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Robert Plant: A Life by Paul Rees, major new biography of Robert Plant


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Um, John Paul Jones has been doing some moving himself. In fact, his list of collaborators is at least as varied and long as Robert Plant's...maybe even more so. I mean, the guy has worked with Diamanda Galas and Supersilent.

Back to the topic...I'll try to stay optimistic, but the more I read about it, the more it sounds like Brad Tolinski's Jimmy Page book last year. Okay as a casual overview, but nothing essential and groundbreaking like Nick Tosches' Jerry Lee Lewis bio "Hellfire" or Peter Guralnick's Elvis Presley bios, "Last Train to Memphis" and "Careless Love".

But, like Knebby, I'll keep hope alive. After all, Robert Plant is long overdue to be given a proper and authentic biography, such as have been written for Dylan, the Beatles, and the Stones already.

We'll see if this is more than your typical, so-called bio. I have the Elvis tome "Last Train To Memphis". What a great read.

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I have the Elvis tome "Last Train To Memphis". What a great read.

Possibly the best rock biography every written. You can tell Peter Guralnick did a massive amount of research and detective work.

Seems to me most of today's rock biographers become over reliant on interviews with the source and their associates. The first-hand anecdotes are great, but the historical record is all too often skewed to accentuate only the positives.

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Jahfin??????

I actually don't know what the reason was; only know that shortly after reading what happened to you in the un-happy thread, I noticed Virgil(Jahfin), Night Shirt(Emily) and kripke(Nick) were banned.

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Knebby, thanks for the clarification. You need a scorecard to keep the players straight around here.

Shit. I've been waiting for a Plant autobiorgaphy for a long time.

With Percy, never say 'never', but Mr. Plant strikes me as a guy who is too busy living his life to worry about writing about it. Maybe he is keeping journals, though. Who knows?

I know one thing...it would be a fascinating book if he ever did choose to put pen to paper. The dude's lived quite a life.

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  • 4 months later...

Thanks Cookie. Could be an interesting read. We'll see. Is this an authorized biography (access to Robert with personal interviews) or is just compiled from what's already out there? More like Brad Tolinski's recent book on Jimmy Page?

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks Cookie. Could be an interesting read. We'll see. Is this an authorized biography (access to Robert with personal interviews) or is just compiled from what's already out there? More like Brad Tolinski's recent book on Jimmy Page?

I'm going to say based on this interview given yesterday after the concert in Ireland that the "biography" is most definitely not an "access to Robert" type situation.

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I'm going to say based on this interview given yesterday after the concert in Ireland that the "biography" is most definitely not an "access to Robert" type situation.

Yep, looks like we have a definitive answer. Also, that interview was filmed before the concert and released on YouTube after it.

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Yep, looks like we have a definitive answer. Also, that interview was filmed before the concert and released on YouTube after it.

I guess it's like on television where they film the shows prior but act as if its after then since it starts off with, "Robert, you must be ecstatic with the way things went tonight." The set was pretty early in the day so it isn't as if they couldn't have done it after, but doesn't matter either way I suppose.

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I guess it's like on television where they film the shows prior but act as if its after then since it starts off with, "Robert, you must be ecstatic with the way things went tonight." The set was pretty early in the day so it isn't as if they couldn't have done it after, but doesn't matter either way I suppose.

Yeah, they tweeted a photo of the interview saying that it was done prior. Made me laugh when they referenced the show. Early in the day? It started at 7pm UK time, went on for just over an hour.

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Yeah, they tweeted a photo of the interview saying that it was done prior. Made me laugh when they referenced the show. Early in the day? It started at 7pm UK time, went on for just over an hour.

By early I meant that it wasn't the last show of the day and was over before their concerts in the states would have even started.

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I like that they're using a recent photo of Plant for the cover. He's not the same man he was in 1975 and the book's cover reflects this.

The cover I keep seeing is the 1975 one,though I very much like the recent picture. It is on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble with the US release date of 10/22. Maybe it will be the other cover too.I am very curious what it says about his relationship with Jimmy.
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Source: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/hc-buys-robert-plant-biography.html

ISBN: 978-0-00-751487-8

Size: 153x234mm

Format: Hardback

Imprint: HarperCollins

Division: HarperNonFiction

UK: £ 20.00

Canada: $ 39.99

Ireland: $ 20.00

UK: 24 October 2013

Canada: 25 October 2013

Australia: 01 November 2013

Source: http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Titles/82764/robert-plant-a-life-paul-rees-9780007514878

Robert pretty much laughed about this book on his last interview

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  • 1 month later...

The book came out today and I bought it. It looks interesting. I will curious to hear what you all think. I have only read little sections not all the way through yet. It is easy to tell how Ross does not like him. Jimmy, which is the main reason it was such of interest to me, actually comes out less negitive than I thought he would be made out. It's not as through as it could be, but it looks like Paul Rees did a good job.

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The book came out today and I bought it. It looks interesting. I will curious to hear what you all think. I have only read little sections not all the way through yet. It is easy to tell how Ross does not like him. Jimmy, which is the main reason it was such of interest to me, actually comes out less negitive than I thought he would be made out. It's not as through as it could be, but it looks like Paul Rees did a good job.

The book came out today and I bought it. It looks interesting. I will curious to hear what you all think. I have only read little sections not all the way through yet. It is easy to tell how Ross does not like him. Jimmy, which is the main reason it was such of interest to me, actually comes out less negitive than I thought he would be made out. It's not as through as it could be, but it looks like Paul Rees did a good job.

I am going to get it too. Mostly out of curiosity and for the pictures - are there any in there we haven't see yet, Aen?

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I am going to get it too. Mostly out of curiosity and for the pictures - are there any in there we haven't see yet, Aen?

I was curious about that too. All the Zeppelin ones we have including the one where Jimmy, Robert and some one from Show co are walking to the stage at Kembworth. There are a few later ones and earlier ones I hadn't seen, like one with Robert and Nigel Eaton in Morocco where Robert has a cigarette. It does go into more about Shirley, Maureen's sister, and the period around the '75 accident. I didn't realize that Charlotte and Scarlet where with Jimmy right at the beginning of the trip to Morocco, right after Earls Court as in 2 days later and Jimmy was in Sicily thatAugust when it happened. Bengi Lefeve and some others around the band at the time seemed to have contributed a lot which is interesting.

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Apparently it's a waste of a book, the author went to interview no one of special importance to Robert and the information is recycled.

It might worth checking out more as a curiousity, which is why I bought it. I am relieved I haven't found really negitive comments toward Jimmy. It does make clear Robert has always been full of himself, which isn't a surprise.

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I am a bibliophile and am curious, so I downloaded this on Tuesday and am up to the aftermath of the Greek car wreck.

The key to a penning a good biography is to make the person you are writing about come alive! Get in their head, what makes them tick?

What motivates them?

You don't have to like the person you write about, but you do have to believe they are unique and their story is unique, exciting and worth telling.

In a good biography you should never be aware of the voice or position of the person writing the story, a good biographer is an impartial, neutral voice.

Mr. Rees is not a good biographer.

He is just scratching the surface, laying out the familiar time-line and doing so at times with a slightly jealous, yet repetitive voice.

He continually lets you know that RP was/is full of himself.

There are maybe 3 photos included that I have not seen before.

I would hope that all 3 surviving members would consider writing their own story with a much needed focus on the music and the creative process! :)

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