CSNY: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young by Peter Doggett

CSNY: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Reviews

• 
  Julie

  I have always been a big fan of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Although I was too young to really understand their lyrics when they were big in the 70s, I liked their music. Later when I had grown up, I understood what their songs were saying, and liked them even more. I jumped at the chance to read and review this biopic of the band, their music and their careers.
  
  David Crosby. Steven Stills. Graham Nash. Neil Young. All huge musical talents. And big stars in the 60s & 70s, a time when war protests, social unrest and angst were the driving forces behind an entire generation. I was born in 1968...so I missed out on most of it, but I did get to enjoy their music.
  
  I enjoyed this book. It describes the formation of the band, personality clashes among the members that broke them up multiple times, and the force, will and creativity they all added to the mix. After enjoying the recent movie about Freddy Mercury and Queen, I enjoyed reading about another band that seemed to have similar problems. Each member of CSNY had been in other front line bands like The Hollies and The Byrds and each wanted their songs/lyrics at the forefront. Strong personalities, incredible talent and inflated egos seem to be a recurring theme with popular bands. It was so interesting to read about their prior music careers, eccentricities and musical abilities, plus information about the band (both in the Crosby, Stills & Nash years and after the addition of Neil Young) that I didn't know.
  
  I had to read this book in small bits. There is a lot of information....lots of name dropping and mentions of singers, bands, songwriters, concerts, lyrics, historical events, etc....so much information. I read a few pages....looked up names and events online for more information....and let that digest before moving on. I pulled up all sorts of songs and albums and enjoyed listening to so much awesome music as I read this book! My copy was a digital review copy....so the accompanying photographs were absent in my copy. I'm going to see if my library has this book so I can see the photos!
  
  Great book for any fan of CSNY, 60s/70s music or culture! I loved it!
  
  My favorite CSNY song?? There is a live performance of it here:
  https://youtu.be/2vnYKRacKQc
  
  **I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
• 
  Judy

  A fascinating account of how the band came together and ultimately kept falling apart. It delves into the turbulent relationships among the musicians as well as their backgrounds. Throughout it seemed like a love-hate relationship mix. Their egos and eccentricities kept getting in their way. All band members were strong-willed and each wanted things their own way. Stephen Stills seemed to be the one who pulled the music together and mixed it to perfection. All of them are songwriters and each wanted their lyrics front and center and they had to work out a way for sharing the limelight. It was good that in many of the concerts they would play together then each musician would have a solo spot that showcased their voice. Crosby, Stills and Nash were the core of the group since they were together before Neil Young entered the picture. Neil was a recluse and, though he contributed much to the band and their unique sound, would disappear whenever he wanted - often at inappropriate times leaving the rest of the band to pick up the pieces. Young is a creative genius though and much was forgiven to keep him with the band and to have his voice and his lyrics.
  
  One of the things that amazes me is how the musicians in this group and many other musicians at the time (and probably still today) float in and out of each others lives and can even step onstage in someone else's band and play like they belong there. It also amazes me how many of the musicians know each other. It seems CSNY hung out with and knew Mama Cass (who introduced the group members it seems), Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, and the list goes on an on! Of course the CSNY band members had been part of The Byrds, ?The Hollies, and Buffalo Springfield before their group was ever formed. What talent!
  
  The background of what influenced the lyrics was interesting. Many of the lyrics were written in anguish from various love affairs on the rocks. Some came from Crosby's sci-fi interest. Others were totally crafted into something that would appeal to the most people and sell the most. And still more came from the drug-infused atmosphere of the sixties. Then, of course, there are the political protest songs that were mainly against the Vietnam War.
  
  I don't read much non-fiction, but since I love CSN's and CSNY's music I wanted to read this and I'm glad I did. The first of the book was a little rocky, but it smoothed out after awhile. It was only somewhat sequential in nature though - it kept going back and forth during a relatively short period of time (the band was only together officially for about two years). Reading this made me get out all my CSN and CSNY music and listen to it again and still love the feeling.
  
  Thanks to Peter Doggett and Atria Books through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
  
  
• 
  M. Sarki

  
  https://rogueliterarysociety.com/f/cs...
  
  It is no wonder there has yet to be a comprehensive biography on CSNY until now. This supergroup is a difficult subject with not only contrarian individuals making up the bulk of the band but also egos so huge no skulls could contain them. But they were great musicians and engaging characters. Their music soared at a time when our young people needed them. CSNY was definitely the brand name leading the anti-war movement but also the symbol many of us could proudly display back when our freak-flag flied. And their music was different and superb in every way.
  
  Doggett’s biography is not only engaging and informative, but also suspect to the memories of the many iconic contributors to this book. An almost sixty-year history of the principle players is covered, and the page count feels as if justice was done. It is heartening that all the members of CSNY are still alive and playing music. They, and their stories, are amazing.
  
• 
  Loring Wirbel

  I had the distinct pleasure of listening to this audiobook while reading Neil Young's Special Deluxe, billed as a memoir of dogs and cars, but actually a more useful personal memoir than Waging Heavy Peace. Doggett wanted to center this story in late-hippie-period Woodstock Nation, when CSNY reached its zenith, but there have been many histories of Laurel Canyon musicians, and the stories here augment what is already widely known. Where this book really shines is in bringing us up to the CSN/CSNY formation, with histories of Byrds, Hollies, and especially Buffalo Springfield. The exciting years of Stills and Young first collaborating tell us more than the history of the underappreciated Buffalo Springfield itself. Doggett makes the case that 1966 Hollywood/Sunset Strip was at least as formative for late-1960s culture as 1967 Haight-Ashbury. Since I consider 1966 a far more seminal year for pop music than 1967-68, I think Doggett's case carries a lot of weight.
  
  Some reviewers seem to think that Doggett was too close to Crosby and Nash, and too critical of Stills and Young. I am a huge fan of Neil Young, yet I don't think this bias is evident at all. Doggett seems to realize Young was the most innovative of the band, and gushes about wild experiments like Tonight's the Night, the punk experiments of Rust Never Sleeps, and the electronic Trans. The criticisms he makes of Young are well-founded. Similarly, he gives Stills credit for some solo work when that credit is due, but is correct in saying that Stills hit his songwriting nadir in Buffalo Springfield, and never quite equaled it, particularly as a solo artist. Doggett paints Nash as a sad troubadour trying to deal with depression, and he lumps a multitude of sins on Crosby, particularly regarding his sexism and drug use, criticism that is largely deserved.
  
  One thing is clear in all four singers: They had their political hearts in the right place, and still do, but spent their hippie spokesperson years as privileged artists who could often be brats. Granted, they did not grow up in privilege, but all had made a good deal of money before CSN was founded, and hence could jet off to Hawaii or The Bahamas when things went wrong. All four, including Young, were selfish, sexist, and exploitative in their relationships, which unfortunately was true of far too many hippie and New Left boomers who pretended to be harbingers of a better world than the ones their parents built.
  
  Young was the epileptic brooding genius with far more ideas than he could effectively bring to completion, one reason why there are still dozens of finished albums in the Neil Young Archives waiting for official release. Doggett rightly points out that Young was the only one who wanted to constantly surprise and frighten his audience, one factor that led to his constant creativity and reinvention, and one factor that led to David Geffen suing him, when he was signed to Geffen Records, for making "Neil Young records that don't sound like Neil Young." Crosby, Stills, and Nash all realized that this was true, but consequently let Young have too much veto power over CSNY projects. It got to the point where Young was the mysterious Svengali who everyone else in the band was a little afraid of. Doggett gently brings up the question as to whether CSN would have been better off never inviting Young to join the group, but wisely doesn't spend too long playing what-if games. We are left with the history of lives actually lived. (I tend to think CSNY gained more excitement and vitality with Young, and a CSN that remained a trio would have become a nostalgia act far earlier.)
  
  The marketing blurb for the book suggests the narrative ends with the 1974 CSNY world tour, but Doggett wisely provides a rapid but thorough coverage of the various attempts at reunion from 1976 to 2019, and talks about how the Neil Young non-album Human Highway was initially going to be a CSNY album of the same name. There were many missed chances between 1976 and today. Doggett provides a look at how some fans were enraged with the anti-Bush rhetoric of the "Living With War" tour of 2006, but he reads too much into conflicting motives of the fanbase. The ugly truth of 2006 is that there weren't that many younger fans going to that reunion, and the real reason the band was booed is because far too many baby boomers evolved into redneck bigots by 2006 - one might even argue that a majority of Woodstock Nation citizens already had become would-be Trumpsters by that time.
  
  Doggett also delves into how Crosby and Young faced a permanent schism after Young began his relationship with Daryl Hannah in 2014, and Crosby criticized it. Having met Hannah, I can attest to a lot of truth in what Crosby had to say, and I think Young treated his former wife Pegi in pretty shitty fashion, but if I was in Young's shoes, I'd probably unfriend-and-block Crosby as well. Nash should have done the same with Crosby after Crosby criticized his dalliances with younger women. Doggett gives Crosby some credit for releasing some fairly decent albums in the 21st century, but he doesn't indicate how much Crosby had become a doddering old burnout. In a 2019 appearance on Chris Thile's Live From Here on NPR, Crosby didn't have the slightest idea who Stephen Malkmus from Pavement even was, though Malkmus knew the CSNY catalog well. Sorry, but it is never OK for a musician to become clueless about newer musicians. Once you're in, you're in for life.
  
  Doggett's final chapter, "Journey Through the Past," is a joy in recognizing with a wink and a smile that personal histories are next to useless without documentary evidence behind it. It is not just that the four CSNY members are getting old and forgetful, it's that the memories of even sharp personalities are colored by personal preferences and desires, and are not very trustworthy. When certain anecdotes become the stuff of legend, the celebrity isn't really regurgitating personal memory, but memories of the myth as it has been publicly received. Such is the nature of much of the CSNY history. I'll be back soon to write a review of what Neil had to say in Special Deluxe.
  
  
• 
  T. Kovak

  Peter Doggett explaining how the Beatles broke up: It was a huge effort that took its toll in four souls that were forever linked by the magic of music. They fell in love and broke each others hearts. It was the magic of youth. It was the disappointment of growing up. It was the end of the dream of the 60s. It was the encapsulation of a generation. In many ways they are still together, linked by the terrifying machinery of capitalism.
  
  Peter Doggett explaining how CSNY broke up: Step 1 - They met
  Step 2 - They broke up
  
  Anyway they should make a David Crosby movie with a Cass Elliott post credit scenes going "Mr Crosby you just became part of a much bigger universe. I am the director of the Mammas & Pappas, and I'm here to talk to you about the CSNY intiative." Most ambitious crossover. Etc.
• 
  Signe

  I liked it and yet I didn’t like how CSNY were largely portrayed as dicks. It was a time when men weren’t brought up in a well-rounded way, and the book touches in this. They were money-grubbing, drug addicted, somewhat misogynistic egomaniacs according to this book. Surely they all must have had more redeeming qualities that could’ve been focused upon — even Crosby!? This book made me feel a little ill and thankful it was over. I preferred the film Echo in the Valley as you can see the personalities come through without an arrow coming down every 5 seconds pointing EGO, and because the focus is on the music, which makes me feel amazing.
• 
  KB

  There was something about this I can't quite put my finger on. I'm not sure I can pinpoint anything particularly wrong with it, yet it never once grabbed me. None of the four main figures come off well personality-wise. Drugs, egos and one flaky member consistently drove the group apart. Doggett certainly makes a case for how important and incredible their music was, but as someone who isn't a huge fan it felt a little overkill for me at times. I'm not going to lie, I was reading this solely for the drama and it only sort of delivered in that regard.
• 
  Patrick Duran

  3.5 but rounding up to 4 due to the extensive research Doggett did for this book. Big surprise: four huge talents have four massive egos. Graham Nash seems to be the most grounded of the quartet. At one point he proclaimed, "I'm the only sane one in this group!" At times, this book reads like a mess, because the band itself was a mess. I knew very little about these guys, so the book was full of revelations to me. Even when Neil Young decided to join the others, he didn't necessarily contribute harmonies, which I long suspected. It is amazing the band survived the five or so non-consecutive years together, but for loyal fans, we are grateful for the work they left behind. This book is definitely recommended for die-hard fans.
• 
  Online Eccentric Librarian

  

  More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog
  http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

  What I look for in a biography is a very neutral viewpoint - mostly facts with leeway for some interpretation from a knowledgeable writer. But with CSNY, this felt very much a book written by a friend - someone who knew one or two of the band members and therefore, like a friend, not willing/wanting to hurt their feelings by giving a very honest depiction of events in the past. As well, those who were not deemed as helping the friend will get lambasted - so e.g., Crosby fares well here but Young and Nash do not. It's the nature of friendship but doesn't necessarily make a good book; the bias had to be compensated for by having inside information that a researcher just wouldn't be able to find. I don't know that this book really succeeded there - it is a VERY sympathetic look at especially Crosby and Stills but definitely not so for Nash and Young.
  
  A reader will get this impression of the band after reading this book: Crosby is a loveable little scamp with an incredible voice who adored women and became ensnared by drugs, Stills is a multi-instrumental genius who creates masterpieces, singls like an angel, and the leader of the band. Nash is wishy washy and a milquetoast who spent most of life bemused, and Young is the biggest jerk on the planet who is so selfish, he lives to ruin others lives and livelihoods. In reading the competing biography, Crosby comes off as a womanizer and damaged - needing drugs first to assuage and then to hide from life. Stills is demanding, difficult, and alcohol made it nearly impossible to work with him, Nash didn't like the drama and tried to tread the middle as much as possible to mitigate it, leading to bursts of anger and vicious words at bad times, and Young didn't want to deal with the drugs and personalities, had the complication of a disabled son requiring full time care, and shifting priorities that meant he was completely unpredictable and impossible for anyone to work with for any extended period of time.
  
  Since this is focused on that two year period when CSNY got big, you'll find a lot more in here about their lifestyles and the people moving around them like satellites. The author gives many different accounts of the same situation (drugs/alcohol meant that most remember the time differently) but then he also gives a lot of opinions throughout, either making conclusions on what really happened or flat out guessing why someone did/said something they did. Some readers will appreciate the opinions/speculation but others may prefer a biographer to just stick either the facts or the statements, without trying to interpret them.
  
  What the book did well is to really make Stills and Crosby personable and like your best buddy - you feel like you were one of their friends during this time period in their life. Life in Mulholland and Laurel Canyon in the 1970s/1960s is richly realized - and it was fascinating to read about all the people who floated in and out of the scene when the band got together (be it at Mama Cass' house or at one of the band's homes). And events of the time, such as the death of Crosby's girlfriend in an accident, are richly detailed rather than a passing comment. As such, it does feel like you are looking from the inside out or talking with someone who was touring with the band and knew them well. But I think it is important to be aware of the limitations of seeing things from the inside - it's hard to really gain a clear perspective on the subject. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
• 
  Dorie

  CSNY: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
  by Peter Doggett
  due 4-2-2019
  Atria Books
  3 / 5
  
  This book was written in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock.
  In 1969, David Crosby (ex-Byrds), Stephen Stills (ex-Buffalo Springfield) and Graham Nash (ex-Hollies) formed CSN when the musicians became frustrated with being a ¨group¨. Their smooth and vocal harmonies, idealistic and mature lyrics and exquisite songwriting abilities all came together to give them a creative outlet for their many varied talent Each musician wanted to make sure their songs were used, mixed with excessive drug use made for a tense and turbulent environment to work in. Stills asked Neil Young (ex Buffalo Springfield) to join after one album, solidifying the magic and the depth of talent. Young would be the most reclusive member of the band.
  CSNY released 2 albums but the constant tension and turbulent relationships between the musicians made it a difficult environment to create in. Their personal relationships outside the group were also a huge factor.
  I really enjoyed reading about the clubs (The Trip, for one) and festivals, popular then-Monterey Pop Festival, SF-Be-In @Golden State Park, Altamont and, of course, Woodstock. Some of the best writing in this book were the chapters on Woodstock and the anti-war protests.
  The musical histories and relationships between them as well as their personal lives are researched and detailed-the use of quotes was a little excessive and distracted from the story and were hard to follow, but I did love the insights of the members and their formation.
  This band, CSNY, and this era in musical history; the musicianship, lyrics and harmonies are unforgettable. It will never happen again. This is a great tribute to a band and time in music that are timeless and classic.
• 
  patrick Lorelli

  A book about how the group CSNY came together. The author refers to them as a supergroup and growing up listening to their music I really never looked at them that way. I knew Neil Young had a successful solo career and really did not like to tour. In the book, the author explains how when he was with the Buffalo Springfield along with Stephen Stills how Young stopped showing up for shows like the Carson T.V. show then the Monterey Jazz Festival. I had known that they had been with Springfield that Nash was with the Hollies because I really liked the groups at the time. I did know of the Byrd’s I just was not a big fan and was not following that group. So I later knew Crosby came from them. Like Young he would not show up either to shows or recording sessions and when there was always difficult to work with. The author takes to how the three CSN meet at the Whiskey club, I had always heard it referred to as Whiskya’ go-go, and have albums recorded live from that venue. The group itself CSNY only have recorded three albums, but CSN has a total of fourteen. What I found interesting was the influence of Mama Cass and Joni Mitchel. It was always interesting how Stills seemed to bring everyone together and work through everything, for me, he is the one that I got that the music was more important than all of the other stuff going on around them. Also, their early songs really spoke to what was going on in the country, “Ohio” for example was about the shooting at Kent State, and another song was about the death of Robert Kennedy just months after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Then into the ’70s, they were still speaking to the people. I really listened to their music up to the last few years, out of their 14 albums I have 11 plus some of their solo ones, I just can’t get into some of their new stuff. An interesting group that I grew up listening to that now I guess maybe I will think as a supergroup even though they would not want that title. Maybe a super Folk group would be better. A good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at
  www.1rad-readerreviews.com
• 
  Craig

  4 ⭐️ is what I felt was right. Having previously foresworn memoirs, here I am, reviewing a memoir. So that’s on me. Ok, maybe 4.5 ⭐️ because the author really does deliver on revealing what went on in and around this turbulent “group” and the endless personal trials and musical highs and lows of the famous CSN&Y. I liked their music much more than I liked their story, and again that is on me, not the author. He just made me see it in (relative) focus. Hazy, crazy times, documented with substantial clarity. I will now hear their songs through a different filter… So it actually is a 5 ⭐️ book, that I enjoyed less because it was so revealing.
• 
  Joshua Morris

  This book is very evocative of the late 60's early 70's dawn of the era the singer/songwriter period and rock star excess and ego. Doggett gives a colorful and immersive view into the roots of all four men and takes us up to the disintegration of their creative partnership, which amazingly, didn't last more than two or three years at its peak. They could barely keep it together for a world tour which could have netted them major $$$.
  
  Various permutations of the group in duets, trios and the ultimate foursome recorded more material over the years, including a full CSNY reunion in the 90's, but the period past their 1971 Live Album 4 Way Street is covered in a very bullet pointed and superficial way.
  
  I was taken by how unflattering the portrait is of all four of them, none of whom come off as heroes of their own stories. Mama Cass Eliot, at whose house these CSN sang harmonies for the first time (I had no idea what a central figure and mother hen she was to the whole LA folk rock scene) and Joni Mitchell, genius in her own right, and lover of at least two of subjects of this book, come off much more interesting and noble.
  
  I knew of Crosby's difficult and ornery personality, but his three erstwhile mates scarcely come off better, with a combination of ego, lack of loyalty and drug abuse making them less than admirable dudes, belying the 'peace and love' stance that is emblematic of their often wonderful harmonies and songwriting.
  
  I would recommend the new documentary, 'Echo in the Valley' as a companion piece to this book, which covers the heyday of Laurel Canyon and is overseen by rock royalty, Jakob Dylan who admirably performs a number of the classic tunes from the early Laurel Canyon period.
  
  
  
• 
  Mark Hartzer

  While Doggett tried to provide some granular detail on the artists' background, much of that information has been previously said elsewhere. I was looking for background on the music and instead found personal gossip. Way too much of the book is focused on Woodstock. Way too much of the book is focused on personalities. Way too much of the book is focused on relationships. And finally, way too much of the book is focused on the time dealing with the 1st 2 albums.
  
  For example, Doggett spends almost no time at all on the 1977 album, CSN. The other later albums (and music) get even less attention. In other words, this is 1/2 a book. If you are interested in the years 1966-1974, then this book is for you. If you want background on anything after that, one will need to keep looking. Graham Nash's 2013 book "Wild Tales" is still superior.
• 
  Ginni

  Lots of detail, but rather depressing to read of the inevitable rows, relationship breakdowns, selfish behaviour and so on within and around the group. Neil Young comes across as the main culprit for the numerous break-ups, but TBH no-one comes out well. I think I’ll just go on listening to the sublime ‘Deja Vu’ and ‘Crosby, Stills and Nash.’ That’s where the magic lies.
• 
  Daniel Stekloff

  Crosby, Stills, and Nash was my first concert. I saw them quite a bit over the following few years. There was even a concert at SPAC where they played one night and Neil Young the next (or the reverse) and we all thought they'd show up together at one of the concerts. They didn't. I remember at David Crosby barely moving on stage at the first one, he was really out of it.
  
  Along listening to this book, I also listened to their catalog along the way including solo output (some of which I hadn't heard before) and the incredible amount of media out there like interviews or even the after Woodstock Dick Cavett tv show. Amazing to me what's out there.
  
  I enjoyed listening to the book, it kept me interested along the way. The author is a journalist and did rely on current media at the time. He sums up the whole endeavor at the end with his philosophy, which seems reasonable given how well I even remember anything.
  
  Even though I had known about their excesses and personalities, the level of self sabotage along the way amazed and saddened me. I also learned about things like David Crosby's love of teenage / high school girls . But the most surprising thing for me was that Wooden Ships was this Sci Fi story. I know they said it was a sci fi story in concert prior to singing it, but I thought that was a joke and it was really about the boat people (Though now in restrospect, it was written before the boat people).
  
  I really enjoyed the majority of the book leading to Deja Vu and tours around 1971 or so but was a bit disappointed that what followed was brief to me. I wanted more of their '70s and later happenings to try and understand what happened between Deja Vu and CSN and American Dream... but then this is about all of them - Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - and not the individuals. I guess I'll seek out individual biographies and autobiographies.
• 
  Mike

  First off, I'm not really a fan of CSN or CSNY. I'm aware of who they are, their music has been on the radio for almost all my life, but I've never been exactly "awe struck" or "enchanted" by it. I say that not to cast any dispersion on the group, their collective or individual talents, or the music. It's just the way it is - I picked up this book mostly to fill in the gaps as to why they are considered so groundbreaking and iconic. Did I succeed in finding out? Well, sort of...
  
  This book chronicles the collective known as CSN and sometimes CSNY. There is basic biographical information on all four of the main guys involved but it mostly just pertains to those things that contributed to the forming, breakup, and various attempts at reformation (some more successful than others but apparently none all that successful).
  
  From the little bit I know about the individuals who make up this "supergroup" I can tell you that there are great gaps in the personal biographies when it doesn't have direct impact on their collective endeavors. David Crosby's well documented legal issues, for example, are mentioned mostly in passing. Sometimes it seems that the author is biased (to say the least) in favor of some members and prejudiced against others.
  
  All in all I have a better understanding of why CSN (and sometimes Y) are so celebrated by those of their generation but I don't feel as if this is a definitive history of the group or the individuals. I'm not sure how much those who are big fans would get from it but those with a passing interest would probably enjoy it.
  
  *** I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley.
• 
  Lindsay

  I was very excited to get this book as I had been replaying my collection of CSNY albums and some of Neil Young’s too.
  
  Pretty early on in the book, this happened to me:
  
  Bruce Cockburn is name checked in the recounting of the Hollies tour in Ottawa in 1968 as: “Local rock performer Bruce Cockburn”. This really threw me as a lifelong fan of Bruce Cockburn to mention him as a rock performer (in 1968). He was working on his first album called Bruce Cockburn. Indicative of his style at the time it was sparse arrangements, consisting primarily of Cockburn on acoustic guitar (and occasional piano and dulcimer) with some support from Dennis Pendrith on bass. The lyrics are introspective in tone.
  
  I mention this as it is sloppy research and I couldn’t help but wonder what other details were missing or incorrect.
  
  Overall, CSNY had such a colourful and fascinating story, which has been very well documented that it would be relatively easy to put together this book .
  
  I really enjoyed reading about the exploits of CSNY and the various famous folk they encountered but have to say after reading David Browne’s excellent saga of CSNY that this book just didn’t measure up.
  
  If you are looking for one of the definitive CSNY books then I suggest David Browne’s, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
• 
  Karen Miles

  Thank you for Netgalley, the publisher, and Peter Doggett for providing me with ARC copy of "CSNY". I did not grow up listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young but was curious to find out more about the members of this iconic music group. I was curious to know how such a short lived group could be so famous.
  
  I have to admit that this book was not to my liking. I gave up after the first chapter. I lost interest in going further. I think this book is more for long time fans of CSNY and have more knowledge of the group and their beginnings. For a novice to CSNY, I was expecting more of a narrative introducing the band members from the beginning of their music careers till present. I found the information provided scattered & unfocused leaving me no interest in pursuing this book further.
  
  I hope that fans of CSNY will feel different to make this book successful.
• 
  Mauberley

  Well done and I am in no way a fan of the band in either of its two manifestations. Doggett, who is an excellent writer, is the only person I know who appears to lament the addition of Neil Young to CSN. (Doggett's diminished regard for records such as 'Everybody Knows Thi is Nowhere' and 'After the Goldrush' is astonishing to me.) The book particularly shines as it describes the way that the musicians came together and all the co-incidences and machinations that were required to bring it to pass. (Peter Tork, of all people, offers a strange cautionary tale.) If I never hear 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes' again, it will be too soon but Doggett's book is a remarkable look at what it means to bring together four talented people who don't really like each other all that much but who go on to obtain stupefying success as well as a bottomless quantity of cocaine and 'chicks'.
• 
  Marlene

  A good summary of the genius and dysfunction of CSNY. Interesting personalities. Who knew that Joni Mitchell was a hot chick and involved with Nash and Stills. Al were in popular groups (Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and the Hollies)Nash left the UK to join his American buddies and creative freedom. Stills the tortured multitalented musician who had to control and fueled by a furious cocaine habit (but they all did drugs). Young was very passive aggessive and controlled by his ablity to appear and and dissappear. His voice sounded like a cats yowl and he made it work. Cosby the consumate leader and showman, everybody's hip friend who always brought the good drugs. One star removed because it was difficult to follow at times jumping back and forth time periods.
• 
  Keith Hamilton

  A cautionary tale of overblown egos, cocaine paranoia, the rise and inevitable decline of the so called 'Woodstock Nation', this is a no holds barred examination of the ill fated band CSNY which failed to live up to its initial promise and struggled on with diminishing artistic returns whilst continuing to bring in the dollars.. None of the four band members emerge with much credit - Crosby a blissed out , incoherent hippie junkie; Stills the manic control freak; Nash the naive pop star who wanted to be taken seriously , and Young the reluctant band member and permanent outsider who just wanted to do his own thing. If you are interested in the East and West coast US music scene of the 1960s and 70s, you'll find plenty to enjoy in this book.
• 
  Kristine

  CSNY by Peter Doggett is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late March.
  
  Yay, dreamy, soaring four-part harmonies punctuated by hippie folk lyrics, so “what’ve I got to looooo-oooo-ooooose”? This shared biography diverts into each of their personal histories with direct quotes (not to mention sky-high acid and pot trips) serving as kind of thematic, timely turnstiles for topics amid scattered, slightly non-linear storytelling that ramps and stutters for speed in some spots, but then slows in others.
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  Susan Scribner

  Doggett states in the book's preface that CSNY only released a total of 22 songs over their entire career and wonders why they have had such lasting impact. Yet he fails to answer his own question, choosing instead to focus on their toxic, ego-driven personalities that made their dynamic so challenging. Instead of chronicling one more fight or sexual indiscretion, I wish Doggett had delved a little deeper into their musical creation process. I finished the book with a strong dislike for all four men, and no greater understanding of what made their music so special.