Neil Young: The Rolling Stones File - Softcover

The strident, often weepy voice complementing Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Young was also a progenitor of grunge. Said to be "so anachronistic that in the 1990s he's cutting edge," Young has reinvented his musical persona every few years, so this entry in Rolling Stone's rock retrospective series is more revealing than similar treatment of a more predictable rocker would be. Just a few entries after the above characterization, Young's Unplugged album is described as the "sonic equivalent of souvenir T-shirts: perfectly comfortable, destined to fade," which indicates the secret of his longevity--his capability for seeming comfortable and familiar even as he radically changes his musical style. In any case, this book traces the ups and downs of Young's career. Some of what's said is bound to interest nearly any pop music fan. The book's publication coincides with release of a boxed-set CD collection of Young's music; accordingly, the big highlights here are the discography and the selective videography. Mike Tribby