insightful book about Neil Young's songs, and I do enjoy it. Anyone who's interested in how his songs came to be written should get this book without hesitation; just be prepared for some of your favorite albums to take a beating.



2. 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".



3. 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.

No comments about Neil Young: Unplugged (Authentic Guitar-Tab Edition).

1 comments about Neil Young: Greatest Hits--Authentic Guitar-Tab.

1. Was So loking forward to this book to learn Neil's songs.
   Unfortunaley for me, and for anyone who buys this, Alfred publishing does not transcribe every song note for note the way the great Hal Leonard company does with their tba books.
   Have already run into 2 spots where solos I wanted to learn are represented by chord names, and a note to "ad lib" the solo! I coulda done that without paying for this book!
   Hal Leonard is the ONLY company you should trust for true tab. What a shame Alfred gets the Neil Young books!

3 comments about Neil Young: Decade.

1. The songs in this book are dated from 1966 to 1976, though the book didn't appear until 1978. Neil Young has a long history in music, and it has been easy for other performers to pick up and do songs that have been scored as this book has, with a separate treble staff for the vocal parts, and chord charts for guitar chords throughout. A footnote at the beginning of "The Loner" explains how to make the guitar different, "Tune first and sixth strings to D (D A D G B D)" (p. 29) to play the chords in that song. This is not the same as "Sugar Mountain," "Tune all strings down one whole step to a D-based tuning." (p. 21).

   I had an early video of his "Rust Never Sleeps" concert, in which Neil Young sat down by himself at a piano and played, note for note, the song "After the Gold Rush" as it appears on pages 54-57 of this book. The last page is mainly devoted to singing the line, "Flying Mother Nature's silver seed to a new home in the sun" twice, after "All in a dream, all in a dream the loading had begun." I realized that it would take a lot of preparation to get that far, but the time which I devoted to reaching that destination was some of the most worthwhile musical efforts that I have ever attempted.

   There are 35 songs in NEIL YOUNG ~ DECADE. Fans of particular concerts, like WELD, might consider most of these songs very early in Neil Young's career. The book is copyright 1978, Weld didn't come along until 1991, and only includes "Cinnamon Girl," "Cortez the Killer," "Like a Hurricane," and "Tonight's the Night": only four of the 35 songs in this book. Fans of Buffalo Springfield might appreciate "Expecting To Fly," and people who sing harmony might see if matching the notes in the book is easier than trying to pick parts off the recorded version. The piano introduction for the song "Cinnamon Girl" has the kind of bass line that I find most interesting in the written music, jumping around slightly before it becomes the melody, and a vocal harmony is also provided. This book helped me learn how much is going on in music besides the melody. The complications for the song "Southern Man" take pages 58-61, while "Helpless" fits on pages 62-63 fine. I have a tendency to like songs called "I Believe in You," and the song on pages 64-66 asks the question like he is really worried about "Am I lying to you when I say that I believe in you?" "Oh, oh" coincides with "la la la la" after that.

   Then we get "Heart of Gold" on pages 71-73, "Ohio" on pages 74-75, "Old Man" on pages 78-81, "Harvest" on pages 90-94, "The Needle and the Damage Done" on pages 96-99, and I already mentioned some of the more recent numbers. The last song in the book is "Long May You Run" from 1976, suggested for Bright Country Style. You might have heard a few of the other songs in the book, but these are the ones I think you ought to play, if you want to learn something. I hope you can play them better than I can.




2. Chords are easy enough and songs fun to play. Knowing so many of the songs makes it easy to figure them out on my guitar. Pure fun.
   
   Jeff, the stay at home strummer



3. I was hoping for Tab for these songs, but this is standard notation and chords. So if you are looking to get break outs of solos or little Neil flourishes, this book will not do.

No comments about The Words and Music of Neil Young (The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection).

4 comments about Neil Young Nation: A Quest, an Obsession (and a True Story).

1. As I approach my 25th year college reunion, this book brought me back to those college days where we thought it was so cool to go to Cy Young's house to speak with the people who live there now. We made precious films about "gazing globes" (those strange balls that sit atop cement stands in gardens all over the midwest). I guess more than anything, this book describes the path you can take if you wish to become a true member of the hidden, authentic Neil Young fan society. Most of the truly informative bits I was able to glean from 4 Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader by David Zimmer. But it was a good transport back to those college days when you wanted desperately to be on the "in" of a hip, secret society.



2. Maybe it's because I'm almost 30 years old myself and, like the author, at the crossroads between my freewheeling 20's and the more domestic 30's. Maybe it's because I've thought about making trips to Ontario to see my musical hero's hometown just for fun, and never done it. Whatever it is, this book connected with me. Thankfully, the book is a lot less about Neil Young than it is about a road trip with friends and the experiences they've had along the way. I say thankfully because I've read enough biographical books on Neil, including the extensive, 700-page or whatever "Shakey," by Jimmie McDonough, which is great, by the way. While Chong does get into some history of Young's musical life during the road trip from Canada to LA, I actually found myself enjoying the parts most where it was just Chong and his buddies, Geoff, Dave and Mark, talking about random stuff in the car or while having some beers with locals at various taverns along the way. A modern, sarcastic road trip tale not too much unlike that of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," without the rambling, random lunacy of the Dean character. The book should connect especially with those in the 25-35 range, even if they're not huge Neil Young fans. A must-read for any big Neil fan, however. There's even numerous mentions of meetings with "Rusties" around the country.



3. The book's subtitle, A Quest, An Obsession (and a True Story) sums up author Kevin Chong's yearning to discover what it really means to be a dedicated Neil Young fan and his desire to stay youthful and passionate.
   "Most of my friends were grown-ups. I didn't count myself among them," Chong writes in his introduction. And later, he confesses his "inability to grow up". Citing what Young calls "reckless abandon" to describe the way he makes his music, Chong states that's what he wants "in my life, in my art".
   So, straight up you know this is self-indulgent navel gazing. But don't be put off. There's much more to Neil Young Nation.
   Turning 30 the same year Neil Young turns 60, Chong decides to commemorate the two milestones with a road trip with three space-cake munching mates, tracing old Shakey's footsteps from Canada to California.
   The pilgrimage by the four adventurers follows the zig-zag trail that Young took in a converted black hearse: Winnipeg, where the country rocker formed his first band, the Squires; Omeemee, Young's childhood home, the "town in north Ontario" he sings about in his sweet song, Helpless; and Los Angeles, where Young found rock 'n' roll fame.
   In his peregrinations Chong visits many of his idol's former haunts. He meets other Young obsessives, people who knew Young years ago, including a vice-principle at his old high-school, a former manager of a caf? where Young made his solo debut, and a woman who made the 1966 hearse trek with Young.
   The author avoids sloppy sentimentality or embarrassing hero worship. His obsession is kind of scholarly, sifting flotsam and jetsam along the journey for clues, like an archaeological sweep.
   Chong uses the subject of his ideal escapism as the reference point, and by journey's end what he has gleaned about Young has also taught him a few things, too, especially about cool and aging gracefully. But, most importantly, choose passion over precision.
   Chong, of course, makes liberal use of Young's lyrics through his book, selecting the most appropriate places. There is a discography at the back as well as references and source notes.
   Neil Young Nation, thankfully, is not just another biography to add to the half-dozen or so already published, not to mention the scores of web sites dedicated to Young.
   This is a road book: part biography; part personal essay; part adventure tale. And it adds up to a rollicking, sometimes funny, good-time read. It goes without saying, a must-read for Rusties (obsessive Young fans). Three-and-a-half stars.



4. Neil Young is one of the most popular musicians of modern times and has enjoyed decades of fame in the rock world, producing consistently outstanding lyrics and sounds. NEIL YOUNG NATION is more than just a review of his life, however: author Kevin Chong set off on a road trip to research his subject, following the places which influenced Young's music: NEIL YOUNG NATION is at once an account of Chong's personal journey as well as a survey of his findings about Neil Young, rock music, and encounters Neil had with fans and fellow musicians along the way.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

2 comments about Neil Young Guitar Anthology (Guitar Anthology Series).

1. I found the tab in this book very hard to follow. I am a beginner guitar player, and Neil Young is always a good place to learn. However, the tab seems filled with unnecessary info that the make the bass notes hard to follow. Even simple songs that I knew like, "The Needle and The Damage Done", were brutal to follow. If you want an ABSOLUTE tab layout of the songs, with EVERY single minute noise, then get the book. Poor indeed, as far as I'm concerned.



2. As of now, this is the best place to start...still not all popular songs are included...but still the best to date
   
   Songs are here in there entirety...if you want easy guitar stuff go elsewhere, this is to the actual recordings...
   
   Some Crazy Horse songs are ment for two guitar players not one...but either way rhythem or lead is still great to use...
   
   Acoustic songs are 100% correct...so are the eletric can't stress it enough...
   
   Best place for any guitarest into Neil Young to start...also, the unplugged tab book is great as well...
   
   5 starts....

1 comments about Neil Young's Harvest (Thirty Three and a Third series).

1. This book does a good job of packing in a lot of informative bits, personal opinion, and musical history context -- I'm not sure it helped me re-discover an album I've liked for a long time -- but it is definitely an interesting, cheap and fun read.

   The author does a good job of helping us understand Young's production techniques (or lack of them) and his attitude toward music making. I liked the musical context he gives us for country-rock and Young's contribution to it. Especially fresh was the author's attitude of the album as not being a superlative Young album. His critical take on the songs at the end of the book is not as enlightening as I had hoped -- it's really the first 50 pages of this 33.3 book that work for me.

   The author should be credited for pulling in information like how often Young continues to play these songs in concert (context pertaining to Young's own ongoing attitude toward Harvest) and detailed information on the different CD (DVD-A) versions of the album and the merits and faults of each -- definitely helps one consider a new purchase of Harvest in the future.

   Recommended for anyone who is a music geek or a Young fan.