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New Jimmy Page Biography Released


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I finally caved in and bought this book. To my great surprise it's actually not bad.

One bit stood out for me though and made my jaw drop. It says that Mickie Most put cash up to help finance the first US tour in 68/69, and received 1% of Zeppelin's income in perpetuity.

Wtf?! That's not like 1% of the income of Dumpy's Rusty Nuts. That's serious money. Then it's never referred to again, annoyingly. I'd love to know if that's true, and if it is, if it was ever renegotiated.

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On 9/11/2018 at 5:16 PM, the chase said:

It is a shame. Chris Cornell was so good.

Same with Michael Lee.. Jimmy had a Drummer he could really lock in with, probably the best match for him since John Bonham..  

Michael Lee's death was so sad. He was a tremendous drummer. He wasn't Bonham, but who is? I loved how he played and he always looked like he was having a ball.

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12 hours ago, morningson said:

Michael Lee's death was so sad. He was a tremendous drummer. He wasn't Bonham, but who is? I loved how he played and he always looked like he was having a ball.

Agreed, what a talent.  Saw Page and Plant at MSG in July ‘98, they were on fire and my friend took to calling Michael Lee “Animal” after the famous muppet after watching the way he attacked his kit that night.

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  • 2 months later...

Well, I'll try to do my best English, and my point of view is like this:

Evidently, this book reveals more about the author than his subject. Salewicz and his partners in business makes the reader believe they produced “The Definitive Biography” about Jimmy Page, but they fails miserably. I think this is often the case when these so called professional and experienced journos attempts to decipher those elusive and hermetic keys that leads to revelations exposing the enigma that lay behind and upfront Page's figure - and by extention his rock band. The mediocrity of Salewicz work doesn’t do justice to the complete and visionary artist Page was, especially at the height of his possibilities, when he pulled out all his tricks leading up the Zeppelin through the seventies for the sake of art and power - working VERY hard, in focus, from within the recording industry and, of course, kicking some serious asses in this conspiracy process.

Despite interesting sources who provide access to the more intimate aspects of the artist’s life (especially his early years) and some balanced judgements, the author often sinks into a mud of boring writing, common places, speculations and useless details that make his work look more like girly hairdressing gossip than a really serious “definitive” biography, particularly when dear old Chris does his better to deal with Page’s studies about occult sciences, Aleister Crowley and magick (proving one more time this isn't a subject everybody can understand).

So, the book's title is a lame commercial hook and his content a highly subjective interpretation. In justice, it would have been more appropriate to call it “Jimmy Page, a Biography”.

If you are looking for a point of view to study the history of this man in comparison to other biographical works about Jimmy, this book may be useful… but hardly definitive.

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12 hours ago, lucisfero said:

Well, I'll try to do my best English, and my point of view is like this:

Evidently, this book reveals more about the author than his subject. Salewicz and his partners in business makes the reader believe they produced “The Definitive Biography” about Jimmy Page, but they fails miserably. I think this is often the case when these so called professional and experienced journos attempts to decipher those elusive and hermetic keys that leads to revelations exposing the enigma that lay behind and upfront Page's figure - and by extention his rock band. The mediocrity of Salewicz work doesn’t do justice to the complete and visionary artist Page was, especially at the height of his possibilities, when he pulled out all his tricks leading up the Zeppelin through the seventies for the sake of art and power - working VERY hard, in focus, from within the recording industry and, of course, kicking some serious asses in this conspiracy process.

Despite interesting sources who provide access to the more intimate aspects of the artist’s life (especially his early years) and some balanced judgements, the author often sinks into a mud of boring writing, common places, speculations and useless details that make his work look more like girly hairdressing gossip than a really serious “definitive” biography, particularly when dear old Chris does his better to deal with Page’s studies about occult sciences, Aleister Crowley and magick (proving one more time this isn't a subject everybody can understand).

So, the book's title is a lame commercial hook and his content a highly subjective interpretation. In justice, it would have been more appropriate to call it “Jimmy Page, a Biography”.

If you are looking for a point of view to study the history of this man in comparison to other biographical works about Jimmy, this book may be useful… but hardly definitive.

Chris Salewicz surrendered all objectivity and credibility while promoting this book earlier this year when in comparison to Jimmy Page he referred to the legendary Keith Richards as "a mere also ran in the greatest UK rock star stakes". Keith's not #1, but he sure as hell places in the Top 20, if not Top 10. Additionally,  if I recall correctly, Chris Salewicz hasn't been in the same room as Jimmy Page since the original interviews were conducted in the late 1970s. It seems Chris used those original interviews as the foundation for the book. 

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On 12/24/2018 at 4:35 AM, SteveAJones said:

Chris Salewicz surrendered all objectivity and credibility while promoting this book earlier this year when in comparison to Jimmy Page he referred to the legendary Keith Richards as "a mere also ran in the greatest UK rock star stakes". Keith's not #1, but he sure as hell places in the Top 20, if not Top 10. Additionally,  if I recall correctly, Chris Salewicz hasn't been in the same room as Jimmy Page since the original interviews were conducted in the late 1970s. It seems Chris used those original interviews as the foundation for the book. 

Yes Steve, I remember those interviews very well. I used to like Chris, he had managed to get some very interesting comments from the usually elusive Jimmy about his many interests other than music (Gig Magazine 1977 and NME 1979). And I remembered him for his interesting NME article about the Page-Anger combat back in 1976 (“Anger Rising”, I think that was called). Part of his stuff had helped me, many years ago, to know things about Jimmy when I was searching very passionately in my pre-internet days. So, when I became aware of his "definitive bio" I thought it would be interesting, despite the reviews I had read in the English newspapers, which of course were sensationalistic promotional crap. I was curious to know more about what new things he has to offer, like every time a new book, mag, and whatever about or in connection with the band is published. So you can bet how mad I was when I read some of his stuff. He sometimes speaks as if he had access to Jimmy's private world. One can clearly understand why Jimmy and the other Zepp lads hated the press so much, even know, no matter how polite the game is.

By the way Steve, how accurately is that information about that divorce of Jimmy's parents? I think you know about it. Salewicz claims that happened in the mid sixties and blah, blah, but I think you said it actually was in the seventies.

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  • 2 months later...

Well there are some little known facts or tidbits in the new book. But overall not much insight about Jimmy's creative modus

operandi or penetrating what drove him in other matters. Actually the Mick Wall or Barney Hoskins Zep biographies are much

better books than this one. I really think there is no "definitive" Jimmy Page biography for various reasons. One is that Jimmy

is a very complex person, just as macho as he is feminine, which is great for art but not all that great for human relations. Second is that as far as interviews go, Jimmy has great difficulties at letting his guard down regarding anything but music,

although sometimes like in Nick Kent's 79' pre-Knebworth interview , Jimmy talks about all kinds of things very coherently.

Third is that some people forget that for a long time Zep was a underground band, and all this paparazzi  stuff and following

stars around, and  no internet, Jimmy basically vanished between tours. I remember when Zep split, Page might as well have 

fallen off the earth, there was all kinds of speculation what he was up to.in the rock magazines. Mainly Jimmy was very guarded, and then biography writers had to extrapolate what he meant by a statement, and that makes it hard for biography

writers as to some degree they had to add on questionable assumptions.

 

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On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 8:49 AM, 76229 said:

I finally caved in and bought this book. To my great surprise it's actually not bad.

One bit stood out for me though and made my jaw drop. It says that Mickie Most put cash up to help finance the first US tour in 68/69, and received 1% of Zeppelin's income in perpetuity.

Wtf?! That's not like 1% of the income of Dumpy's Rusty Nuts. That's serious money. Then it's never referred to again, annoyingly. I'd love to know if that's true, and if it is, if it was ever renegotiated.

I've never heard this referenced anywhere else either.  Getting a bit of financing from Most certainly isn't farfetched, as he had business relationships at some point with everyone involved during that time-frame, but the perpetuity angle doesn't sound like something Jimmy or Grant would be contractually interested in at all.  Perhaps Most just lent Grant some personal cash so Peter could hold up his end of financing and pre-arranging the first tour.  After all, it was the Holidays.   

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3 hours ago, luvlz2 said:

Just read about this today, although not too sure about the content.

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/new-jimmy-page-book-the-anthology-due-out-later-this-year/

yeah, I posted about this in the 50th anniversary thread earlier this morning. What could be more underwhelming right now ,  another book!? Good grief!

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1 hour ago, porgie66 said:

yeah, I posted about this in the 50th anniversary thread earlier this morning. What could be more underwhelming right now ,  another book!? Good grief!

Would love a live Led Zeppelin anthology or solo anthology to go with the book full of blurays, dvds. cds,  vinyls, downloads, etc. :stereo:

Edited by luvlz2
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On 3/24/2019 at 4:43 PM, Mithril46 said:

is that Jimmy

is a very complex person, just as macho as he is feminine. .

lol. Page Macho? Lol.  He has the body (in the ‘70s) of a teen girl. Unlike Robert, Page never played any sport like soccer or tennis. I like JP as  guitarist and rock God, but he was mainly an antisocial junkie.

 

 

Edited by Silverseas
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8 hours ago, Silverseas said:

 

I thought it was odd when Mick Wall claimed Page was now a mad keen Chelsea FC fan (and that he did nothing nowadays but sit around watching football on tv) when he'd previously shown zero interest in the game.

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1 hour ago, 76229 said:

I thought it was odd when Mick Wall claimed Page was now a mad keen Chelsea FC fan (and that he did nothing nowadays but sit around watching football on tv) when he'd previously shown zero interest in the game.

Just goes to show that sometimes talented musicians have no taste;)

Edited by chillumpuffer
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On 3/29/2019 at 1:07 PM, 76229 said:

I thought it was odd when Mick Wall claimed Page was now a mad keen Chelsea FC fan (and that he did nothing nowadays but sit around watching football on tv) when he'd previously shown zero interest in the game.

I thought it was even odder that Mick Wall padded his book out with paragraphs full of his dreamt up thoughts members of Zeppelin and Grant would say in ridiculous language and prose, thus singling him out as the worst writer on Planet Fucking Earth. Barney Hoskyns' book knocks it into a tin hat and then cleans it clock with plenty to spare.

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12 hours ago, morningson said:

I thought it was even odder that Mick Wall padded his book out with paragraphs full of his dreamt up thoughts members of Zeppelin and Grant would say in ridiculous language and prose, thus singling him out as the worst writer on Planet Fucking Earth. Barney Hoskyns' book knocks it into a tin hat and then cleans it clock with plenty to spare.

Yeah, Wall is to rock writing what Rob Liefeld is to comic art, or Herman Tilke to designing motor racing circuits. He's terrible, but he keeps getting commissioned.

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Those two books, yes the authors get bizarrely self-important and just ridiculous at times, but in my Zep collection of 25-30

books, overall the books are well written and do have a good amount of previously unknown or pretty obscure facts. IMHO,

for some strange reason many Zep books only succeed if they are focused in on one aspect of the band, like their live

performances, or how every song recorded in the studio came about, or the many mainly photo books. Anyway , somehow

my phrase about Page being just as macho as he is feminine, got really misunderstood. Maybe a better way to put it is

once Jimmy got mad about something, his "femininity " went out the window. I can give examples, but I still remember

what Ritchie Yorke ( wrote 2 or 3 Zep books) said on this radio interview describing individual band members. About Page( I taped this, but this was like 78', tape is shot) Jimmy could be a violent person at times, but he also had this gentility about

him. Believe it or not, John Lennon could be the same way, although not generally known. Page never "sniffed" around for

trouble or looked for fights, but that doesn't mean he wasn't macho in other areas or occasions.

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10 hours ago, 76229 said:

Yeah, Wall is to rock writing what Rob Liefeld is to comic art, or Herman Tilke to designing motor racing circuits. He's terrible, but he keeps getting commissioned.

Mate, you are so right about Hermann Tilke. I know this is a Zeppelin forum but that man is destroying F1 with his boring circuit designs. There's a reason why Monaco and Spa are the jewels in the F1 crown. 

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10 hours ago, Brigante said:

Wall's deluded, too - he actually thinks he's a writer of some standing. Nay, of distinguished merit! Snort...

I bought a book he wrote about GNR and at least half of it was him sniping at the band, really juvenile and puerile stuff. There was also a Pearl Jam biography he wrote that was so fatous and copy and pasted it might have well as been written by a massive shit from a one year old baby.

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