Desperados: The Roots of Country Rock

Great fun and an excellent read. Many years ago, when I was still in my teens, I put together a mixtape of country-related Elvis Presley recordings from the late '60s. The songs included the likes of Guitar Man, You Don't Know Me, U.S. Male, Big Boss Man, Singing Tree, even Stay Away and Your Time Hasn't Come Yet, Baby. I gave a copy to my dad, and he truly loved it. Kind of bridged the generation gap of that troubled era and brought us closer together than we had been in years. Pretty soon it wasn't just Elvis records we were sharing. There was a whole new genre of popular music called country-rock: The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Poco, Rick Nelson & the Stone Canyon Band, Linda Ronstadt, and eventually his favorites, Eagles. John Einarson's "Desperados: The Roots of Country Rock" not only brings that scene gloriously to life, but it also brings a whole lot of personal memories back to mind. The book is consistently interesting, informative, and filled with fun, facts, wisdom, and even a few surprises -- as well as some great quotes and sidebar stories. I would actually love to see an updated version; too many years have passed since it was originally written. Highly recommended to country-rock fans, regardless of age.

...equals quality writing on a fascinating subject - highly recommended!

A great read, new information and interviews - John Einarson's work on Buffalo Springfield was very good, but this work is superb. It has altogether new historical information and primary interview data. Einarson's service is to counter and document all the superb and formative musical contributions of all those who get lost in the Canyon saga and volumes that seem to begin and end with CSNY/Mitchell preoccupations: the Dillards, John Stewart, Herb Petersen, Ian & Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird, Clarence White, John York, Gene Clark, the whole Sweetheart of the Rodeo crew and the many, many others who made great music without the stardom come to the fore here. Heaps to go back and listen to. Just when you thought John Rogan's history of the Byrds had covered everything, there's new insights from Gene Parsons, Chris Hillman, and others. The saga of Gram Parsons is richly augmented here: who knew that he wanted to join Poco but clashed with Jim Messina. The foundation of Poco, Burritos, Dillard and Clark, Nelson's Stone Canyon Band and the constantly changing jam scene around LA is detailed; and the cross-overs with Bakersfield country players like Buck Owens and crew are filled in. Throughout, Einarsson writes with clarity, verve and respect - and, as always, concentrates on the music and musicians, not the gossip or junk. Well done - a great first book for those new to the scene, but also icing on the cake for those who have read all the histories and biographies.

Confusing

Everything from Buck to the Dillards to Gene Clark and Chris Hillman. Excellent!

In search of a book that could help me understand the beginnings of country rock and the astounding commercial success of the Eagles, I took a chance on this book -- and I'm glad I did! There are numerous books about the drama associated with country rock bands, but I already knew all I wanted to know about that. I wanted to understand the MUSIC, thank you -- where it came from, who inspired it, how it evolved, why it succeeded. The author does a fine job of telling the musical side of the story. I really enjoyed following the musical narrative with my Echo Plus handy, and in the process, discovered a world of appealing music previously unfamiliar to me.

Lots if good info about some of my favorite rockers.

I thought I knew most everything about the artists covered in this book since I have most of the albums discussed - as well as having read plenty of books about country rock in general back when I wrote for music magazines. I not only learned far more than expected, the author seamlessly presented the cast of musicians as a very distinct geographical phenomenon considerably different from what was simultaneously evolving in Texas.

Kenntnisreich geschriebene History über Bands wie Poco, The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Künstler wie Gram Parsons, Michael Nesmith, Linda Ronstadt, den genialen Gene Clark (und die Tragik seiner Sucht) und natürlich die kommerziell erfolgreichen Eagles- wie so häufig entstand diese Szene primär innerhalb eines Liveclubs; sie war stark vom Bakersfield Sound beeinflusst und reichlich ineinander verwoben- neben dem Outlaw Movement einer der interessantesten Entwicklungen jener Zeit. Für mich- der sich ohnehin für Country interessiert- anregend um sich sich noch tiefer mit den damaligen Tonträgern zu befassen.

If you have any interest at all in "country rock", then this is the book for you.It covers the period from the early '60s up to the mid '70s and does not get bogged down on any one solo performer or band. The overall detail is excellent and reading this book gives one a really good idea of that time in music.It has actually encouraged me to dig out various cds covering that time, and to me, that is the greatest compliment I can give to this excellent book.So in the words of the song "Desperado" come to your senses and fork out the required.

An impressively researched book, and well presented. Einarson makes the wise decision to focus on a number of specific bands and artists he feels were at the forefront of the developing genre, rather than trying to cover everything. You may not agree with his choices, but this is Einarson's book. It gets rather rushed towards the end, but that's nitpicking. An essential record of a creative and exciting time. I've read it twice, and I'm sure I'll be returning to it. A top book.

Buon libro, anche se l'enfasi è piu' su Byrds, Poco e altri gruppi minori piu' che su Gram Parsons e Flying Burriro Brothers (sui quali però esistono fior di trattati).

full of interviews and curiosities, beautiful reading!