Led Zeppelin: The Biography
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- Author：Bob Spitz
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Summary
From the author of the definitive New York Times bestselling history of the Beatles comes the authoritative account of the group many call the greatest rock band of all time， arguably the most successful， and certainly one of the most notorious
Rock star。 Whatever that term means to you， chances are it owes a debt to Led Zeppelin。 No one before or since has lived the dream quite like Jimmy Page， Robert Plant， John Paul Jones， and John Bonham。 In Led Zeppelin， Bob Spitz takes their full measure， separating the myth from the reality with his trademark connoisseurship and storytelling flair。
From the opening notes of their first album， the band announced itself as something different， a collision of grand artistic ambition and brute primal force， of English folk music and African American blues。 That record sold over 10 million copies， and it was just the beginning; Led Zeppelin's albums have sold over 300 million certified copies worldwide， and the dust has never settled。
The band is notoriously guarded， and previous books provided more heat than light。 But Spitz's authority is undeniable and irresistible。 His feel for the atmosphere， the context--the music， the business， the recording studios， the touring life， the whole ecosystem of popular music--is unparalleled。 His account of the melding of Page and Jones， the virtuosic London sophisticates， with Plant and Bonham， the wild men from the Midlands， in a scene dominated by the Beatles and the Stones but changing fast， is in itself a revelation。 Spitz takes the music seriously and brings the band's artistic journey to full and vivid life。
The music， however， is only part of the legend: Led Zeppelin is also the story of how the sixties became the seventies， of how playing clubs became playing stadiums， of how innocence became decadence。 Led Zeppelin wasn't the first rock band to let loose on the road， but as with everything else， they took it to an entirely new level。 Not all the legends are true， but in Spitz's careful accounting， what is true is astonishing and sometimes disturbing。
Led Zeppelin gave no quarter， and neither has Bob Spitz。 Led Zeppelin is the full and honest reckoning the band has long awaited， and richly deserves。
Rock star。 Whatever that term means to you， chances are it owes a debt to Led Zeppelin。 No one before or since has lived the dream quite like Jimmy Page， Robert Plant， John Paul Jones， and John Bonham。 In Led Zeppelin， Bob Spitz takes their full measure， separating the myth from the reality with his trademark connoisseurship and storytelling flair。
From the opening notes of their first album， the band announced itself as something different， a collision of grand artistic ambition and brute primal force， of English folk music and African American blues。 That record sold over 10 million copies， and it was just the beginning; Led Zeppelin's albums have sold over 300 million certified copies worldwide， and the dust has never settled。
The band is notoriously guarded， and previous books provided more heat than light。 But Spitz's authority is undeniable and irresistible。 His feel for the atmosphere， the context--the music， the business， the recording studios， the touring life， the whole ecosystem of popular music--is unparalleled。 His account of the melding of Page and Jones， the virtuosic London sophisticates， with Plant and Bonham， the wild men from the Midlands， in a scene dominated by the Beatles and the Stones but changing fast， is in itself a revelation。 Spitz takes the music seriously and brings the band's artistic journey to full and vivid life。
The music， however， is only part of the legend: Led Zeppelin is also the story of how the sixties became the seventies， of how playing clubs became playing stadiums， of how innocence became decadence。 Led Zeppelin wasn't the first rock band to let loose on the road， but as with everything else， they took it to an entirely new level。 Not all the legends are true， but in Spitz's careful accounting， what is true is astonishing and sometimes disturbing。
Led Zeppelin gave no quarter， and neither has Bob Spitz。 Led Zeppelin is the full and honest reckoning the band has long awaited， and richly deserves。
Reviews
Michael
，
This is probably the best possible version of the book considering the author was not familiar with the music and couldn't interview the band。 Spitz does a solid job of outlining the early development of the band from Jimmy and John Paul's session work to The Yardbirds to The New Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin。 He chronicles Zeppelin's fraught relationship between the music press and the band's fragile egos， and his reviews of the albums and live concerts are detailed and grounded in the standard mus This is probably the best possible version of the book considering the author was not familiar with the music and couldn't interview the band。 Spitz does a solid job of outlining the early development of the band from Jimmy and John Paul's session work to The Yardbirds to The New Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin。 He chronicles Zeppelin's fraught relationship between the music press and the band's fragile egos， and his reviews of the albums and live concerts are detailed and grounded in the standard musicology of rock-and-roll。 Yet， the commentary on the music lacks new insight， which is probably due to the lack of band participation。 Moreover， at certain points， the chronology seems to be jumbled。The last third of the book has variations of four statements played on a loop: 1） It was time for Led Zeppelin to get back to playing live。2） Peter was unavailable to make decisions for SwanSong Records3） Peter had a （insert synonym for huge） bag of cocaine he dipped into repeatedly。4） Jimmy and Bonzo were drunk and/or strung out on heroin。 Spitz's main contribution to Zeppelin scholarship is his unsparing account of their assaults on underage girls。 Laying out all the ugly details is necessary to counterbalance the fanboy worship the band receives。 However， the topic deserves a wider exploration than Spitz is able to give here。 Ultimately， Spitz leaves Zeppelin fans （like me） with an empty feeling。 Maybe that's a good thing， but it's sad nonetheless。 。。。more
Chris
，
Wow this was。。。。pretty intense。 Not going to be a long review， but what a ride。 The book does a near flawless job in telling the roots to rockers history of the band， through all their albums。 And everything。。。and I mean everything in between。 I’ll say this， if you love Led Zeppelin， but are fragile to sensitive topics， and don’t want their image ‘tarnished’。。。 or any bad or negative thoughts of them。。。I’d steer clear。 While there’s nothing in here that is on the level of murder or anything like Wow this was。。。。pretty intense。 Not going to be a long review， but what a ride。 The book does a near flawless job in telling the roots to rockers history of the band， through all their albums。 And everything。。。and I mean everything in between。 I’ll say this， if you love Led Zeppelin， but are fragile to sensitive topics， and don’t want their image ‘tarnished’。。。 or any bad or negative thoughts of them。。。I’d steer clear。 While there’s nothing in here that is on the level of murder or anything like that。。。 The band in the 70’s delves into the world of excess and depravity pretty heavily。 My opinions on John Bonham have changed。。。 I love the guy but it can not be mistake that he was a brute。 The Spitz keeps the tone of the book as straight as possible， but definitely tells it as it is。 They had problems。。。 and the band burned themselves out in ten years。 It was fascinating listening to how they went from show to show， feeding off of the vibe。 Interestingly the critical reception was always luke warm to negative。 Of course the audience and fans notwithstanding。 How they were received， is very interesting。 From their early days， being associated with music for ‘niggers’ to hard rock。 I guess the one complaint I have about the book is that it gets a tad repetitive with the constant concert， hotel bash， think about new album。。。concert。。。hotel bash 。。。etc。。。 that loop is very present towards the middle of the book but for good reason。。。。it’s how it happened。 Reading about the death of so many close to them was harrowing and the tragic final day of Bonham’s life。。。 Devastating。 Seeing how resolute and certain the band was that Led Zeppelin had to be disbanded was amazing。。。 Like a pact with a higher power， it was just over。 And seeing them languish afterwards。。。really hard to read at times。I loved the book。 It’s tough， it slaps you in the face with some really disgusting acts， it mortalizes these ‘gods’ of mine and makes them very much human， fallible and not perfect models。 They made so many mistakes and seemed to lose themselves in the often over the top life style。 If you’re Zeppelin fan who’s a realist。。。。 and doesn’t shy away from the depravity and just want the truth。。。look no further。， 。。。more
Doug
，
Initial thought: How difficult is it to get the years correct on the photo captions？ What else is inaccurate in the book？
Dr。 Joseph Borreggine
，
An excellent book on the greatest rock and roll band on the face of the planet。
Bobby Hattaway
，
A hard-hitting but ultimately dispiriting look at Led Zeppelin who appeared out of nowhere in the late 60's but eventually dwindled away。 With a sordid atmosphere of entitlement and thuggery， combined with excessive drug use and Jimmy Page's predilection for underage girls （14 and younger）， the story goes from the highs of their first album in 1969 to the sad denouement in 1980。 A hard-hitting but ultimately dispiriting look at Led Zeppelin who appeared out of nowhere in the late 60's but eventually dwindled away。 With a sordid atmosphere of entitlement and thuggery， combined with excessive drug use and Jimmy Page's predilection for underage girls （14 and younger）， the story goes from the highs of their first album in 1969 to the sad denouement in 1980。 。。。more
Devon Pierangeli
，
Best。 Rock。 Band。 Ever。This book tells it well and tells it right。 There were tons of tidbits that I never knew。 I will read this again。 🎸🎸🎸
Lesley Potts
，
I’m not even going to waste my time writing down the thoughts I had while （speed） reading this badly written， in need of an editor， tedious biography of Led Zeppelin。I encourage you not to waste your time trying to read it， but， rather read this Daily Mail article which covers everything in the book:https://www。dailymail。co。uk/femail/ar。。。It also includes photographs。 I’m not even going to waste my time writing down the thoughts I had while （speed） reading this badly written， in need of an editor， tedious biography of Led Zeppelin。I encourage you not to waste your time trying to read it， but， rather read this Daily Mail article which covers everything in the book:https://www。dailymail。co。uk/femail/ar。。。It also includes photographs。 。。。more
Melanie
，
Excellent biography。
Frank
，
I remember in 1970 going into a music store where the owner of the store was playing some of the new releases on eight-track tape。 He would pull out a tape， open the wrapper， and pop it into a tape deck。 I purchased three of the tapes that he previewed: Chicago II， On Time by Grand Funk Railroad， and Led Zeppelin II。 All three of these got a lot of play in my car's eight-track player but the Zeppelin tape was the one that outshined the others。 Prior to hearing this， I had not really heard anythi I remember in 1970 going into a music store where the owner of the store was playing some of the new releases on eight-track tape。 He would pull out a tape， open the wrapper， and pop it into a tape deck。 I purchased three of the tapes that he previewed: Chicago II， On Time by Grand Funk Railroad， and Led Zeppelin II。 All three of these got a lot of play in my car's eight-track player but the Zeppelin tape was the one that outshined the others。 Prior to hearing this， I had not really heard anything by the band but Whole Lotta Love ended up getting a lot of airplay on the local AM radio channels and I became a fan of Zeppelin， buying all of their albums up till Houses of the Holy。 After that， I kind of lost interest in them but have always liked their music and the band。When I heard about this new biography of the group， I immediately put it on the wait list at the library and was able to get one of the first copies ordered by them。 And I'm glad to have read this。。。it really is an in-depth telling of the Led Zeppelin story。 The prologue to the book tells of Zeppelin's U。S。 debut at The Tea Party in Boston and a young hitchhiker's travel to the show to see them。 The hitchhiker was lucky to get into a show and was thrilled at the music he had heard。。。turns out the young man was Steven Tyler who would later front Aerosmith。 The book then goes into the band's founding by Jimmy Page after his stint with the Yardbirds。 It tells of Page's interest in the blues and his guitar playing at an early age where he eventually makes it as a session player for many top acts of the 1960s along with John Paul Jones， Zeppelin's bassist and keyboardist。 Then there was the search for a vocalist resulting in finding Robert Plant as well as a drummer， John Bonham， who both hailed from the Midlands of England。 The book details the recording of each of Zeppelin's albums and describes the songs as well as how they evolved。 I found myself using Spotify to play most of the songs as they were described in the book which I thought really enhanced the experience of reading about them。 But the book also goes into great depth about the abuses of the band while touring which were mostly alcohol and drug related。 The band's manager， Peter Grant， was a large abusive person with a cocaine habit who would threaten anyone who got in his way。 Then there was John Bonham， the drummer， who was also a large man and always itching for a fight。 He was known for trashing hotel rooms and throwing TVs， furniture， and anything not tied down out of hotel windows。 And Jimmy Page's fall into drug abuse was very hard to read about going from cocaine to heroin。 Then there were the young underage groupies who flocked to the band。 Page was actually dating a 15-year old during the group's early years。 And some of the abuses heaped on these groupies were really unbelievable。 The antics of the group were very hard to understand。 They were making millions but acted like young hoodlums， tearing up hotel rooms and abusing young girls。 This behavior seemed prevalent among the rock personalities of the time including the Rolling Stones and others。The book moves along at a rather fast pace， even though it is over 600 pages of reading。 It details all the missteps of the band and the eventual death of Bonham from drug and alcohol abuse which put a Coda to the band's existence。 I really thought this was an excellent biography but it did make me less of a fan of the members of the band， especially Page and Bonham。 But overall I would still highly recommend this to any Zeppelin fan。 It's really a great bio of the band。 I also have a copy of Spitz's Beatles biography that has been sitting on the shelf for several years。 This has motivated me to hopefully read it soon。 。。。more
Chuck Segall
，
My favorite band。 The band that has provided the soundtrack to my life。 This was an eye-opening biography。 Some stuff I knew， or had heard about， but othet things were new （to me， anyways）。 I appreciated that their personal flaws were so starkly laid out， which boosted them in my eyes even more。 It was really neat to read the behind the scenes info on each album and the creative process that went into the songs。 I had read before that when Page was putting the band together， he tried hiring Rod My favorite band。 The band that has provided the soundtrack to my life。 This was an eye-opening biography。 Some stuff I knew， or had heard about， but othet things were new （to me， anyways）。 I appreciated that their personal flaws were so starkly laid out， which boosted them in my eyes even more。 It was really neat to read the behind the scenes info on each album and the creative process that went into the songs。 I had read before that when Page was putting the band together， he tried hiring Rod Stewart as the singer。 What I didn't know was that Page then turned to Steve Winwood， who （obviously） also said no。 Winwood is another of my favorite musicians， but I simply can't imagine him fronting Zeppelin。 Plant's voice was as much an instrument as Jones' bass， Page's guitar， or Bonzo's drums。 Winwood， IMO， would have brought a more mellow， bluesy， feel to the band。 。。。more
Brian
，
Interesting， especially with regard to the cult of blues in 1960s England。 But the tales of misogyny， debauchery and occultism， which I might have enjoyed at some point， were tiresome and excessive today。
Pat Ojanen
，
Exciting in the beginning， painful to read in the end。 The fact that 3 out of 4 are still alive is amazing。
Chris Mclaughlin
，
I was pretty disturbed by the misogynistic sexual content in the book。 Should I have expected that？ Yes。 But this brought my appreciation of the band to an all time low。 In a word。 Disgusting。 I also struggled with the main focus on the technical not the personal。 Details about record contracts and secondary characters were of little interest to me given the depth this author described。 Disappointing。
Paul Vogelzang
，
I love this band， and loved reading this excellent book about these true 'Rock Stars。' I love this band， and loved reading this excellent book about these true 'Rock Stars。' 。。。more
Kerry Ann Morgan
，
Interesting learning about the members' histories and musical progression into legends。 The rabid drug and drink fueled hedonistic misogynistic behaviors made me truly dislike them as people though。 I know they were "Golden Gods" of the 70s and anything went back in those days， but if you've heard a mad story about them， it likely has an element of truth to it。 Interesting learning about the members' histories and musical progression into legends。 The rabid drug and drink fueled hedonistic misogynistic behaviors made me truly dislike them as people though。 I know they were "Golden Gods" of the 70s and anything went back in those days， but if you've heard a mad story about them， it likely has an element of truth to it。 。。。more
Glen Guldbeck
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through one of classic rock's greatest bands ever。 I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through one of classic rock's greatest bands ever。 。。。more
Henry
，
Packaged as some sort of highbrow tome， but there is nothing new to see here and a LOT of inaccuracies。 The same old tired sources， many of whom seem to have an axe to grind。 The author pathetically explained in Spin magazine that it was ok to not interview the band members （who wisely declined to participate） since the author of a biography of a president who died in the 1800s didn't interview that president。 That's apples and oranges Bob Packaged as some sort of highbrow tome， but there is nothing new to see here and a LOT of inaccuracies。 The same old tired sources， many of whom seem to have an axe to grind。 The author pathetically explained in Spin magazine that it was ok to not interview the band members （who wisely declined to participate） since the author of a biography of a president who died in the 1800s didn't interview that president。 That's apples and oranges Bob 。。。more
Daniel Visé
，
This first appeared in the Washington Independent Review of Books。With Led Zeppelin， a revelatory new book by Bob Spitz， the legend becomes fact。 I almost wish he’d printed the legend。History has anointed Led Zeppelin as the greatest hard-rock band of the 1970s。 The quartet emerged from a crowded field with the era’s biggest sales， several of its finest LPs， and arguably its signature song， “Stairway to Heaven。”At its best， early on， Led Zeppelin gave mesmerizing concerts。 But the band’s records This first appeared in the Washington Independent Review of Books。With Led Zeppelin， a revelatory new book by Bob Spitz， the legend becomes fact。 I almost wish he’d printed the legend。History has anointed Led Zeppelin as the greatest hard-rock band of the 1970s。 The quartet emerged from a crowded field with the era’s biggest sales， several of its finest LPs， and arguably its signature song， “Stairway to Heaven。”At its best， early on， Led Zeppelin gave mesmerizing concerts。 But the band’s records are its legacy。 It’s not for everyone: To modern ears， singer Robert Plant’s lyrics sound frequently vulgar and occasionally misogynistic。 He and chord-smith Jimmy Page nicked entire songs from great Black blues artists。 Fifty years on， the entire Zeppelin oeuvre resonates with the distant echo of smoky adolescent bedrooms。Within this exhaustively researched account， Spitz unearths a trove of caustic reviews and bitter reflections to remind us how very often the world’s greatest live-rock band played dreadful gigs， and how thoroughly Led Zeppelin was reviled — by critics， adult music fans， and even fellow pop stars — for the better part of its life。When George Harrison first heard a test pressing of Led Zeppelin I， released in 1969， “It wasn’t just that he didn’t get it，” a friend recalled。 “He thought it was awful。” Rolling Stone， the bible of American rock ‘n’ roll， declared the album an “avalanche of drums and shouting。” The Los Angeles Times greeted an early show as “an exhibition of incredible self-indulgence。” The band grew to loathe the press。Here， I think， lay the problem: From the beginning， Led Zeppelin appealed primarily to teenage boys。 Juvenile delinquents， essentially， drove its album and concert sales。 And nothing repulsed slightly older fans and critics like a band that courted adolescents。 Rolling Stone heaped similar scorn on contemporary acts as far-flung as Jethro Tull and Black Sabbath for their pimply minions。 Yet， writes Spitz:“The music took audiences to a place they’d never been before， a place similar to the hysteria-induced level where， years earlier， the Beatles had transported hordes of thirteen-year-old girls。 Led Zeppelin’s audiences were different， older…somewhat。 Mostly boys between the ages of fifteen and twenty thronged the area in front of the stage， where Jimmy and Robert， aided by an army of Marshall stacks， whipped them into delirium。”Led Zeppelin aged along with its fans， and the ice gradually thawed。 But then punk hit， and critics pivoted from dismissing the Zep as sophomoric to interring the band as prog-metal dinosaurs。 Led Zeppelin couldn’t catch a break — except with record buyers and concert patrons， who made its members some of the wealthiest pop stars on the planet。The band disintegrated in 1980 following the untimely death of John Bonham， one of the great rock drummers， whose drinking had eclipsed his playing。 In the years that followed， Led Zeppelin’s reputation gradually rose。 I recall them， in my own 1980s adolescence， as one of the two great stoner-rock bands of the 1970s， alongside Pink Floyd。 Arthouses staged double features of “The Song Remains the Same，” the band’s cheesy cult-classic concert film， and Floyd’s dystopian acid trip， “The Wall。”Nowadays， Led Zeppelin seems to stand alone， its recordings ensconced as the crown jewels of hard rock。 The first two masterful LPs， thoughtfully titled I and II， show Led Zeppelin bursting forth and rocking harder than anyone else， and blessed with a leader， Page， who could write great songs adorned with brilliant guitar figures。 The third album revealed the full breadth of Page’s ambition: He sought to bridge heavy metal， progressive rock， and folk。Those impulses reached full flower on the untitled fourth album， which， across its first side， wrestles with King Crimson-sized time signatures on “Black Dog，” rocks harder than ever on the aptly named “Rock and Roll，” and unfurls a full-sail folk epic on “The Battle of Evermore” before concluding with that multi-sectioned masterpiece， “Stairway to Heaven。” Spitz told me IV might be his favorite Zeppelin album， and I won’t argue。The author smartly builds his narrative around Page， a wunderkind London session guitarist who reinvented himself as a blues-rock star in the legendary Yardbirds。 As that band lost steam， Page seized control， cleaned house， and reinvented the ensemble as an instrumental power trio， with fellow session whiz John Paul Jones on bass and keys and a pair of Midlands unknowns on drums and vocals。 Bonham drummed with unmatched fury and intuitive rhythm。 Plant sang with a potent， growling tenor that soared above the din。Across six splendid albums， Page revealed himself as a front-rank songwriter and a canny producer， particularly in the way he captured Bonham’s hammer-of-the-gods percussion with microphones strategically placed in drafty British manors。 Yet Page could not improvise like Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck， his fellow Yardbird alumni; to my ears， many of his solos never really get off the ground。 But his distinctive sound， bracing as a cold wind from Valhalla， captivated the rolling-papers crowd。 And his scripted notes — the dizzying call-and-response with Plant on “Black Dog，” the chromatic progression on “Kashmir，” the octaval assault of “Immigrant Song” — endure as epic， timeless riffs。Led Zeppelin is an excellent book。 Spitz tells his story masterfully。 He seems not to have scored fresh interviews with surviving band members， but he tapped dozens of friends， roadies， fellow musicians， and groupies and amassed a busload of archival clips。Still， many of his revelations sadden the soul。By the early 1970s， drugs， drink， and debauchery began to drag the Zeppelin down。 The typical concert started late， stalled on endless， indulgent solos， and drew justifiably scathing reviews。 Led Zeppelin frequently sucked。Offstage， Spitz unspools story after blood-curdling story of unimaginable， inexcusable excess。 At the height of their fame， these spoiled men-children dismantled hotel rooms and hurled furniture from windows from sheer boredom。 Their handlers meted out brutal beatings to anyone who looked at them funny。 The band and their entourage exploited an endless procession of underage girls， passing them around like party favors， tying them to drainpipes， humiliating them with human filth。 No one seemed to care。 Writes Spitz:“I set out to tell the full story of the band。 Their behavior on the road was no secret。 I was determined to portray it straightforwardly， without pulling any punches。 For me， it was important to let the actions of the musicians and their rationalization speak for themselves。 I also let the women who were caught up in the scene speak for themselves。 Look， it was often an ugly scene。 That’s part of the Led Zeppelin story。” Led Zeppelin is a compelling work， but one that may dim the Led Zeppelin legend。 Gauzy Rolling Stone retrospectives and nostalgia-hued books and films would have us remember the arena-rock era as a pot-scented Eden， an unending singalong on a boozy tour bus。 Bob Spitz gives us the facts， and they tell a darker story。Daniel de Visé is the author， most recently， of King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B。B。 King。 。。。more
Chris Roberts
，
This was one that I was very excited to read。 While I’m not a Zeppelin die-hard， I had a phase in my high school years where I “discovered” their fourth album， and then worked my way through others in their catalog （for me， that meant on to their second album， then to “Houses of the Holy” with a friend in college supplying access to the rest of their catalog）。I'm generally a slow reader， especially for biographies， but this one read very fast。 My favorite part of any band history is usually the This was one that I was very excited to read。 While I’m not a Zeppelin die-hard， I had a phase in my high school years where I “discovered” their fourth album， and then worked my way through others in their catalog （for me， that meant on to their second album， then to “Houses of the Holy” with a friend in college supplying access to the rest of their catalog）。I'm generally a slow reader， especially for biographies， but this one read very fast。 My favorite part of any band history is usually the section that deals with the band coming together and making their first album。 That's true here， with the primary focus on Jimmy Page and his time in the Yardbirds and as a session musician。 The other three band members don't get quite the same spotlight but by the time the New Yardvirds decide that Led Zeppelin is a better name you feel like you know who everyone is。The detail around the sessions for each album is fantastic and for me。 Spitz captures the feel of each。 I tend to listen to albums as I'm reading about them， and each is enhanced by what read in this book。 The energy of the first album， the step forward for the second， the oddity that is the third， the masterpiece that is the fourth， etc。 The detail of the tours is also fascinating， but also a bit unsettling。 I was well aware of the band's reputation but the detail provided did change my perception of some of these stories quite a bit （some， no doubt， because I have a pre-teenage daughter and some of the more unsavory stories involve the treatment of groupies that aren't much older）。 It's also interesting how much Zeppelin seems to have influenced two of my favorite movies （”This Is Spinal Tap” and “Almost Famous”）。Overall， a highly recommended and well-written account of the band’s history。 I suspect true diehards already know much of this， but there's an emphasis on first-hand accounts rather than some of the legends that are often associated with their history。 。。。more
Theresa
，
Loved listening to the album's on YouTube as I read the book。。。Led Zeppelin's 4th album （ my favourite） I learned came out in 1971。。。this week actually and year I was born 👍 Loved listening to the album's on YouTube as I read the book。。。Led Zeppelin's 4th album （ my favourite） I learned came out in 1971。。。this week actually and year I was born 👍 。。。more
Mauberley
，
This is a deeply researched story of a band like no other。 As Spitz correctly points out， the Beatles and the Stones were comprised of real ‘personalities’。 The four men in LZ were never close as friends and they don’t come off as particularly interesting individuals。 Off stage antics were Caliguan in scope and criminality。 They were also four of rock music’s best musicians so that when the thing worked， it worked better than almost anyone else in the game。 I was particularly taken by the first This is a deeply researched story of a band like no other。 As Spitz correctly points out， the Beatles and the Stones were comprised of real ‘personalities’。 The four men in LZ were never close as friends and they don’t come off as particularly interesting individuals。 Off stage antics were Caliguan in scope and criminality。 They were also four of rock music’s best musicians so that when the thing worked， it worked better than almost anyone else in the game。 I was particularly taken by the first hundred pages or so that told of young Jimmy’s developing a reputation as a ‘first call’ session musician。 Not only could he play and write， Page could also produce - he knew what a song should sound like。 This book won’t win converts to the band’s music but long-time fans such as this reader will be by turns astonished， repelled， and satisfied。 。。。more
Matthew
，
Absolute money corrupts and destroys musically brilliant baby-men and their thug entourage absolutely。 Just reading about the never-ending insanity nearly wore me out。 How many fucking pieces of furniture can you throw out of a hotel window before it gets exhausting？ Outside of that an entertaining and informative book。 Spitz tells enough about certain crimes that I can only assume there were statutes of limitations involved。
TJ
，
Spoiler: drugs ruin everything。
Ernie
，
Men behaving badly。 Love the music but bleh！ I was hoping for more insight but I'm not sure there's any to be found， so maybe the review is a little unfair。 Men behaving badly。 Love the music but bleh！ I was hoping for more insight but I'm not sure there's any to be found， so maybe the review is a little unfair。 。。。more
Cameron H
，
John Paul Jones always gets short shrift…
Suzan
，
4 disillusioned starsThis was similar to Hammer Of The Gods。 I say similar because it did reinforce writings from that book。 If you want to know what it was like while Zeppelin recorded their albums this is the book to read。 I was hoping to find out that RP wasn’t a dog on the road with “girlfriends” on every American tour I was sad to find out that it was true。 This author didn’t make the unfaithfulness of the married band members front and center of this book but it was there。 I loved the fact 4 disillusioned starsThis was similar to Hammer Of The Gods。 I say similar because it did reinforce writings from that book。 If you want to know what it was like while Zeppelin recorded their albums this is the book to read。 I was hoping to find out that RP wasn’t a dog on the road with “girlfriends” on every American tour I was sad to find out that it was true。 This author didn’t make the unfaithfulness of the married band members front and center of this book but it was there。 I loved the fact that these men put out great albums。 I didn’t like the fact that these men let the fame and the can’t do no wrong attitude rule them。 RP was supposed to have an epiphany after his accident that almost killed his wife but he still left her in hospital and took up with a woman in CA。 And The fact the next tour RP was with a groupie （road wife） while his son was dying seems the epiphany disappeared。 To me This was unforgivable。 I would like to read a book by this author in the wives of Rockstars words。******This review was denied by Amazon。 。。。more
Mary
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Led Zeppelin - The WOKE Biography
Cyndi
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Led Zeppelin is without a doubt one of the biggest rock bands of all time。 This is a comprehensive， in-depth look at all of the members of the group from start to finish。 It is well-written and very detailed， accounting for both the positives and negatives of each of the band members without glossing over any of the copious debauchery。 Some of the descriptions， including underaged rape， drug and alcohol abuse， and wanton destruction of property are very disturbing。 It is hard to believe that cer Led Zeppelin is without a doubt one of the biggest rock bands of all time。 This is a comprehensive， in-depth look at all of the members of the group from start to finish。 It is well-written and very detailed， accounting for both the positives and negatives of each of the band members without glossing over any of the copious debauchery。 Some of the descriptions， including underaged rape， drug and alcohol abuse， and wanton destruction of property are very disturbing。 It is hard to believe that certain members were able to produce such successful songs under these conditions。 I found the depictions of the interrelationships of each of the band members to be particularly interested。 Anyone who is a Led Zeppelin will enjoy this thoroughly。Many thanks to Netgalley， Edelweiss， Penguin Press and Bob Spitz for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Jg
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Led Zeppelin is timeless。 A favorite band of my husband and I in the late 60’s as well as today， and our children’s as well， so it was wonderful to finally read what happened behind the scenes。
Yannis
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