What do you think?
Rate this book
Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970
January 1970:
> the Beatles assemble one more time to put the finishing touches on Let It Be;
> Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are wrapping up Déjà Vu;
> Simon and Garfunkel are unveiling Bridge Over Troubled Water;
> James Taylor is an upstart singer-songwriter who’s just completed Sweet Baby James.
Over the course of the next twelve months, their lives ... and the world around them ... will change irrevocably.
Fire and Rain tells the story of four iconic albums of 1970 and the lives, times, and constantly intertwining personal ties of the remarkable artists who made them.
Acclaimed journalist David Browne sets these stories against an increasingly chaotic backdrop of events that sent the world spinning throughout that tumultuous year: Kent State, the Apollo 13 debacle, ongoing bombings by radical left-wing groups, the diffusion of the antiwar movement, and much more.
Featuring candid interviews with more than 100 luminaries, including some of the artists themselves, Browne's vivid narrative tells the incredible story of how ... over the course of twelve turbulent months ... the '60s effectively ended and the '70s began.
> the Beatles assemble one more time to put the finishing touches on Let It Be;
> Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are wrapping up Déjà Vu;
> Simon and Garfunkel are unveiling Bridge Over Troubled Water;
> James Taylor is an upstart singer-songwriter who’s just completed Sweet Baby James.
Over the course of the next twelve months, their lives ... and the world around them ... will change irrevocably.
Fire and Rain tells the story of four iconic albums of 1970 and the lives, times, and constantly intertwining personal ties of the remarkable artists who made them.
Acclaimed journalist David Browne sets these stories against an increasingly chaotic backdrop of events that sent the world spinning throughout that tumultuous year: Kent State, the Apollo 13 debacle, ongoing bombings by radical left-wing groups, the diffusion of the antiwar movement, and much more.
Featuring candid interviews with more than 100 luminaries, including some of the artists themselves, Browne's vivid narrative tells the incredible story of how ... over the course of twelve turbulent months ... the '60s effectively ended and the '70s began.
369 pages, Hardcover
First published May 31, 2011
110 people are currently reading
2448 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 391 reviews
June 4, 2024
A nostalgic trip, why not? And not on acid. . .
David Browne’s Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970 (2011) is a kind of musical and cultural and political history of a single year, 1970, the year I was 17 and in high school. The focus of the book is on music. He makes a case that it was maybe even more interesting than 1968 as a year of tumult and change. In truth, it of course has to talk about things in the works in 1969 and bleeding into 1971, but it is admittedly an amazing year. he focuses on
The primary groups and their albums that year Browne focuses on (in part because he, like me, had this music as central in his life, but also because they represented besides both amazing music and tumult, a shift from the hops of the sixties flower power to the darker seventies of protest):
Sweet Baby James, James Taylor
Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Simon & Garfunkel
Deja Vu, CSNY
Let It Be, The Beatles
Also this year, some people in the conversation with the above (not disrespecting albums by The Who, Black Sabbath, and so on):
All Things Must Pass, George Harrison
Ladies of the Canyon, Joni Mitchell
Working Man’s Dead, The Grateful Dead
Moondance, Van Morrison
Blood on the Tracks, Dylan
London Calling, Clash
Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder
Led Zeppelin IV
Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
Exile on Main Street, Rolling Stones
Band of Gypsys, Jimmi Hendrix
“Breakups, makeups, you know it had to be that way”--Mamas and the Papas
Browne focuses on the amazing work to produce what we have in the key albums, above, but then takes us behind the scenes to the divisions, the petty fighting, the principled fighting, the romances, the massive drug use (especially heroin) that killed Jimi and Janis and so many others in their late twenties but also the groups he focused on were damaged by drug use. James and Simon & Garfunkel did mellow, mostly spiritual, inner-focused lyrics, and The Beatles and CSNY turned just a little more political in response to the growing anger about the Vietnam War, Kent State and the war on dissident students, such as in Young’s “Ohio,” but it was not yet a time of angry political music, after the killing of three civil rights activists--JFK, RFK, MLK--and the bombing of Cambodia. Volatile times. Weather Underground, Apollo 13 disaster, Greenpeace and Earth Day. I went to a lot of concerts that year. I attended a lot of protests and rallies. The times they were a’changin. Great trip down memory lane.
David Browne’s Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970 (2011) is a kind of musical and cultural and political history of a single year, 1970, the year I was 17 and in high school. The focus of the book is on music. He makes a case that it was maybe even more interesting than 1968 as a year of tumult and change. In truth, it of course has to talk about things in the works in 1969 and bleeding into 1971, but it is admittedly an amazing year. he focuses on
The primary groups and their albums that year Browne focuses on (in part because he, like me, had this music as central in his life, but also because they represented besides both amazing music and tumult, a shift from the hops of the sixties flower power to the darker seventies of protest):
Sweet Baby James, James Taylor
Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Simon & Garfunkel
Deja Vu, CSNY
Let It Be, The Beatles
Also this year, some people in the conversation with the above (not disrespecting albums by The Who, Black Sabbath, and so on):
All Things Must Pass, George Harrison
Ladies of the Canyon, Joni Mitchell
Working Man’s Dead, The Grateful Dead
Moondance, Van Morrison
Blood on the Tracks, Dylan
London Calling, Clash
Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder
Led Zeppelin IV
Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
Exile on Main Street, Rolling Stones
Band of Gypsys, Jimmi Hendrix
“Breakups, makeups, you know it had to be that way”--Mamas and the Papas
Browne focuses on the amazing work to produce what we have in the key albums, above, but then takes us behind the scenes to the divisions, the petty fighting, the principled fighting, the romances, the massive drug use (especially heroin) that killed Jimi and Janis and so many others in their late twenties but also the groups he focused on were damaged by drug use. James and Simon & Garfunkel did mellow, mostly spiritual, inner-focused lyrics, and The Beatles and CSNY turned just a little more political in response to the growing anger about the Vietnam War, Kent State and the war on dissident students, such as in Young’s “Ohio,” but it was not yet a time of angry political music, after the killing of three civil rights activists--JFK, RFK, MLK--and the bombing of Cambodia. Volatile times. Weather Underground, Apollo 13 disaster, Greenpeace and Earth Day. I went to a lot of concerts that year. I attended a lot of protests and rallies. The times they were a’changin. Great trip down memory lane.
June 23, 2022
1970 was a landmark year. Just to name a few happenings:
UCSB students rioted and burned down a bank in Isla Vista - February 25
Apollo 13 near disaster - April 11
Earth Day Founded - April 22
Kent State Massacre - May 4
Environmental Protection Agency established - December 2
It’s easy to forget what a tumultuous time it was.
“… nothing--from the hippie culture to the government--seemed to be working anymore.”
In the midst of all of this, The Beatles were splitting up; there was little harmony between Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Simon and Garfunkel were going their separate ways; and James Taylor was struggling with new-found fame. Despite all of the discord, four albums were created that still resonate with us today: Let it Be, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Déjà Vu, and Sweet Baby James.
Though I loved them all, I was a huge fan of CSNY and James Taylor. If you lived through the era, there will surely be specifics David Browne has uncovered here for you to enjoy.
I learned the details behind this accurate description of CSNY: By then, each man’s songs and approach to music-making reflected his personality: Nash’s orderly and tidy, Crosby’s laissez-faire and permissive, Young’s sturdy and focused, Stills’ nervy and headstrong.”
And I got a kick out of being behind-the-scenes of Two-Lane Blacktop, a movie I saw the following year at the drive-in, from the backseat of my grandmother’s VW Beetle. (My brother talked her into taking us, new James Taylor fans but still under age for the R Rating. Not sure if it was Two Lane that got her or the double feature with Easy Rider, but she never forgave us.) It’s a cult classic now … well sort-of. :-)
We are so often lulled into complacency about the things we love, from the earth to our partners to the music from our past. But this book exposes just how fragile that music was. Given the friction between the bands, accidents, drugs, and bad timing, it’s amazing we had all of this wonderful music at all.
UCSB students rioted and burned down a bank in Isla Vista - February 25
Apollo 13 near disaster - April 11
Earth Day Founded - April 22
Kent State Massacre - May 4
Environmental Protection Agency established - December 2
It’s easy to forget what a tumultuous time it was.
“… nothing--from the hippie culture to the government--seemed to be working anymore.”
In the midst of all of this, The Beatles were splitting up; there was little harmony between Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Simon and Garfunkel were going their separate ways; and James Taylor was struggling with new-found fame. Despite all of the discord, four albums were created that still resonate with us today: Let it Be, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Déjà Vu, and Sweet Baby James.
Though I loved them all, I was a huge fan of CSNY and James Taylor. If you lived through the era, there will surely be specifics David Browne has uncovered here for you to enjoy.
I learned the details behind this accurate description of CSNY: By then, each man’s songs and approach to music-making reflected his personality: Nash’s orderly and tidy, Crosby’s laissez-faire and permissive, Young’s sturdy and focused, Stills’ nervy and headstrong.”
And I got a kick out of being behind-the-scenes of Two-Lane Blacktop, a movie I saw the following year at the drive-in, from the backseat of my grandmother’s VW Beetle. (My brother talked her into taking us, new James Taylor fans but still under age for the R Rating. Not sure if it was Two Lane that got her or the double feature with Easy Rider, but she never forgave us.) It’s a cult classic now … well sort-of. :-)
We are so often lulled into complacency about the things we love, from the earth to our partners to the music from our past. But this book exposes just how fragile that music was. Given the friction between the bands, accidents, drugs, and bad timing, it’s amazing we had all of this wonderful music at all.
June 18, 2011
Full confession: I had a decade-long crush on Graham Nash. The song "Our House," his love song to his ex Joni Mitchell (Her Blue was my favorite cry album through high school and college), has a prominent place in my novel Playdate, along with The Beatles' Octopus's Garden. But, given all my love for CSNY, Y alone, the Beatles, James Taylor and, even, Simon & Garfunkel, the soundtrack of my adolescence, it wasn't until I read Browne's exhaustively researched, impeccably written book that I was able to weave all these musicians' stories together at a critical juncture: 1970. They meant so much to me personally and Browne, in this book, demonstrates how much they meant to pop culture and to music more generally. Even though I'm naturally a fiction reader, I tore through this nonfiction book as if it was a thriller. Browne's Fire & Rain is the work of a big brain propelled by a modest, truthful, insightful spirit.
May 13, 2022
The story of 1970 - a year in which the Beatles went into freefall and the other musicians listed had a tumultuous time. As CSNY bickered throughout their tour, Simon and Garfunkel annoyed each other and James Taylor struggled with success, Stills recalled that "The Let It Be stuff was overhanging the whole year," and "it permeated the whole industry." A must read for all music lovers.
September 29, 2011
Years ago I read that, while they were recording the 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' album, Simon and Garfunkel hardly saw each other. Simon would go to the studio and record his tracks, and Garfunkel would go some other time and record his tracks, etc. I was crushed to learn this. I had always thought that S & G were a gay couple. I mean, their photo on the cover of 'Bookends' was, and still is, the gayest thing I've ever seen. Now, thanks to David Browne, I learn that it's true: they didn't particularly like each other a hell of a lot.
In fact, nobody liked anybody in the hermetically sealed world of popular music. The Beatles bickered and sniped at each other while they were writing and recording some of the most beautiful music known to man. CSN&Y, ditto. James Taylor floats through the book on a cloud of solipsism and heroin. Just about everybody behaves badly.
And that is what makes this book such a guilty pleasure. It is Stars Behaving Badly all the way through. If you like this kind of guilty pleasure, this book is for you. You will learn a lot that you didn't know about the year 1970 in popular music--and if you were alive then, the book will also bring back a lot of memories.
In fact, nobody liked anybody in the hermetically sealed world of popular music. The Beatles bickered and sniped at each other while they were writing and recording some of the most beautiful music known to man. CSN&Y, ditto. James Taylor floats through the book on a cloud of solipsism and heroin. Just about everybody behaves badly.
And that is what makes this book such a guilty pleasure. It is Stars Behaving Badly all the way through. If you like this kind of guilty pleasure, this book is for you. You will learn a lot that you didn't know about the year 1970 in popular music--and if you were alive then, the book will also bring back a lot of memories.
May 3, 2022
I thought Fire And Rain was excellent. It’s an extremely thorough, well researched account of the events and people surrounding the making of four seminal albums from 1970: Let It Be, Deja Vu, Bridge Over Troubled Water and Fire And Rain. (It’s worth saying that if you don’t know the albums and the artists then this book probably won’t be for you).
David Browne takes us through the year almost month by month, documenting the making of each album, the often fractious and acrimonious relationships between those involved and the surrounding social events – most notably the shootings at Kent State, but a wider social picture, too. It’s very well done; Browne knows his stuff and is able to give a detailed (often rather distressing) account of what was going on as the four albums were made. It’s a tale of ego and acrimony among The Beatles, CSNY and Simon & Garfunkel, and of introversion and addiction with James Taylor – and yet it never gets depressing, somehow.
I learned a lot and, needless to say, listened to all four albums in their entirety and with careful attention – something I hadn’t done for too long with a couple of them. Much of the music which came out of the often grim and messy process of making the albums is terrific (although not all of it). I bought all four albums as soon as I could afford to at the time and it’s interesting to see how my perception of some of the tracks has changed and how it is just the same for others.
In short, I thought this was a cracking read and I learned a lot from it. Anyone with an interest in the music of the time would enjoy it, I think, and I can recommend it very warmly.
David Browne takes us through the year almost month by month, documenting the making of each album, the often fractious and acrimonious relationships between those involved and the surrounding social events – most notably the shootings at Kent State, but a wider social picture, too. It’s very well done; Browne knows his stuff and is able to give a detailed (often rather distressing) account of what was going on as the four albums were made. It’s a tale of ego and acrimony among The Beatles, CSNY and Simon & Garfunkel, and of introversion and addiction with James Taylor – and yet it never gets depressing, somehow.
I learned a lot and, needless to say, listened to all four albums in their entirety and with careful attention – something I hadn’t done for too long with a couple of them. Much of the music which came out of the often grim and messy process of making the albums is terrific (although not all of it). I bought all four albums as soon as I could afford to at the time and it’s interesting to see how my perception of some of the tracks has changed and how it is just the same for others.
In short, I thought this was a cracking read and I learned a lot from it. Anyone with an interest in the music of the time would enjoy it, I think, and I can recommend it very warmly.
July 1, 2011
A perfect book for those of a certain age who loved the music back then. I found it interesting and a very quick read....one day for me but then I love music almost as much as I love books! Can't say there was anything earth shattering that I didn't already suspect, but it made me put on those CD's and listen to them with a more knowledgeable ear.
June 9, 2022
I enjoyed the book but largely because I was the perfect demographic target -- I owned and memorised all of the albums covered by the book. I don't think the work stands on its own as an account of the era generally or that transitional year in music specifically. Still, I now know quite a lot more about S&G, JT and CSN&Y than I did before and a little bit more about the Beatles, and I'm glad I've read it.
November 25, 2012
This book is about music in 1970 and focuses on four groups/albums; Crosby Stills Nash and Young and Deja Vue, James Taylor and Fire and Rain, the Beatles and Let it Be and Simon and Garfunkle with Bridge over Troubled Water
The subject matter should have made for a great read. But either because the author tried to cover too much in too short of book or because of a narrative that read more like a survey or plot summary of an era, the book never really came alive. The best contrast is with the book Girls Like Us, there I finished the book feeling like I actually knew Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon. Unfortunately, Fire and Rain came off like reading 15 different Wikapedia entries on 1970 music
The subject matter should have made for a great read. But either because the author tried to cover too much in too short of book or because of a narrative that read more like a survey or plot summary of an era, the book never really came alive. The best contrast is with the book Girls Like Us, there I finished the book feeling like I actually knew Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon. Unfortunately, Fire and Rain came off like reading 15 different Wikapedia entries on 1970 music
October 20, 2011
The parts of the book that dealt with the subject of the title, rated 4 stars. But, the inclusion of the "other stuff" took it down to 3 for me. I turned 20 in 1970 and was as immersed in music as I could be at the time, considering that I was also in the United States Marine Corps. I was a "long hair" in attitude only.
The "other stuff" was history lessons of events of that year like the Kent State shootings, and Weather Underground bombings. Those were important events that had an impact on society, but for me did not enhance the stories I bought this book to read.....about the music and the musicians. The last 20% of the book was nothing but the authors notes and page after page of resource materials.
The information about the four acts mentioned in the title was very interesting and considering the many other books I've read on music and rock and roll, new to me. That stuff was a pleasure to read.....mgc
The "other stuff" was history lessons of events of that year like the Kent State shootings, and Weather Underground bombings. Those were important events that had an impact on society, but for me did not enhance the stories I bought this book to read.....about the music and the musicians. The last 20% of the book was nothing but the authors notes and page after page of resource materials.
The information about the four acts mentioned in the title was very interesting and considering the many other books I've read on music and rock and roll, new to me. That stuff was a pleasure to read.....mgc
September 15, 2021
One of the best music history books that I have read. Maybe it’s because 1970 is when I first started to listen to music that was not my parents’ and embarked on my own development. Most definitely the writing was sharp and focused on the clearly defined characters involved. In large part this story took me back to a time long ago that I hadn’t really thought about in ages.
Time and timelessness that carries me through.
Time and timelessness that carries me through.
April 2, 2017
Well, this was just a glorious, riveting read. I knew a lot (but not all) of the Beatles stuff, but I wasn't that familiar with the back stories of CSNY and Simon and Garfunkel (or James Taylor, but I found him the least interesting of the four. Your mileage may vary.)
Browne, a long-time writer for Rolling Stone, is a skilled writer regardless of what you think of the magazine and effortlessly interweaves the narratives of these four performers through the events of the turbulent year of 1970. Despite our need to cap events at the end of the decade when reality is rarely so tidy, 1970 really did have the feeling of an end of an era. Consider some of the things that happened:
-the Kent State shootings (and a similar, lesser known event at Jackson State College)
-the break-up of Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, and CSNY (although this last break-up was far less definitive than the other two, as they would play on each others' solo albums and regroup in various combinations many times over the years)
-the deaths of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Al Wilson of Canned Heat
-Apollo 13, while deemed a successful failure, is a portent of the demise of the Apollo program a few years later
-Paul McCartney sues his former band mates and Apple in court (and eventually wins)
-the Weather Underground accidentally blows up a townhouse in New York City while assembling a bomb intended for Columbia University, succeeding in incinerating themselves instead and making all peace activists look like assholes in the process
-the birth of Greenpeace and the EPA
There are great stories on almost every page and I ate it up. I even re-read some sections as soon as I finished.
If you are a music fan, you should read this. If you know a music fan, you should gift them this.
Browne, a long-time writer for Rolling Stone, is a skilled writer regardless of what you think of the magazine and effortlessly interweaves the narratives of these four performers through the events of the turbulent year of 1970. Despite our need to cap events at the end of the decade when reality is rarely so tidy, 1970 really did have the feeling of an end of an era. Consider some of the things that happened:
-the Kent State shootings (and a similar, lesser known event at Jackson State College)
-the break-up of Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, and CSNY (although this last break-up was far less definitive than the other two, as they would play on each others' solo albums and regroup in various combinations many times over the years)
-the deaths of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Al Wilson of Canned Heat
-Apollo 13, while deemed a successful failure, is a portent of the demise of the Apollo program a few years later
-Paul McCartney sues his former band mates and Apple in court (and eventually wins)
-the Weather Underground accidentally blows up a townhouse in New York City while assembling a bomb intended for Columbia University, succeeding in incinerating themselves instead and making all peace activists look like assholes in the process
-the birth of Greenpeace and the EPA
There are great stories on almost every page and I ate it up. I even re-read some sections as soon as I finished.
If you are a music fan, you should read this. If you know a music fan, you should gift them this.
March 19, 2012
Admittedly, I am giving this at least one extra star b/c of my demographic: This book directly ties to 1970 (not "70s" or "70-ish", but 1970 exactly), and given that I entered my teen years right about then, all the music / bands / music stars / current events about which author Browne writes are pretty much burned into my brain given that formative youth period. The backstories of the Beatles (officially) breaking up, CSNY forming and breaking up, Simon & Garfunkel sending "Bridge Over Troubled Water" to the top (and then breaking up), and Taylor releasing "Sweet Baby James", are all fascinating - this on top of Kent State, Hendrix / Joplin OD'ing, Apollo 13, bombing in Cambodia, and the numerous protest bombings. And it all happened in 1970 - kind of a lot going on! The only thing missing from this audio book is, well, the audio of the songs, but I assume that getting the rights to all of the ones mentioned would have been cost prohibitive.
Author David Browne writes well and clearly seems to have done his research, plus presumably made a lot of "I was there" observations. Reader Sean Runnette has the annoying habit of running on his paragraphs, so there are lots of jerky jump shifts in the narrative with no pause for breath as Browne goes from one band / group / singer to another; however, this nuisance doesn't get in the way of the overall arc of the book. Anyone with an interest in any of these groups / singers will hugely enjoy this book. Rock on.
Author David Browne writes well and clearly seems to have done his research, plus presumably made a lot of "I was there" observations. Reader Sean Runnette has the annoying habit of running on his paragraphs, so there are lots of jerky jump shifts in the narrative with no pause for breath as Browne goes from one band / group / singer to another; however, this nuisance doesn't get in the way of the overall arc of the book. Anyone with an interest in any of these groups / singers will hugely enjoy this book. Rock on.
October 12, 2024
In the introduction, that author says that he "couldn't resist revisiting a moment when sweetly sung music and ugly times coexisted, even fed off each other, in a world gone off course." He looks at that moment (and the world) through the lens of happenings in pop music - the breakup of the Beatles; the breakup of Simon and Garfunkel; the quick rise and disintegration of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; and the budding stardom of James Taylor. And it does seem that the events in the world ran on parallel tracks that year - 60s idealism fading and students beginning to turn away from protests after the disaster at Kent State (although some students became even more radical). The book is a well-written and engaging cultural history, even if you don't fully buy the author's argument of 1970 being an especially pivotal year.
December 19, 2022
IF you love music and are a fan of ANY of these groups, this is an excellent read. Filled with antidotes I am sure many don't know about, I was surprised at how much in-fighting REALLY went on amongst all of them. The only one who even seemed normal was James Taylor and perhaps that was because he was a solo act and didn't have to answer to anyone but himself.
Really excellent read - I sang the songs talked about OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER again [I was even driving myself crazy; my household even more so LOL] and it reminded me of just how much music I LOVE [and am so grateful to my parents, my auntie, and grandparents for infusing both their love of music and access to SO many genres and generational music into me and encouraging the listening of it over and over again**] and how much I LOVE singing that very music. Even though I made myself semi-crazy with the constant loop of music in my head, I would never, ever, have it any other way.
** When we moved in with my aunt and grandparents [in Pennsylvania] when I was 9, I was bereft in leaving my friends and all I had known in Ohio. My aunt, whom I loved almost as much as my own mother [her sister], encouraged us to listen to music to help soothe the pain of moving so far away [when you are 9, even 2 1/2 hours is FAR FAR away] and would play albums at night when we were in bed. She had a turntable where you could stack the albums on there and they would drop at the end of the previous album. Not every night [except in the summer], but several times a week, we'd each get to pick an album and she set them up and away we'd go. We lived with them until I was 16 and we did this until the day we left. Add to this all the times my grandmother would sit at the piano [which was a sign we'd better get ourselves over there before she had to ask us] and she'd play us through 40's and 50's music and all the hymnals we owned. There were times we sang for over 2 hours. Music was the love language of all of us and the memories I have of that time are priceless.
Really excellent read - I sang the songs talked about OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER again [I was even driving myself crazy; my household even more so LOL] and it reminded me of just how much music I LOVE [and am so grateful to my parents, my auntie, and grandparents for infusing both their love of music and access to SO many genres and generational music into me and encouraging the listening of it over and over again**] and how much I LOVE singing that very music. Even though I made myself semi-crazy with the constant loop of music in my head, I would never, ever, have it any other way.
** When we moved in with my aunt and grandparents [in Pennsylvania] when I was 9, I was bereft in leaving my friends and all I had known in Ohio. My aunt, whom I loved almost as much as my own mother [her sister], encouraged us to listen to music to help soothe the pain of moving so far away [when you are 9, even 2 1/2 hours is FAR FAR away] and would play albums at night when we were in bed. She had a turntable where you could stack the albums on there and they would drop at the end of the previous album. Not every night [except in the summer], but several times a week, we'd each get to pick an album and she set them up and away we'd go. We lived with them until I was 16 and we did this until the day we left. Add to this all the times my grandmother would sit at the piano [which was a sign we'd better get ourselves over there before she had to ask us] and she'd play us through 40's and 50's music and all the hymnals we owned. There were times we sang for over 2 hours. Music was the love language of all of us and the memories I have of that time are priceless.
July 5, 2022
Interesting. I really thought this would be about more than just the four acts named. The ending of the Beatles and breakups can be messy especially when $$$$$$$$ (I don't have a symbol for pounds either) are involved. The breakup of Simon and Garfunkel. The short lives of CSNY (Crosby, Stills, Nash and sometimes Young) and their breakup and return and breakup, etc. And the sudden rise of James Taylor and his breakup and return to heroin (and eventual breakup with it).
I only found one real error - involving a concert/show that Sly & the Family Stone were supposed to do in Chicago which turned into a riot. He decided it was actually the MC5 show around the time of the Democratic Convention (1968) was the reason Mayor Daley (I) cancelled all future concerts. But, no, it was the concert I was going to go to in 1970 with Sly. My brother convinced me not to go and we watched the riot on TV. Apparently there were some bad vibes about it that he had picked up at work. I was still semi-recovering from a couple of broken jaws earlier in the spring and so wasn't yet doing much socializing.
But it was a pretty interesting book covering the music of my youth. Got me to pull out and listen to a number of old LPs. That earns the book at least an extra 1/2 star.
I only found one real error - involving a concert/show that Sly & the Family Stone were supposed to do in Chicago which turned into a riot. He decided it was actually the MC5 show around the time of the Democratic Convention (1968) was the reason Mayor Daley (I) cancelled all future concerts. But, no, it was the concert I was going to go to in 1970 with Sly. My brother convinced me not to go and we watched the riot on TV. Apparently there were some bad vibes about it that he had picked up at work. I was still semi-recovering from a couple of broken jaws earlier in the spring and so wasn't yet doing much socializing.
But it was a pretty interesting book covering the music of my youth. Got me to pull out and listen to a number of old LPs. That earns the book at least an extra 1/2 star.
February 14, 2021
1970 was a tough year for me - middle school, then called junior high - and James Taylor's album was on my record player daily as I moped in my room after school. Of course I was attracted to this book.
It was fun to read about these very familiar people and their music. It wasn't edifying in any way, just a pleasant bit of nostalgia for a time in my life I thought surely was the worst I would experience.
It was fun to read about these very familiar people and their music. It wasn't edifying in any way, just a pleasant bit of nostalgia for a time in my life I thought surely was the worst I would experience.
July 6, 2011
Fascinating book about CSNY, Beatles, James Taylor and Simon & Garfunkel during a pivotal year in their lives....a break up year for 3 and a take off year for 1! So many changes going on that year and we do tend to focus on 1972 with Watergate as the beginning of of the 70's. Music changed forever that year, the type of music we wanted to listen to changed and this book does such a great job of making that year come alive. Very easy to read and inspired me to download some old favorites to my nano to appreciate all over again.
May 11, 2016
I was born during Woodstock. Not, you know, AT Woodstock, though it is fun to tease my mother, but while it was going on and about two and a half hours southeasterly. I grew up on this music, to the point that there are songs by the featured artists that I simply know, with absolutely no effort on my part. (There are also a few I thought I knew, and discovered when listening to them during this that I had the words ALL wrong.) I have always loved CSN&Y without even really realizing it; Simon and Garfunkel and James Taylor are staples in my playlists. On my birthday in 1991 Paul Simon gave his Born at the Right Time concert in Central Park, and watching that on HBO was a joy. He and JT just make me happy.
And the Beatles? I "discovered" them during a turbulent time in my teens, probably with "The Compleat Beatles" on PBS. And I was lost. A Beatlemaniac, minus the screaming. Earlier this year I listened to a podcast called (heh) "Compleatly Beatles", which was fantastic and from which I learned a lot. Part of what I learned is that I don't know very much about this period.
All right, I pretty much consciously avoid this period. I am forever glad I missed out on this period, for so many reasons.
But a lot of the music was amazing.
This is the story of the music of 1970, with the ripples of Woodstock still ruffling the waters. "January 1970: the Beatles assemble one more time to put the finishing touches on Let It Be; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are wrapping up Déjà Vu; Simon and Garfunkel are unveiling Bridge Over Troubled Water; James Taylor is an upstart singer-songwriter who's just completed Sweet Baby James. Over the course of the next twelve months, their lives--and the world around them--will change irrevocably." And I'm very glad I'd already listened to the podcast before listening to this, because it got most of my disillusionment with the Beatles out of the way. Because as it turns out I don't like three of them very much at all. (Ringo, though? Ringo will always be wonderful.)
A ways in, I suddenly realized that my face was twisting up every time Browne/Runnette mentioned Yoko Ono, as if a cockroach crawled over my hand. It was completely unconscious. Was the breakup all her fault? Oh, hell no. Was her presence a constant irritation to the other three Beatles, not to mention everyone else who worked at Apple, not to mention Cynthia and Julian Lennon? Oh, God, yes. I have always disliked her intensely, and this changed nothing. And I'm not touching her … ah, music with a ten-foot keyboard.
Fire and Rain didn't do much for my opinion of any of them, really, except James Taylor. I have always loved him, I adore him now, and there's not much that could change that; if anything his young vulnerability as described here dug him deeper into my heart. And Paul Simon will always make me happy, whatever else can be said.
I enjoyed the narration. Sean Runnette used very subtle intonations rather than full-blown accents – just a tinge of the Germanic for Voorman, just a hint of a lilt for the Liverpudlians; he didn't try to do outright imitations. Very wise. It worked nicely. My only problem with the production of the audio was that there was no significant pause between sections – like going from discussing royalties and penalties from a Paul McCartney release to discussing Charles Manson (who in 1970 was bringing "Helter Skelter" into his trial), with no more break than from paragraph to paragraph. That took a minute to process.
I'm not entirely sure about the book itself. There are some odd grammatical errors – throughout the book it is, horrifically, "At she and Harrison's house" "she and Lennon's relationship", which in the words of my old English professor made my ears turn inside out. More, though, I began to distrust his reportage a little when I Youtubed what he called James Taylor's "alternately deadpan and irritable screentest" for the movie Two-Lane Blacktop - a very young JT's screentest? How could I resist? And I don't see it, what Browne saw. Deadpan, maybe; he's kind of always deadpan. Irritable, and all the rest of the adjectives he throws at it? No. I see painfully, hideously shy.
But over all, although this added a few more pounds of clay to the feet of various idols, still – it was fun to create a Pandora channel and listen to the music while I listened to the book. I'm glad to know more about these men who have so impacted music, so impacted my life. They're people now – not Icons, not Stars, not just voices on the radio. That's not a bad thing.
And the Beatles? I "discovered" them during a turbulent time in my teens, probably with "The Compleat Beatles" on PBS. And I was lost. A Beatlemaniac, minus the screaming. Earlier this year I listened to a podcast called (heh) "Compleatly Beatles", which was fantastic and from which I learned a lot. Part of what I learned is that I don't know very much about this period.
All right, I pretty much consciously avoid this period. I am forever glad I missed out on this period, for so many reasons.
But a lot of the music was amazing.
This is the story of the music of 1970, with the ripples of Woodstock still ruffling the waters. "January 1970: the Beatles assemble one more time to put the finishing touches on Let It Be; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are wrapping up Déjà Vu; Simon and Garfunkel are unveiling Bridge Over Troubled Water; James Taylor is an upstart singer-songwriter who's just completed Sweet Baby James. Over the course of the next twelve months, their lives--and the world around them--will change irrevocably." And I'm very glad I'd already listened to the podcast before listening to this, because it got most of my disillusionment with the Beatles out of the way. Because as it turns out I don't like three of them very much at all. (Ringo, though? Ringo will always be wonderful.)
A ways in, I suddenly realized that my face was twisting up every time Browne/Runnette mentioned Yoko Ono, as if a cockroach crawled over my hand. It was completely unconscious. Was the breakup all her fault? Oh, hell no. Was her presence a constant irritation to the other three Beatles, not to mention everyone else who worked at Apple, not to mention Cynthia and Julian Lennon? Oh, God, yes. I have always disliked her intensely, and this changed nothing. And I'm not touching her … ah, music with a ten-foot keyboard.
Fire and Rain didn't do much for my opinion of any of them, really, except James Taylor. I have always loved him, I adore him now, and there's not much that could change that; if anything his young vulnerability as described here dug him deeper into my heart. And Paul Simon will always make me happy, whatever else can be said.
I enjoyed the narration. Sean Runnette used very subtle intonations rather than full-blown accents – just a tinge of the Germanic for Voorman, just a hint of a lilt for the Liverpudlians; he didn't try to do outright imitations. Very wise. It worked nicely. My only problem with the production of the audio was that there was no significant pause between sections – like going from discussing royalties and penalties from a Paul McCartney release to discussing Charles Manson (who in 1970 was bringing "Helter Skelter" into his trial), with no more break than from paragraph to paragraph. That took a minute to process.
I'm not entirely sure about the book itself. There are some odd grammatical errors – throughout the book it is, horrifically, "At she and Harrison's house" "she and Lennon's relationship", which in the words of my old English professor made my ears turn inside out. More, though, I began to distrust his reportage a little when I Youtubed what he called James Taylor's "alternately deadpan and irritable screentest" for the movie Two-Lane Blacktop - a very young JT's screentest? How could I resist? And I don't see it, what Browne saw. Deadpan, maybe; he's kind of always deadpan. Irritable, and all the rest of the adjectives he throws at it? No. I see painfully, hideously shy.
But over all, although this added a few more pounds of clay to the feet of various idols, still – it was fun to create a Pandora channel and listen to the music while I listened to the book. I'm glad to know more about these men who have so impacted music, so impacted my life. They're people now – not Icons, not Stars, not just voices on the radio. That's not a bad thing.
February 20, 2022
I listened to this title. Because of the organization, I got a bit lost as I listened. It jumped from band to band and year to year. It might have worked better if I had read it with my eyes rather than my ears. I did learn a bit about all of the great musicians featured. My favorite was James Taylor. Love him.
August 30, 2012
Very entertaining, somewhat insightful look at the intersecting 1970 careers of the four artists mentioned in the title. Browne aims to use these biographical sketches to make larger points about what happened to pop music, the music business, and cultural politics in the year that he repeatedly identifies as a transitional year. He's on his surest footing when talking specifically about the music - he does some of the most interesting work on CSNY that I've read, for example - but he flags a bit when trying to draw larger conclusions. He's working with a lot of the right contextual material (Vietnam Moratorium, Southern Strategy, Kent State and Jackson State, etc.), but he mostly doesn't demonstrate how those contexts are connected to the artists and records he's covering. That's a tough task, of course, but I was really hoping for stronger insights. Others have done this kind of work better, and with some of these artists. (Jonathan Gould's book on The Beatles remains the gold standard, and Peter Doggett's recent work on music and politics in the late 1960s/early 1970s is flawed but still more successful.) Browne is more than capable of making these connections, but his book veers more towards a less interesting mix of critical appraisal and artist biography.
Still, there's a lot here to admire. Browne's clear love for all four of his subjects comes through on every page. He's done a lot of great original research, including interviews with Crosby, Stills & Nash, as well as a ton of the various associates/collaborators of the artists he's covering. He's got great stories and good analysis of the records he talks about. His prose is crisp and engaging, and there are moments when the hints of a larger, better argument poke through. He notes, for example, that the 1970/1971 proliferation of solo albums by artists identified with groups - including all four Beatles, all four members of CSNY, and Simon - reflected the broader turn from 1960s communalism to 1970s individualism. But, too often, these feel like afterthoughts rather than the meat of the project.
One last thing in Browne's favor: he made me approach some familiar records in a new way. I'm listening to the early CSN/CSNY stuff with fresh ears. And I'm putting BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER and LET IT BE in dialogue, which Browne argues for convincingly and explores deftly. Every music-based writing should inspire further listening, and Browne more than accomplishes that task here.
In short, I recommend - though not highly - for any interested party.
Still, there's a lot here to admire. Browne's clear love for all four of his subjects comes through on every page. He's done a lot of great original research, including interviews with Crosby, Stills & Nash, as well as a ton of the various associates/collaborators of the artists he's covering. He's got great stories and good analysis of the records he talks about. His prose is crisp and engaging, and there are moments when the hints of a larger, better argument poke through. He notes, for example, that the 1970/1971 proliferation of solo albums by artists identified with groups - including all four Beatles, all four members of CSNY, and Simon - reflected the broader turn from 1960s communalism to 1970s individualism. But, too often, these feel like afterthoughts rather than the meat of the project.
One last thing in Browne's favor: he made me approach some familiar records in a new way. I'm listening to the early CSN/CSNY stuff with fresh ears. And I'm putting BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER and LET IT BE in dialogue, which Browne argues for convincingly and explores deftly. Every music-based writing should inspire further listening, and Browne more than accomplishes that task here.
In short, I recommend - though not highly - for any interested party.
June 16, 2022
This is a well-organized and well-written account of 1970, a year where the four titled musical artists faced critical career points. The book shifts focus back and forth amongst the four artists, the Beatles, CSN&Y, Simon & Garfunkel and James Taylor as it details their activities over the year, especially their work on four key albums: Let it Be, Déjà Vu, Bridge Over Troubled Waters and Fire and Rain. The shifting between artists not only keeps the reader’s interest but helps updates the reader of each artist’s status at the time.
Browne also examines the forces, attitudes and events of the year that drove the eventual dissolution of all 3 three bands after their artistic achievement. Taylor’s is a different story; it’s one of an artist on the rise. Browne follows him as his fame begins slowly and then almost explodes. Browne examines how Taylor deals with the fame, musicianship and the heightened stage presence required of him with his new-found star status.
I have a decent knowledge of all four artists because they provided some of the most vital music during a key point in my life, my junior and senior years of high school. As a result, many of the stories and information presented here was not new. However, Browne presents the information in more detail and his month-by-month progression presentation gives the reader a better look at the events over time and within the context of other events.
While the book didn’t provide any eye-opening revelations it did provide some new insight, new anecdotes and a much better overall perspective of the artists and their relationships than I had before. Really, though, I enjoyed this book because I just enjoy reading about the rock music artists of this period. Browne has provided a clearly written, entertaining and informative portrait of four of the most prominent rock music artists during a key year in rock music’s, and my own, history. 4 stars.
Browne also examines the forces, attitudes and events of the year that drove the eventual dissolution of all 3 three bands after their artistic achievement. Taylor’s is a different story; it’s one of an artist on the rise. Browne follows him as his fame begins slowly and then almost explodes. Browne examines how Taylor deals with the fame, musicianship and the heightened stage presence required of him with his new-found star status.
I have a decent knowledge of all four artists because they provided some of the most vital music during a key point in my life, my junior and senior years of high school. As a result, many of the stories and information presented here was not new. However, Browne presents the information in more detail and his month-by-month progression presentation gives the reader a better look at the events over time and within the context of other events.
While the book didn’t provide any eye-opening revelations it did provide some new insight, new anecdotes and a much better overall perspective of the artists and their relationships than I had before. Really, though, I enjoyed this book because I just enjoy reading about the rock music artists of this period. Browne has provided a clearly written, entertaining and informative portrait of four of the most prominent rock music artists during a key year in rock music’s, and my own, history. 4 stars.
August 3, 2011
Browne has taken the genre of rock biography to a new level. He goes far beyond describing a band and the internal discontent, creative energy, or drug use. He takes four seminal albums and places them in the social and political context of 1970, the year in which they were released. The demise of the Beatles and events surrounding Let It Be, and the rise of James Taylor with the release of Sweet Baby James serve as metaphorical bookends to the year.
The book is organized by seasons, with the stories of the selected artists woven together. Browne interviewed Crosby and Taylor, as well as many of the people closely involved with these 4 albums. In his intro, Browne discusses what led him to write the book; his writing remains objective even with his openly admitted reverence for the 4 albums he chose.
Browne’s experience as a journalist is evident in his well-researched account.
His writing flows easily, even when he needs to backtrack a bit to further describe an event. As a lifelong band chick, I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of desribing the year and even the artists in the context of specific albums. No one artist, band, or song stands alone. They are all intertwined, and Browne does a marvelous job of showing us the riptides of change throughout 1970.
August 29, 2011
David Browne's narrative of four seminal acts in 1970 could have been really interesting. However, I was amazed to find out that Browne is an editor at Rolling Stone Magazine, as an editor is exactly what this book needed. Each group had producers, studio musicians, girlfriends, etc. and Browne did not do a good job distinguishing who was who. Also, he switched from talking about one act to another with too much extraneous information, so that the reader was left wondering when he was going to finally tell which group he was talking about. If you can get past the bad writing, though, there are lots of great stories about bands that still influence music 40 years later. For example, Paul Simon wanted "Bridge Over Troubled Water" to be recorded with just Art Garfunkel singing and him playing an acoustic guitar. It was producer Phil Spector who added the orchestra, choir, and drums, all without telling Simon and Garfunkel. (The song and the album of the same name swept the Grammy Awards that year.) If you are a huge music fan and you can get past the crummy writing, you might enjoy this book.
August 17, 2011
An engrossing read from start to finish, Browne expertly synthesizes a year in music history—and American history—through the eyes of three devolving bands and one emerging solo artist. I've been really getting into this era and these musicians in the past couple years, but even if I hadn't, I would dive in right after reading this book. Bouncing between stories and progressing chronologically throughout the first year of a new decade, Browne finds connections in both obvious—and, to me at least—hidden places. Best of all, the book sets into context the music and the musicians that have since become legend. The end result is a story that feels as present and immediate as today's headlines.
March 3, 2013
Not quite the cozy nostalgic read I was anticipating since this covered a period when these groups were dealing with tremendous discord among the members (or heroin addiction in the case of JT), and were in the process of breaking up. So, while the music they produced that year was excellent (after all these years, hearing Art Garfunkel sing "Bridge Over Troubled Water" still makes me all shivery and teary) the whole book felt a little sad. Fascinating just the same,though, and still recommended for anyone who remembers 1970 and wants to know what was going on behind the scenes.
May 12, 2017
Review to follow
July 7, 2017
1968 was the year that changed everything.
No, that was 1963.
Or was it 1967?
1964. Definitely 1964.
No matter. The thesis of this book is that 1970 was The Year That Changed Everything, at least as far as the music business was concerned. We lost the Beatles, with all their multi-instrumentality. Simon and Garfunkel didn't break up as much as just stopped working together. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young went from a multi-platinum debut album to a situation where they couldn't stand to be in the same room together. And James Taylor had a hard time choosing between his guitar and heroin. In Taylor, (and a newly freed Simon) 1970 saw the rise of the singer-songwriter -- a solo person sitting on a stool in a spotlight, armed only with a guitar and a microphone, singing songs they themselves wrote.
The book makes its case -- 1970 was a pivotal year in music -- but many of the stories in the book have already been told: the Beatles suing each other, Simon growing jealous of Garfunkel's acting career, Taylor's struggles to remain drug-free. I personally found the CSNY stuff the most interesting, mainly because I had never heard any of it before.
For example, everyone knows the story of how Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell were living together, and one rainy day they went antique shopping, where she bought a vase. On their return home, Graham said "I'll light the fire. You put some flowers in the vase you bought today." But instead of gathering wood, Nash sat down at the piano, repeated what he just said, and in about 15 minutes wrote the greatest song about domesticity ever written.
What few people know is that when the song "Our House" was released as a single, Mitchell broke up with Nash by sending him a telegram when he was on tour. As a result, CSNY couldn't perform their greatest hit in concert anymore, because whenever they tried, Nash would burst into tears every time.
That sort of sums up 1970.
No, that was 1963.
Or was it 1967?
1964. Definitely 1964.
No matter. The thesis of this book is that 1970 was The Year That Changed Everything, at least as far as the music business was concerned. We lost the Beatles, with all their multi-instrumentality. Simon and Garfunkel didn't break up as much as just stopped working together. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young went from a multi-platinum debut album to a situation where they couldn't stand to be in the same room together. And James Taylor had a hard time choosing between his guitar and heroin. In Taylor, (and a newly freed Simon) 1970 saw the rise of the singer-songwriter -- a solo person sitting on a stool in a spotlight, armed only with a guitar and a microphone, singing songs they themselves wrote.
The book makes its case -- 1970 was a pivotal year in music -- but many of the stories in the book have already been told: the Beatles suing each other, Simon growing jealous of Garfunkel's acting career, Taylor's struggles to remain drug-free. I personally found the CSNY stuff the most interesting, mainly because I had never heard any of it before.
For example, everyone knows the story of how Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell were living together, and one rainy day they went antique shopping, where she bought a vase. On their return home, Graham said "I'll light the fire. You put some flowers in the vase you bought today." But instead of gathering wood, Nash sat down at the piano, repeated what he just said, and in about 15 minutes wrote the greatest song about domesticity ever written.
What few people know is that when the song "Our House" was released as a single, Mitchell broke up with Nash by sending him a telegram when he was on tour. As a result, CSNY couldn't perform their greatest hit in concert anymore, because whenever they tried, Nash would burst into tears every time.
That sort of sums up 1970.
June 3, 2025
A solid book for all things rock and roll gossip, specifically with everyone/anyone who engaged with The Beatles, CSNY, James Taylor, or Simon & Garfunkel around 1970s (I appreciated the drug stories, even if I was scared).
Where it stood out was the reflections on how things seemed to "calm down" or take a more "conservative" turn heading into the 1970s due to the controversies surrounding hippie anti-war movements as well as watching government capabilities in Ohio. I wasn't someone who really cared to dive into James Taylor, but the thesis presented that he rose to popularity because of his sort of apolitical aspects had me drawing many similarities to our current culture leading into 2025. I feel like it offered a good look at how things boiled into something so apathetic (as described towards the end of the book when looking at 60s vs 70s). It also reminded me of this brief quote about the 70s in my favorite film Dazed and Confused: "The '50s were boring. The '60s rocked. The '70s, oh my god they obviously suck. Maybe the '80s will be radical."
Where it stood out was the reflections on how things seemed to "calm down" or take a more "conservative" turn heading into the 1970s due to the controversies surrounding hippie anti-war movements as well as watching government capabilities in Ohio. I wasn't someone who really cared to dive into James Taylor, but the thesis presented that he rose to popularity because of his sort of apolitical aspects had me drawing many similarities to our current culture leading into 2025. I feel like it offered a good look at how things boiled into something so apathetic (as described towards the end of the book when looking at 60s vs 70s). It also reminded me of this brief quote about the 70s in my favorite film Dazed and Confused: "The '50s were boring. The '60s rocked. The '70s, oh my god they obviously suck. Maybe the '80s will be radical."
January 2, 2020
4.5 stars. I listened to the audiobook and would have given it 5 stars if parts of the songs that were referenced had been added! I want a soundtrack!
This was a fascinating history, weaving the music of the late 60s with the cultural and political landscape of the time. I was too young in 1970 to understand what was happening, but I grew up to love James Taylor and Simon & Garfunkel. The background stories are just cool.
The parallels with today, 50 years later, illustrate all that we haven’t learned from our mistakes. We, as a country, were at a crossroads in 1970, and we are once again. There’s no right and wrong, just very different perspectives.
This was a fascinating history, weaving the music of the late 60s with the cultural and political landscape of the time. I was too young in 1970 to understand what was happening, but I grew up to love James Taylor and Simon & Garfunkel. The background stories are just cool.
The parallels with today, 50 years later, illustrate all that we haven’t learned from our mistakes. We, as a country, were at a crossroads in 1970, and we are once again. There’s no right and wrong, just very different perspectives.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 391 reviews