Fire and Rain PDF
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Kirkus Reviews, 5/15/11
“Through the lens of four fabulously successful musical acts, a _Rolling Stone_ contributing editor looks at the moment 1960s idealism “began surrendering to the buzz-kill comedown of the decade ahead...A vivid freeze-frame of Hall of Fame musicians, some of whom would go on to make fine records, none ever again as central to the culture.”
Cityview Magazine, June 2011
“Browne has penned a classic.”
BookPage, June 2011
“Eminently readable....Browne’s engrossing account of this fertile but volatile period sets the standard by which comprehensive musical histories should be judged.”
Parade, 5/27/11
“This juicy, fascinating read transports you back to a turbulent year...Browne artfully describes the creation of these classic songs in a way that makes them seem brand-new.”
New York_ Daily News_, 5/27/11
“Through rich anecdotes and incisive analysis...the book threads traces of politics, but music remains its worthy focus. The form of the book, told chronologically over four seasons, lends it the compacted, real-time drama of an episode of ‘24’.”
New York_ Post_, 5/29/11
“Behind-the-scenes, fly-on-the-wall looks at [the artists] make it a worthwhile read.”
Associated Press, 6/1/11
"_Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970_ is a worthy addition to anyone's collection of such music histories...the nuanced account of the struggles inherent in making music is more than enough to satisfy, as are the delightful surprise connections and asides scattered throughout the book. . . . I couldn't help but be riveted by the account of this group of immensely talented people who also, when they weren't at each other's throats, seemed like they'd be cool to hang out with.”
Entertainment Weekly, 6/10/11
A “Best New Summer Read”
Vineyard Gazette, 5/20/11
“A social commentary, a fan’s look, an evolution of a generation and an up-close view of backstage dynamics in the music business, it’s also a book that will revive personal and social memories for anyone who ever lived their life to these songs.”
SecondAct.com, 5/25/11
“Both fresh and revelatory ... Browne's work reminds me of the late Otto Friedrich's classic book about Hollywood in the 1940s, City of Nets.”
Chicago_ Reader_, 5/26/11
“Its principal task is to dive into the 60s hangover on a day-to-day level, describing the tensions that drove U.S./UK rock culture—emblematized by the four artists in the subtitle—toward the sweet, consoling embrace of Let It Be, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Sweet Baby James, and Deja Vu, ... Browne renders this somnambulant period with such care that he makes it seem alive.”
Mojo, June 2011
“Highly readable ... shifts between the key points smoothly. He unearths some little-told stories along the way.”
BookPage, 6/1/11
“It wasn’t obvious as it was happening, but, as David Browne shows in Fire and Rain, 1970 turned out to be a watershed year in popular music. ... Browne’s engrossing account of this fertile but volatile period sets the standard by which comprehensive musical histories should be judged.”
Product DescriptionJanuary 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.
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