Neil Young's music and songwriting--which span forty years and thirty-four studio albums of rock and roll, folk, and country, with shadings of blues, techno, and other styles--are among the most enduring and popular in modern times. From his early days with Buffalo Springfield through his solo career and collaborations with Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crazy Horse, and dozens of other notable musicians and groups, Young is acclaimed for both his musical talents and his artistic integrity. With a major hit in every decade since the sixties, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (as a solo artist in 1995 and as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997). A well-known political activist, environmentalist, and philanthropist, Young has been involved in several causes, notably cofounding Farm Aid and The Bridge School, which assists children with physical impairments and communication needs.
"Elliptical and personal...Waging Heavy Peace eschews chronology
and skips the score-settling and titillation of other rocker
biographies. Still, Young shows a little leg and has some
laughs.... As the book progresses, the operatics of the rock life
give way to signal family events, deconstructions of his musical
partnerships and musings on the natural world. It is less a
chronicle than a journal of self-appraisal." -David Carr, The New
York Times "Waging Heavy Peace finally is Neil Young on Neil Young.
Inasmuch as this memoir compares to anything, it's Dylan on Dylan
in Chronicles Volume 1, and at the risk of offending, one must read
it as perhaps one might the Bible: Young's reality is plastic, his
prose prophetic; and myth, metaphor and madness meander through his
musings....It is a beautiful book, and the sturdy stock gives it a
substantial heft. The prose is conversational, peppered with
sentence fragments, more stream-of-consciousness than narrative.
This in itself is lovely, as reading this book likely is a close as
most of us will get to riding with Young in his bus, shooting the
breeze, reminiscing." -Ted St. Godard, Winnipeg Free Press (Canada)
"Terrific: modest, honest, funny and frequently moving...Waging
Heavy Peace takes the form of a diary, a life-in-the-day structure
that gives Mr. Young room to maneuver, as he takes us on a wander
round his memory palace... In many ways, the closest antecedent to
Waging Heavy Peace may be Laurence Sterne's 1760 masterpiece,
Tristram Shandy...Elegance itself." -Wesley Stace, Wall Street
Journal "An inspirational account of tragedy, triumph, and toy
trains...If you love Neil Young you will love his
autobiography....There is humor in his approach, and a
preoccupation with the feeling of things; of sound, and with the
world of soul and spirit.... [Young's] is a hero's story; a man put
through trial after trial who is still fighting at the end with
humor, courage, and rage to be the most powerful and genuine artist
he can possibly be." -Suzanne Vega, The Times (London)
"Remarkable...Young has neither burned out nor faded away." -Bruce
Ward, The Ottawa Citizen "Revealing, even (at times) oddly
beautiful, a stream-of-consciousness-meditation on where Young has
been, where he thinks he's going and, perhaps most revealing, where
he is right now.... It is compelling to see a figure as prominent
as Young -- arguably one of the five or 10 most influential figures
in the history of rock 'n' roll -- express himself in such an
unfiltered way." -David Ulin, The Los Angeles Times "Full of casual
asides, unpredictable tangents and open-ended questions as he looks
back on his life at age 66....Young appears to be setting down his
memories in real time as they occur to him...Dryly
hilarious...poignant....Waging Heavy Peace shows that Young is
still in full possession of that stubborn, brilliant, one-of-a-kind
instrument. He doesn't always go exactly where you want him to, or
stay long enough once he gets there, but did anyone really expect
anything else?" -Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone (four stars)
"Like an epic jam with Crazy Horse, it's loose and baggy and always
in the moment... The strength of Waging Heavy Peace lies in its
openness and honesty. When you put Young's book down, you feel you
know him." -Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer "An honest,
insightful, engaging and, dare we say, fun literary rambling. It's
a yarn told by a good buddy in a dark bar over beers and tequilas
with great music on the jukebox in the background." -Bob Ruggiero,
The Houston Chronicle "Surreal....Fittingly, Peace unfolds like a
blustery Crazy Horse jam...occasionally hitting on an enrapturing
revelation ...a contradictory tale...refreshing." -Entertainment
Weekly "Young has consistently demonstrated the unbridled passion
of an artist who understands that self-renewal is the only way to
avoid burning out. For this reason, he has remained one of the most
significant artists of the rock and roll era." --Eddie Vedder
"Young writes with dry eloquence in a voice that is clearly his
own...His narrative voice is like his music--direct, emotional,
hopeful, sometimes funny, willfully naïve, and often, quite
beautiful... At its core, Waging Heavy Peace is a story about love
of the enduring variety." -Jeff Miers, Buffalo News "Lively,
rollicking, high-spirited, and reflective... Like one of his long,
inventive jams, Young weaves crystalline lyrics and notes about
friends... with reflections on the enduring beauty of nature, and
the lasting power and influence of music." -- Publishers Weekly
(starred) "Straight from the wandering mind and pure heart of Neil
Young... Fascinating." - Portland Oregonian "A thick, digressive
epic...Waging Heavy Peace is like his career in microcosm. Nearly
500 elliptical pages long, the book is beautiful, psychedelic,
rootsy, ragged, terse, boring, riveting, sad, funny, nostalgic and
forward-looking.... A must-read for Neil fans." - David Marchese,
SPIN "Outspoken, wildly discursive, and thoroughly mesmerizing."
-Megan O'Grady, Vogue.com "[Young] makes some of his finest music
in this lyrical memoir, massaging our souls by hitting just the
right chords with his words." --BookPage "Fascinating." -Evan
Schlansky, American Songwriter
Elliptical and personal Waging Heavy Peace eschews chronology and
skips the score-settling and titillation of other rocker
biographies. Still, Young shows a little leg and has some laughs .
As the book progresses, the operatics of the rock life give way to
signal family events, deconstructions of his musical partnerships
and musings on the natural world. It is less a chronicle than a
journal of self-appraisal. David Carr, The New York Times
Waging Heavy Peace finally is Neil Young on Neil Young. Inasmuch as
this memoir compares to anything, it's Dylan on Dylan in Chronicles
Volume 1, and at the risk of offending, one must read it as perhaps
one might the Bible: Young's reality is plastic, his prose
prophetic; and myth, metaphor and madness meander through his
musings .It is a beautiful book, and the sturdy stock gives it a
substantial heft. The prose is conversational, peppered with
sentence fragments, more stream-of-consciousness than narrative.
This in itself is lovely, as reading this book likely is a close as
most of us will get to riding with Young in his bus, shooting the
breeze, reminiscing. Ted St. Godard, Winnipeg Free Press
(Canada)
Terrific: modest, honest, funny and frequently moving Waging Heavy
Peace takes the form of a diary, a life-in-the-day structure that
gives Mr. Young room to maneuver, as he takes us on a wander round
his memory palace In many ways, the closest antecedent to Waging
Heavy Peace may be Laurence Sterne's 1760 masterpiece, Tristram
Shandy Elegance itself. Wesley Stace, Wall Street Journal
An inspirational account of tragedy, triumph, and toy trains If you
love Neil Young you will love his autobiography .There is humor in
his approach, and a preoccupation with the feeling of things; of
sound, and with the world of soul and spirit . [Young s] is a hero
s story; a man put through trial after trial who is still fighting
at the end with humor, courage, and rage to be the most powerful
and genuine artist he can possibly be. Suzanne Vega, The Times
(London)
Remarkable Young has neither burned out nor faded away. Bruce Ward,
The Ottawa Citizen
Revealing, even (at times) oddly beautiful, a
stream-of-consciousness-meditation on where Young has been, where
he thinks he's going and, perhaps most revealing, where he is right
now . It is compelling to see a figure as prominent as Young
arguably one of the five or 10 most influential figures in the
history of rock 'n' roll express himself in such an unfiltered way.
David Ulin, The Los Angeles Times
Full of casual asides, unpredictable tangents and open-ended
questions as he looks back on his life at age 66....Young appears
to be setting down his memories in real time as they occur to
him...Dryly hilarious...poignant....Waging Heavy Peace shows that
Young is still in full possession of that stubborn, brilliant,
one-of-a-kind instrument. He doesn't always go exactly where you
want him to, or stay long enough once he gets there, but did anyone
really expect anything else?" Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone
(four stars)
Like an epic jam with Crazy Horse, it's loose and baggy and always
in the moment The strength of Waging Heavy Peace lies in its
openness and honesty. When you put Young's book down, you feel you
know him. Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer
An honest, insightful, engaging and, dare we say, fun literary
rambling. It s a yarn told by a good buddy in a dark bar over beers
and tequilas with great music on the jukebox in the background. Bob
Ruggiero, The Houston Chronicle
Surreal .Fittingly, Peace unfolds like a blustery Crazy Horse jam
occasionally hitting on an enrapturing revelation a contradictory
tale refreshing. Entertainment Weekly
"Young has consistently demonstrated the unbridled passion of an
artist who understands that self-renewal is the only way to avoid
burning out. For this reason, he has remained one of the most
significant artists of the rock and roll era." Eddie Vedder
Young writes with dry eloquence in a voice that is clearly his own
His narrative voice is like his music direct, emotional, hopeful,
sometimes funny, willfully naive, and often, quite beautiful At its
core, Waging Heavy Peace is a story about love of the enduring
variety. Jeff Miers, Buffalo News
Lively, rollicking, high-spirited, and reflective Like one of his
long, inventive jams, Young weaves crystalline lyrics and notes
about friends with reflections on the enduring beauty of nature,
and the lasting power and influence of music. Publishers Weekly
(starred)
Straight from the wandering mind and pure heart of Neil Young
Fascinating. Portland Oregonian
A thick, digressive epic Waging Heavy Peace is like his career in
microcosm. Nearly 500 elliptical pages long, the book is beautiful,
psychedelic, rootsy, ragged, terse, boring, riveting, sad, funny,
nostalgic and forward-looking . A must-read for Neil fans. David
Marchese, SPIN
Outspoken, wildly discursive, and thoroughly mesmerizing. Megan O
Grady, Vogue.com
[Young] makes some of his finest music in this lyrical memoir,
massaging our souls by hitting just the right chords with his
words. BookPage
Fascinating. Evan Schlansky, American Songwriter "
Elliptical and personal "Waging Heavy Peace "eschews chronology and
skips the score-settling and titillation of other rocker
biographies. Still, Young shows a little leg and has some laughs .
As the book progresses, the operatics of the rock life give way to
signal family events, deconstructions of his musical partnerships
and musings on the natural world. It is less a chronicle than a
journal of self-appraisal. David Carr, "The New York Times "
"Waging Heavy Peace "finally is Neil Young on Neil Young. Inasmuch
as this memoir compares to anything, it's Dylan on Dylan in
"Chronicles Volume 1," and at the risk of offending, one must read
it as perhaps one might the Bible: Young's reality is plastic, his
prose prophetic; and myth, metaphor and madness meander through his
musings .It is a beautiful book, and the sturdy stock gives it a
substantial heft. The prose is conversational, peppered with
sentence fragments, more stream-of-consciousness than narrative.
This in itself is lovely, as reading this book likely is a close as
most of us will get to riding with Young in his bus, shooting the
breeze, reminiscing. Ted St. Godard, "Winnipeg Free Press
"(Canada)
Terrific: modest, honest, funny and frequently moving "Waging Heavy
Peace" takes the form of a diary, a life-in-the-day structure that
gives Mr. Young room to maneuver, as he takes us on a wander round
his memory palace In many ways, the closest antecedent to "Waging
Heavy Peace" may be Laurence Sterne's 1760 masterpiece, "Tristram
Shandy" Elegance itself. Wesley Stace, "Wall Street Journal "
An inspirational account of tragedy, triumph, and toy trains If you
love Neil Young you will love his autobiography .There is humor in
his approach, and a preoccupation with the feeling of things; of
sound, and with the world of soul and spirit . [Young s] is a hero
s story; a man put through trial after trial who is still fighting
at the end with humor, courage, and rage to be the most powerful
and genuine artist he can possibly be. Suzanne Vega, "The Times"
(London)
Remarkable Young has neither burned out nor faded away. Bruce Ward,
"The Ottawa Citizen "
Revealing, even (at times) oddly beautiful, a
stream-of-consciousness-meditation on where Young has been, where
he thinks he's going and, perhaps most revealing, where he is right
now . It is compelling to see a figure as prominent as Young
arguably one of the five or 10 most influential figures in the
history of rock 'n' roll express himself in such an unfiltered way.
David Ulin, "The Los Angeles Times "
Full of casual asides, unpredictable tangents and open-ended
questions as he looks back on his life at age 66....Young appears
to be setting down his memories in real time as they occur to
him...Dryly hilarious...poignant...."Waging Heavy Peace "shows that
Young is still in full possession of that stubborn, brilliant,
one-of-a-kind instrument. He doesn't always go exactly where you
want him to, or stay long enough once he gets there, but did anyone
really expect anything else?" Simon Vozick-Levinson, "Rolling Stone
"(four stars)
Like an epic jam with Crazy Horse, it's loose and baggy and always
in the moment The strength of "Waging Heavy Peace "lies in its
openness and honesty. When you put Young's book down, you feel you
know him. Dan DeLuca, "Philadelphia Inquirer "
An honest, insightful, engaging and, dare we say, fun literary
rambling. It s a yarn told by a good buddy in a dark bar over beers
and tequilas with great music on the jukebox in the background. Bob
Ruggiero, "The Houston Chronicle "
Surreal .Fittingly, "Peace "unfolds like a blustery Crazy Horse jam
occasionally hitting on an enrapturing revelation a contradictory
tale refreshing. "Entertainment Weekly "
"Young has consistently demonstrated the unbridled passion of an
artist who understands that self-renewal is the only way to avoid
burning out. For this reason, he has remained one of the most
significant artists of the rock and roll era." Eddie Vedder
Young writes with dry eloquence in a voice that is clearly his own
His narrative voice is like his music direct, emotional, hopeful,
sometimes funny, willfully naive, and often, quite beautiful At its
core, "Waging Heavy Peace "is a story about love of the enduring
variety. Jeff Miers, "Buffalo News"
Lively, rollicking, high-spirited, and reflective Like one of his
long, inventive jams, Young weaves crystalline lyrics and notes
about friends with reflections on the enduring beauty of nature,
and the lasting power and influence of music. "Publishers Weekly
"(starred)
Straight from the wandering mind and pure heart of Neil Young
Fascinating. "Portland Oregonian "
A thick, digressive epic "Waging Heavy Peace "is like his career in
microcosm. Nearly 500 elliptical pages long, the book is beautiful,
psychedelic, rootsy, ragged, terse, boring, riveting, sad, funny,
nostalgic and forward-looking . A must-read for Neil fans. David
Marchese, SPIN
Outspoken, wildly discursive, and thoroughly mesmerizing. Megan O
Grady, Vogue.com
[Young] makes some of his finest music in this lyrical memoir,
massaging our souls by hitting just the right chords with his
words. "BookPage "
Fascinating. Evan Schlansky, "American Songwriter ""
"Elliptical and personal..."Waging Heavy Peace "eschews chronology
and skips the score-settling and titillation of other rocker
biographies. Still, Young shows a little leg and has some
laughs.... As the book progresses, the operatics of the rock life
give way to signal family events, deconstructions of his musical
partnerships and musings on the natural world. It is less a
chronicle than a journal of self-appraisal." -David Carr, "The New
York Times "
""Waging Heavy Peace "finally is Neil Young on Neil Young. Inasmuch
as this memoir compares to anything, it's Dylan on Dylan in
"Chronicles Volume 1," and at the risk of offending, one must read
it as perhaps one might the Bible: Young's reality is plastic, his
prose prophetic; and myth, metaphor and madness meander through his
musings....It is a beautiful book, and the sturdy stock gives it a
substantial heft. The prose is conversational, peppered with
sentence fragments, more stream-of-consciousness than narrative.
This in itself is lovely, as reading this book likely is a close as
most of us will get to riding with Young in his bus, shooting the
breeze, reminiscing." -Ted St. Godard, "Winnipeg Free Press
"(Canada)
"Terrific: modest, honest, funny and frequently moving..."Waging
Heavy Peace" takes the form of a diary, a life-in-the-day structure
that gives Mr. Young room to maneuver, as he takes us on a wander
round his memory palace... In many ways, the closest antecedent to
"Waging Heavy Peace" may be Laurence Sterne's 1760 masterpiece,
"Tristram Shandy."..Elegance itself." -Wesley Stace, "Wall Street
Journal "
"An inspirational account of tragedy, triumph, and toy trains...If
you love Neil Young you will love his autobiography....There is
humor in his approach, and a preoccupation with the feeling of
things; of sound, and with the world of soul and spirit....
[Young's] is a hero's story; a man put through trial after trial
who is still fighting at the end with humor, courage, and rage to
be the most powerful and genuine artist he can possibly be."
-Suzanne Vega, "The Times" (London)
"Remarkable...Young has neither burned out nor faded away." -Bruce
Ward, "The Ottawa Citizen "
"Revealing, even (at times) oddly beautiful, a
stream-of-consciousness-meditation on where Young has been, where
he thinks he's going and, perhaps most revealing, where he is right
now.... It is compelling to see a figure as prominent as Young --
arguably one of the five or 10 most influential figures in the
history of rock 'n' roll -- express himself in such an unfiltered
way." -David Ulin, "The Los Angeles Times "
"Full of casual asides, unpredictable tangents and open-ended
questions as he looks back on his life at age 66....Young appears
to be setting down his memories in real time as they occur to
him...Dryly hilarious...poignant...."Waging Heavy Peace "shows that
Young is still in full possession of that stubborn, brilliant,
one-of-a-kind instrument. He doesn't always go exactly where you
want him to, or stay long enough once he gets there, but did anyone
really expect anything else?" -Simon Vozick-Levinson, "Rolling
Stone "(four stars)
"Like an epic jam with Crazy Horse, it's loose and baggy and always
in the moment... The strength of "Waging Heavy Peace "lies in its
openness and honesty. When you put Young's book down, you feel you
know him." -Dan DeLuca, "Philadelphia Inquirer "
"An honest, insightful, engaging and, dare we say, fun literary
rambling. It's a yarn told by a good buddy in a dark bar over beers
and tequilas with great music on the jukebox in the background."
-Bob Ruggiero, "The Houston Chronicle "
"Surreal....Fittingly, "Peace "unfolds like a blustery Crazy Horse
jam...occasionally hitting on an enrapturing revelation ...a
contradictory tale...refreshing." -"Entertainment Weekly "
"Young has consistently demonstrated the unbridled passion of an
artist who understands that self-renewal is the only way to avoid
burning out. For this reason, he has remained one of the most
significant artists of the rock and roll era." --Eddie Vedder
"Young writes with dry eloquence in a voice that is clearly his
own...His narrative voice is like his music--direct, emotional,
hopeful, sometimes funny, willfully naIve, and often, quite
beautiful... At its core, "Waging Heavy Peace "is a story about
love of the enduring variety." -Jeff Miers, "Buffalo News"
"Lively, rollicking, high-spirited, and reflective... Like one of
his long, inventive jams, Young weaves crystalline lyrics and notes
about friends... with reflections on the enduring beauty of nature,
and the lasting power and influence of music." -- "Publishers
Weekly "(starred)
"Straight from the wandering mind and pure heart of Neil Young...
Fascinating." - "Portland Oregonian "
"A thick, digressive epic..."Waging Heavy Peace "is like his career
in microcosm. Nearly 500 elliptical pages long, the book is
beautiful, psychedelic, rootsy, ragged, terse, boring, riveting,
sad, funny, nostalgic and forward-looking.... A must-read for Neil
fans." - David Marchese, SPIN
"Outspoken, wildly discursive, and thoroughly mesmerizing." -Megan
O'Grady, Vogue.com
"[Young] makes some of his finest music in this lyrical memoir,
massaging our souls by hitting just the right chords with his
words." --"BookPage "
"Fascinating." -Evan Schlansky, "American Songwriter "
Canadian singer/songwriter Young presents brief conversational/blog-type entries that culminate in a lengthy narrative in which he ruminates on his life as well as offers heavy doses of his passions-collecting vintage cars/model trains-and his attempts to develop "Pono," a high-quality digital music system. Along the way, he discusses his wife and children and the musicians with whom he has worked. Narrator Keith Carradine competently conveys Young's passion and energy. VERDICT Young's breezy memoir is not particularly revelatory as a biography or a career analysis, but his many fans will enjoy the digressions of this iconic rock star. ["Essential reading for all fans of Young, who, in his typical idiosyncratic, improvisational, and charmingly long-winded style, fills in the gaps of Jimmy McDonough's flawed Shakey: Neil Young's Biography," read the review of the New York Times best--selling Blue Rider: Penguin hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 10/19/12.-Ed.]-Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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