Anjin-san Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 shouldn't there be 9 pages of posts about the corruption of government and illegal wars and how the people are going to reclaim their freedoms, rather than what jimmy did in 1994? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrybonzo Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 just all this bickering over JP havin a smoke, jeez, cmon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjin-san Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 just all this bickering over JP havin a smoke, jeez, cmon! Gotta love the internet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambeau Leap Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I know this band, crew, and management partied a lot, and it was the 70's, but the particular detailed stories of cocaine use by multiple sources in this book even surprised me. Especially Peter Grant, so sad how he basically cut himself off from most people; having people waiting 12 hours at his house and not coming out of his bedroom because he was so high, just tragic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrybonzo Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 half way through and im finding it pretty amazing nothing in there is really a surprise not even others opinions of the group as people, you don't get that successful by being a push over, you write great music and stick to your guns! grant and weiss steered that ship greatly, shame those kinds of management skills are now redundant, you really feel PG was in it for the band and not so much the cash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishhead Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 half way through and im finding it pretty amazing nothing in there is really a surprise not even others opinions of the group as people, you don't get that successful by being a push over, you write great music and stick to your guns! grant and weiss steered that ship greatly, shame those kinds of management skills are now redundant, you really feel PG was in it for the band and not so much the cash ...yeah me too. I am on page 189 and waiting for, what others have said to be some nasty stuff, but am enjoying it, especially some of the Peter Grant content. The quote about Bonham saying that, "Plant just had to run around the stage like a fairy while he did all the hard work behind him", was hilarious. I could envision that conversation and laughed out loud at that one.....keep enjoying the book HB...cheers Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadecatcher Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I'm only just beginning this book, but already I'm impressed with dialogue regarding the recording industry and how it was developing back then. How the business was run in Britain as opposed to the States is as fascinating as how Brits took American music and gave it back reformed and rethought. I love the format of this book. Hoskyns deftly weaves conversations thematically and moves the story along blending the personal lives of key players with what was going on in the outside world. Reading this book is like walking around a large room and dropping in on the varied conversations of a hundred people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishhead Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I'm only just beginning this book, but already I'm impressed with dialogue regarding the recording industry and how it was developing back then. How the business was run in Britain as opposed to the States is as fascinating as how Brits took American music and gave it back reformed and rethought. I love the format of this book. Hoskyns deftly weaves conversations thematically and moves the story along blending the personal lives of key players with what was going on in the outside world. Reading this book is like walking around a large room and dropping in on the varied conversations of a hundred people. I wish I had wrote what you did SC, well said. I agree exactly and kinda meant to say something similar with the Peter Grant reference.....I am really enjoying it...hope to hear your continued point of view along the way...cheers Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadecatcher Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I wish I had wrote what you did SC, well said. I agree exactly and kinda meant to say something similar with the Peter Grant reference.....I am really enjoying it...hope to hear your continued point of view along the way...cheers Rich Thanks Fishhead, that is very kind of you. I look forward to hearing your continued POV as well as you move through this book. Another key point that has struck me early into this book is the blending of the north and south sensibilities within the LZ camp. The Black Country personalities coming together/clashing with the politeness of the home county boys. You have the gruff London attitudes of Grant and Cole, Plant and Bonham's "what you see is what you get" personalities, and Page and Jones the stereotypical British image of reserve and politeness. Interesting, I think we can draw a parallel in American music - east/west and north/south. There is something to be said for the dynamics created by oppositiion in any art form and it certainly speaks to the LZ sound. Jones and Bonham intuitively developed a strong rhythm section upon which Page and Plant put down their conversation. There seems to be in the song arrangements, and particularly in live performance, a moving back and forth between pairs working together and off one another. It is noted in the book that Bonham played drums as melody. I remember thinking that when I heard Stewart Copeland too. I'm not a music writer so I'm not sure this makes a lot of sense, but that's how it is strikes me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetLittleBaby Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I haven't read the book yet as I'm still waiting for it to get here, but having read some excerpts I must say that early in his career Jimmy is not portrayed quite so negatively. Chris Dreja had nothing but nice things to say about him. I suppose the added pressure of touring and the heavy drug use that would come into play later were partly, if not exclusively, the reason for Jimmy's erratic and sometimes atrocious behavior. I can see how being on the road and away from home and family could certainly bring out the worst in someone and I doubt Jimmy acted in such a manner with his family or friends back home. Being on the road for months at a time, using drugs, and feeling the pressure of performing to thousands created the perfect storm which culminated in the extreme behavior - and dare I say hedonism - we're so used to hearing. It couldn't have been an easy place to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_Zep_Fan87 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I honestly cannot put this book down. All this information on Led Zep is brand new and fascinating to me. I fell asleep while reading Mick Wall's book and I couldn't get past 20 pages. This book by Barney Hoskyns is a different ball game entirely. I know that some folks are very disappointed to see Jimmy portrayed in a negative light, but to me, this book is like a treasure trove since it contains such interesting quotes from many key players in the Zeppelin camp. I still haven't finished it yet. I am taking my time because I am savouring every page. Once I'm done reading it, I will most definitely read it all over again. This is probably one of the most exciting books I have in my personal collection. Worth every penny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambeau Leap Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I honestly cannot put this book down. All this information on Led Zep is brand new and fascinating to me. I fell asleep while reading Mick Wall's book and I couldn't get past 20 pages. This book by Barney Hoskyns is a different ball game entirely. I know that some folks are very disappointed to see Jimmy portrayed in a negative light, but to me, this book is like a treasure trove since it contains such interesting quotes from many key players in the Zeppelin camp. I still haven't finished it yet. I am taking my time because I am savouring every page. Once I'm done reading it, I will most definitely read it all over again. This is probably one of the most exciting books I have in my personal collection. Worth every penny. Totally agree, the best book about Zeppelin I've read and feel like the most authentic as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vule69 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 While I was reading the 'smoking incident',I could imagine if Grant or (and) Cole ware there. They would probably set the guys car on fire. Grant:''From now on,it's a smoking car....you prick'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mielazul Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 While I was reading the 'smoking incident',I could imagine if Grant or (and) Cole ware there. They would probably set the guys car on fire. Grant:''From now on,it's a smoking car....you prick'' "It's...so...tempting...must...NOT...be pulled back in...to the...smoking incident..." (passes out). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTM Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 "It's...so...tempting...must...NOT...be pulled back in...to the...smoking incident..." (passes out). Know what you mean. I felt my blood starting to boil when I read that post from vule69. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vule69 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Never mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mielazul Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 ^^^ No dude, don't take it personally, we were just referring some heated arguments that took place on this thread, with the smoking incident as a jumping off point. A page or two had to be deleted, let's put it that way. I liked your joke about Peter Grant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melcórë Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Lol. Still don't have my copy, but I downloaded a sample of it off iBooks - the first section was genuinely interesting, and I can't wait to tear into the rest of it, though I aim to have a bit of a skeptical eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truth and beauty Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I love the format of this book. Hoskyns deftly weaves conversations thematically and moves the story along blending the personal lives of key players with what was going on in the outside world. Reading this book is like walking around a large room and dropping in on the varied conversations of a hundred people. Finished the book a few days ago - and what's so impressive is the way Hoskyns has taken this format and constructed a really strong, and gripping narrative. Huge achievement, backed up by an astonishingly wide range of interviews and sources, all well documented. A seriously strong piece of journalism, and crucially, beyond the journalism, authorship : very ambitious, but he pulled it off. Parts of it are uncomfortable, even painful to read. I wouldn't shoot the messenger for that : the book's title declares its intent. Barney Hoskyns has started as a journalist, but has moved on from an anodyne "balance" of views, to present a mature authored account: we're in his hands, and he's shaped the storytelling as surely as if he'd written the words himself. His is only one view, and it's frustrating to think of the parallel stories which aren't being told, but it hangs together and rings true enough. Didn't we all know that in reality the music business is tawdry, brutal and unglamorous - and was particularly so in the seventies - but that what rescues Led Zeppelin is what has always marked them out : the lasting beauty and majesty of the music ? I do think a naive reader, new to Led Zeppelin, might draw different conclusions : undoubtedly the voices of Robert's supporters are heard more strongly than those of Jimmy or Peter Grant, and at some point the story which is being told about Robert gains a momentum and sympathy which any author would seize upon. But the huge range of contributors saves the book from being narrow and simplistic, and allows the reader to spot where an axe is being ground by this or that person. There are weaknesses. Sometimes, particularly towards the end, there are inclusions which seem gratuitous : in one case the narrative is interrupted to make space for some catty comments about Jimmy's later relationships, which seem to be there for no other reason than that they're great gossipy quotes. ( There are lots more great gossipy quotes, but most of them serve a wider purpose). The other weaknesses belong not to the book, but to the people. There is much bitterness evident in some of the comments from those who chose to be around the band: some appear to have felt exploited at the time, yet lacking in enough self respect to walk out. Now after forty years, they find their voice: and in the process, they often look small, and spiteful. There's so much cheap tittle-tattle in this book, yet it transcends that so completely, to give us an intensely human story with all the fatefulness of tragedy. It tells me stuff I thought I knew, about a story I thought I knew, and makes me care all over again. For something with this format to achieve so much is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadecatcher Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Finished the book a few days ago - and what's so impressive is the way Hoskyns has taken this format and constructed a really strong, and gripping narrative. Huge achievement, backed up by an astonishingly wide range of interviews and sources, all well documented. A seriously strong piece of journalism, and crucially, beyond the journalism, authorship : very ambitious, but he pulled it off. Parts of it are uncomfortable, even painful to read. I wouldn't shoot the messenger for that : the book's title declares its intent. Barney Hoskyns has started as a journalist, but has moved on from an anodyne "balance" of views, to present a mature authored account: we're in his hands, and he's shaped the storytelling as surely as if he'd written the words himself. His is only one view, and it's frustrating to think of the parallel stories which aren't being told, but it hangs together and rings true enough. Didn't we all know that in reality the music business is tawdry, brutal and unglamorous - and was particularly so in the seventies - but that what rescues Led Zeppelin is what has always marked them out : the lasting beauty and majesty of the music ? I do think a naive reader, new to Led Zeppelin, might draw different conclusions : undoubtedly the voices of Robert's supporters are heard more strongly than those of Jimmy or Peter Grant, and at some point the story which is being told about Robert gains a momentum and sympathy which any author would seize upon. But the huge range of contributors saves the book from being narrow and simplistic, and allows the reader to spot where an axe is being ground by this or that person. There are weaknesses. Sometimes, particularly towards the end, there are inclusions which seem gratuitous : in one case the narrative is interrupted to make space for some catty comments about Jimmy's later relationships, which seem to be there for no other reason than that they're great gossipy quotes. ( There are lots more great gossipy quotes, but most of them serve a wider purpose). The other weaknesses belong not to the book, but to the people. There is much bitterness evident in some of the comments from those who chose to be around the band: some appear to have felt exploited at the time, yet lacking in enough self respect to walk out. Now after forty years, they find their voice: and in the process, they often look small, and spiteful. There's so much cheap tittle-tattle in this book, yet it transcends that so completely, to give us an intensely human story with all the fatefulness of tragedy. It tells me stuff I thought I knew, about a story I thought I knew, and makes me care all over again. For something with this format to achieve so much is amazing. Wonderful and well written review, Truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishhead Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Just finished this book. Loved it! In awe of how it just seemed to flow so naturally from the first page to the last, even with using all those various quotes....... Amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missytootsweet Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I still haven't finished this book yet and I got it around release time. I am having so much fun and enjoyment reading this book out of order. I think this may be the only book on Zep I have where no matter what page I flip to, I'm going to likely find something interesting, if not new to me. Highly recommended. Missy *Edited for my lousy spelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_Zep_Fan87 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I still haven't finished this book yet and I got it around release time. I am having so much fun and enjoyment reading this book out of order. I think this may be the only book on Zep I have where no matter what page I flip to, I'm going to likely find something interesting, if not new to me. Highly recommended. Missy *Edited for my lousy spelling. Honestly, that is such a cool way to read it! I think I might try that out when I read it the second time I stayed up last night from midnight till 6 AM reading this book and I have absolutely no regrets over losing those hours of sleep. I am even thinking of doing it tomorrow night! In the past, I knew the band only for their songs and I had absolutely no idea about how things ran in the Zep camp, how the creative process unfolded for each song, how the entire Blues movement evolved in Britain, what the music industry was like back then in the 70's, etc. I guess some people might have considered my knowledge about Zep to be pretty "one dimensional". There is absolutely no way on earth that I could have accessed all this information about Zep without this book! I would really like to take my hat off to Barney Hoskyns for painstakingly compiling all these quotes in a logical and extremely interesting fashion from so many interviews! It just blows my mind! It (to me) is pretty much a case of "straight from the horse's mouth" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottedplant Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I just finished reading the Hoskyns book. I am a newbie and not as eloquent, or as schooled in Zep knowledge, as the rest of you. I have learned so much about the band that I have loved most of my life from these threads. I have just a few comments about the book. Funniest quote (none of these are verbatim): Jimmy and Robert's looks and personalities: "Plant can be compared to Marilyn Monroe; Page to Hedy Lamar with a Les Paul." I had to laugh out loud at this. I went on youtube and watched them doing Black Dog from back in the day. And sure enough, Marilyn and Hedy are spot on comparisons. Saddest: This is from Robert: "I went on the stage and went up to the microphone and started to weep. I looked to the left and then the right and knew I was all alone to carry the myth...I felt such a great loss." This is from when he made his first solo appearance after the band. I took from the book that four geniuses, but frail human beings, were products of the times and the situation(s) they chose to be in. I did not change my mind about them or their music. I believe they all paid a price for their success and I just wonder if they would do it all again? Robert said: "What was it all for." But what struck me the most about the three of them after the band was done, was how much of a struggle they all went through to find something to do with themselves. At the end of the book there is a quote that sums this up very well: Page and Plant are great individually, but never as good as they were together. I think they both know this because the people around them sure did (according to the interviews). Hoskyns did a good job with this book and covered the time line of the band very well, especially the real early years. Some guy from Pennsylvania has come out with a new "coffee table" book that is a compilation of interviews. Don't know much more about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottedplant Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I just read this over and realized it sounds like an 8th graders book report. I enjoyed the book and learned a great deal about LZ and the music business. I am still all about their music (and Robert's hair). Forgive me for being so shallow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.