Waging Heavy Peace...

It's not very often I read a book in the space of less than a year - and it's not because I'm a slow reader, it's more that I very rarely feel relaxed enough to read and actually enjoy a book. Luckily though, lately I've felt like that quite a bit. Of course it could always be that the book of which I'm talking about is the first ever written by Neil Young - and therefor excites me a lot more than other books have ever done....

Either way, it's a fantastic read for those who know Neil's music and for those who don't. If you know about Neil then you'll be reminded of his rather peculiar yet endearing sense of humour and that he's formost a musician - not a writer! The book is written exactly as he speaks and thinks - almost like a stream of consciousness on the paper. I think for some this might be hard to read - but it suits me perfectly. The book offers a very personal insight on his life, dipping in and out of different parts of his lengthy career whilst remembering fellow musicians who are sadly no longer with us. What first struck me about the book is just how personal it actually is, after years of listening to his music and reading a fair few books (including the excellent 'Shakey' by Jimmy McDonough) i've never found out so much so quickly! I think Neil has always kept his personal affairs out of the view of his fans and the public for a good reason, and although this book does reveal a lot of his life - it hasn't affected my love for his music in the slightest - if anything it's only brought me closer to the wonderful people that created it.

Audiophile fans may also be excited to know that he's pioneering a new digital media player (currently called Pono) based around high fidelity audio formats that are currently not available as downloads - he wants to bring the music to the listener in the best quality - as it was intended to be heard and I can only salute him for this.

I like to think that people care about the overall fidelity of the music they listen to, don't get me wrong I love MP3s and how convenient they are - but if I want to hear something properly I always try and buy the best quality songs I can.

Remember... all my releases are available as lossless FLAC audio files from my Bandcamp page- shameless self promotion at the end of this Neil Young post.

Sorry Neil.

'Waging Heavy Peace' can be found here.

Thanks for reading / listening.

Pinemarten