Hammer Of The Gods

[Thoren]

Did anyone else read "Hammer Of The Gods" by Stephen Davis? I loved it. It is one of those rare books for me that i can sit down, start reading, and not want to stop. Also i've had that "Holy shit it's already 6am" feeling many times.

[zooma]

I felt that way too in 85' when the book first came out. Time has made me realize that it is not much more than a tabloid with a few facts sprinkled in.

[solar]

You're not going to get many fans of it on this site.

[icantquityoubabe]

Still have it packed away. I thought it was good. I dont know why it is criticized so much on this site. What is the problem wiith it? Im sure the facts must be true. Like where Jimmy Page was born and that he studied music theory , etc. So you people that have a major problem with it should be more specific. Why is it so bad? Aside from that , the clock is ticking. Less than 24 hrs till the greatest band that ever walked the earth takes the stage!

[Mattmc1973]

Yeah, a lot of people here are down on it, think it's tabloid rubbish, etc. I personally have read it many times, and always enjoyed it. I never came away from it thinking any less of the band. And I think the book focuses a lot on the music, the recording sessions, and the live shows. It gives you a great sense of the power and mystery of the band, and I think it had a lot to do with keeping their popularity up and igniting new fans. Many on the board dismiss it all as fantasy, but I'd wager that more of it is true than not. And even if it's ALL true, so what? Like I said, I never thought any less of them, even if they did everything Davis says, I think it just comes off as guys having fun.

A buddy of mine wasn't a fan of the band, but is an avid reader. He was looking for something to read, and I gave him my copy, and he BECAME a fan after reading it, the book really piqued his interest in Zeppelin, and he came away with a new respect and interest in them. So that's not bad, eh?

[Otto Masson]

The thing I don't understand is: why insist on reading a book that is known to be inaccurate and a deliberate sensationalist attempt to make the band's hedonism look as sordid as possible, when there are new books that are much more factually accurate and don't by any means look away from the band's sometimes behaving like 'mild barbarians' as Jimmy once put it? For the fan of Led Zeppelin both Keith Shadwick's Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Their Music 1968-1980 and Ritchie Yorke's Led Zeppelin: The Definitive Biography (a revised edition of an older book) are simply much, much more useful.

[Evster2012]

Hi Otto! Good to see you my friend!

As regards the topic:

Here's my take on HOTG. It's the tabloid version of the Zeppelin story. Is Britney pregnant? That's the level we're talking. This is a book that begins with Satanic blood oaths and ghosts of the dead leaving a Paganinni concert. If that sensationalist crap entertains you, this is the book for you. If you want the truth, pass. As someone who's personally journeyed through the murky world of Crowley and Thelema, I understand the occult associations that link Jimmy Page to Magick and how it applies to Zeppelin. I know about ritual. I know about imagery. That said, this book is mostly shit. Sure, some of it's true. But do you want the spin? Shame on anyone who makes this hack another buck.

[One Symbol]

...and (conveniently) Davis is planning an updated version. is that the ching of cash registers I hear in the distance?

[Otto Masson]

Hi Otto! Good to see you my friend!

Hi mate, good to see you too!

HOTG - it never ends, does it?

[icantquityoubabe]

Hi Otto! Good to see you my friend!

As regards the topic:

Here's my take on HOTG. It's the tabloid version of the Zeppelin story. Is Britney pregnant? That's the level we're talking. This is a book that begins with Satanic blood oaths and ghosts of the dead leaving a Paganinni concert. If that sensationalist crap entertains you, this is the book for you. If you want the truth, pass. As someone who's personally journeyed through the murky world of Crowley and Thelema, I understand the occult associations that link Jimmy Page to Magick and how it applies to Zeppelin. I know about ritual. I know about imagery. That said, this book is mostly shit. Sure, some of it's true. But do you want the spin? Shame on anyone who makes this hack another buck.

Hey Ev

I think the book is good for the basics on the band members. Im sure they are not lying about where Page was born and when and things like that. So it is at the very least informative to those like me who knew nothing of those facts. I will have to go out to my garage and dig into the boxes for it and dust it off. I know I have it-havent looked at it in years.

[BruthaD]

Hey Ev

I think the book is good for the basics on the band members. Im sure they are not lying about where Page was born and when and things like that. So it is at the very least informative to those like me who knew nothing of those facts. I will have to go out to my garage and dig into the boxes for it and dust it off. I know I have it-havent looked at it in years.

I enjoyed it, a good read.

And of course there is factual info in it.

It's like a movie disclaimer that says "certain portions have been fictionalized for dramatic effect"

none the less, I enjoyed it.

A great coffee table book is LED ZEPPELIN: Heaven and Hell -by Charles Cross and Erik Flannigan, pics by Neal Preston.

A lot of great info and Pics !!

[mos6507]

Zep had a huge resurgence in popularity in the mid 80s during the hair band era. That's the generation I come from. That's when the book came out, and that was what we read to fill in the history. As much as the members may have hated the book, it did lend them an element of mystique that, for all we know, enhanced their popularity more than the music alone could do.

[shaving foamasi]

I read HOTG a few years back after reading Davis' Aerosmith book. It certainly did a lot to increase the aura of the band, especially in terms of their addiction to hedonism. If it was all true, I'm sure it wouldn't only be Bonzo who was no longer with us...

[croquet'n'cocaine]

I haven't read HOTG for many years, but I remember it as a fun read. It has similarities with The Doors book No One Here Gets Out Alive, which really was responsible for building the legend around Jim Morrison and the band, but which also no doubt spins all sorts of myth into the true story.

I don't really see a problem with this. As noted above, it's like a movie "based on a true story". It makes the whole thing a lot more entertaining if the writer enhances the anecdotes and concentrates on the exciting and the risque. As people have said, there are other books if you just want the plain facts, but the truth is that Led Zeppelin didn't actually have much of a back story to their success, unlike say The Beatles whose story before fame is actually very entertaining and inspiring. Led Zeppelin simply got together and were immediately fantastic and successful. Their music and performance is what makes them, and it's practically impossible to get that across in print. So, if you're going to write a book about them then you need to beef it up somehow or everyone will be asleep after the first few pages.

[x-lolarose-x]

I bought it a couple of years ago, I love it. god knows how many times I've read it - but once I start I can't stop!

[tyedye]

I've read Hammer several times.

It's always felt trashy to me. Like a romance novel in a way. It's a lot of fluff.

Look, if you really want to read a good LZ book, something more meaty, read Led Zeppelin: The Definative Biography by Ritchie Yorke.

Ev suggested it not long ago and I can't put it down. It's the book I've craved all these years.

I'm getting those other books you suggested too Ev...after Christmas.

Lots of first hand interviews and accounts from the members of LZ themselves and those close to them.

Yorke is a good writer too.

[AndyM]

I've read Hammer several times.

It's always felt trashy to me. Like a romance novel in a way. It's a lot of fluff.

Look, if you really want to read a good LZ book, something more meaty, read Led Zeppelin: The Definative Biography by Ritchie Yorke.

Ev suggested it not long ago and I can't put it down. It's the book I've craved all these years.

I'm getting those other books you suggested too Ev...after Christmas.

Lots of first hand interviews and accounts from the members of LZ themselves and those close to them.

Yorke is a good writer too.

I think you are absolutely right. HOTG is something you'd read on the toilet. And probably at least 70 - 80% of it is bollocks.

It should also be remembered that the author's chief source was Richard Cole the ex road manager who at the time was broke and selling his story to Stephen Davis was an easy way of getting cash.