zeppage Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 Hi all! Just wondering if you guys could recommend some Led Zeppelin books? What I have at this point is Hammer Of The Gods and Dazed And Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song. I'm sure there are some key books out there that you guys really dig. Any input appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic Fills the Air Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 Mick Wall's Led Zeppelin: When Giants Walked the Earth is a really good book about Zeppelin's music rather than their alleged off-stage antics. I can highly recommend that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah J Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 There are some great choices on this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyPageZoSo56 Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 Mick Wall's Led Zeppelin: When Giants Walked the Earth is a really good book about Zeppelin's music rather than their alleged off-stage antics. I can highly recommend that one. That one has been way to hard for me to get into. I like it, but i like a mix of both. i find his narrations of the different band members boring actually. It's way too technical. Jimmy Page; Magus, Musician, Man is a very good read. Richard Cole's book Stairway to Heaven Uncensored is all about band's history and what it was like for him to work with them. A great read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic Fills the Air Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 The problem with Cole's book is that you can't believe everything you read in it. It's somewhat sensationalist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsj Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 i'm inclined to suggest keith shadwick's book (i've forgotten the title) as a good general introduction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_Zep_Fan87 Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Well, I've finally decided that I am going to borrow "When Giants Walked The Earth". Judging by the reviews, I guess its a good book! Thank God for the music library at my Uni! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Led Zep Gurl Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 i'm inclined to suggest keith shadwick's book (i've forgotten the title) as a good general introduction I have read alot of Zep books and I feel Shadwick's book, "Led Zeppelin 1968-1980" is about one of the best. I bought Mick Wall's book when it first came out and it is interesting but the parts of the book in quotations that drive me nuts, I ended up skipping those parts of the book! I have heard Ritchie Yorke's book "Led Zeppelin: The Definitive Biography" is also good but I have never read it since it is out of print and I haven't been able to find a copy of it. I just bought Ross Halfin's The Photographer's Led Zeppelin off ebay and received it this past week! I have been wanting that book for a while now but couldn't locate it locally or even win bids on it on ebay. So happy I now have it and it sits next to Live Dreams book by Laurence Ratner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeppage Posted August 4, 2010 Author Share Posted August 4, 2010 Hey thanks for the input guys. I picked up Stairway To Heaven by Richard Cole so far. It looks pretty interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 Has anyone read Led Zeppelin IV, by Erik Davis? It is mentioned here: http://professorofpop.blogspot.com/2010/08/led-zeppelin-of-gods-and-ghosts-and.html This Andrew Goodwin is also writing a book about Zeppelin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAS Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 I was interested if anyone can give me an opinion of this product. http://www.amazon.com/Led-Zeppelin-Light-Rock-Retrospectives/dp/1906283842 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hecube Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 (edited) Led Zeppelin IV by Barney Hoskins is concise, to the point, and avoids the sensationalism. Don't be fooled thinking it's only about the fourth album, it covers the band's complete history. http://www.amazon.co...d+zeppelin+book Edited August 7, 2012 by hecube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Led_Rock_Hard Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 (edited) I'd recommend Celebration Day: The Led Zeppelin Encyclopedia, I thought it was a good read. But it's a reference book and not a biography. Edited August 9, 2012 by Led_Rock_Hard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bloggs Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 I'd recommend Celebration Day: The Led Zeppelin Encyclopedia, I thought it was a good read. But it's a reference book and not a biography. Dude, do you realise that book has copied all its information from wikipedia, including the same errors? What's more it has no entry for Led Zeppelin IV, incredible as it may seem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibsonfan159 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 If you're not looking to collect every book out there and just want a thorough, comprehensive account of the band's history without all the fluff, I strongly recommend this one by Keith Shadwick. It's rather cheap as well for around $10 on eBay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zep Hed Posted December 7, 2023 Share Posted December 7, 2023 On 8/4/2010 at 12:06 AM, Janet said: Has anyone read Led Zeppelin IV, by Erik Davis? It is mentioned here: http://professorofpop.blogspot.com/2010/08/led-zeppelin-of-gods-and-ghosts-and.html This Andrew Goodwin is also writing a book about Zeppelin. Erik Davis's book is one in a series of books published by Continuum on specific classic rock/pop albums. I first read Hugh Wilcken's book on David Bowie's "Low" album. I liked it. Lots of detail and stories on the sessions, Bowie's influences and the lead-in to his "Berlin" period. Now having read Erik Davis's book and hindsight being 20/20, I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up it would be anywhere near as good as Wilcken's. As we all know, there's simply not a lot of public commentary from inside the band or others who participated in the making of the fourth album - or much else concerning the band in general, to be honest - to expect a revealing, in-depth look at the writing/composing/recording process. Yea, there's the stuff that's common knowledge, i.e. Rock and Roll arose out of Keep-a-Knockin; JPJ brought the unique time signature on Black Dog which the others struggled with for a time; Jimmy brought the structure of Stairway to which Robert added the lyrics at the studio; Bonzo literally recorded Four Sticks with two sticks in each hand; hanging mics down a stairwell to achieve the drum effect on When the Levee Breaks, etc. OK fine. But the book wouldn't be much more than a pamphlet were it not chock full of Davis's endless attempts to interpret Robert's lyrics and draw inferences on the mystical, occult-based influences on Jimmy's music and sensibility. One person's perception based on extensive listening - not a criticism; hey who of us could count how many times we've listened to it? - but bolstered by not much more than the legends around the band that have grown like fish stories (wink, wink). Even Davis himself admits on top that he was into the band as a young person but reached the point where he wouldn't have cared if he'd not heard Stairway again. Led Zeppelin IV by Erik Davis highly un-recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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