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Neil Young is one of the most important musicians in the history of rock. His prolific talent has produced more than 50 albums and 400 songs, among them some of the most enduring of all time, including "Like a Hurricane," "Tonight’s the Night," "Down by the River," "The Needle and the Damage Done," "Old Man," "Rockin’ in the Free World," "Southern Man," "Cinnamon Girl," "Cortez the Killer," "Hey Hey, My My," "After the Gold Rush," and "Heart of Gold." Jimmy McDonough, a staunch Neil Young fan, managed to establish an extraordinary relationship with the musician, overcoming a vast number of barriers and resistence, embarking on an exhaustive, meticulous documentation process that would last nearly 10 years and create infinite headaches, including Young's unfavorable reaction upon reading the biography. Far from the customary hagiography that is music biographies, McDonough's doesn't just offer a cruel portrait of the Canadian musician—showing his erratic, brutal, and disconcerting nature in its rawness as the essence of his talent for composing songs—but it also captures in an impassioned, intense way four decades of rock that shine in their own right, aside from Young—his friends, his collaborators, and as much the musicians of his generation as those who witnessed his talent. Shakey shares an intimate portrait of Young becoming more and more hermitlike, afflicted by frequent epileptic fits, slowly finding his voice, and eventually forming the band Crazy Horse. McDonough, however, doesn't just cover the known facts and successes; he reveals the darkest parts of Young's story: failed relationships, his son's struggle with cerebral palsy, and his frequent bouts of disappearing without warning or explanation. This in-depth biography contends that Neil Young's unpredictable work is some of the most original and daring music of all time.
