Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga
- Downloads：5508
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-18 11:56:47
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Stephen Davis
- ISBN：0061473081
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The members of Led Zeppelin are major deities in the pantheon of rock gods。 The first and heaviest of the heavy metal monsters， they violently shook the foundations of rock music and took no prisoners on the road。 Their tours were legendary， their lives were exalted—and in an era well known for sex and drugs， the mighty Zeppelin set an unattainable standard of excess and mythos for any band that tried to follow them。 They were power， they were fantasy， they were black magic。 No band ever flew as high as Led Zeppelin or suffered so disastrous a fall。 And only some of them lived to tell the tale。
Hammer of the Gods is the New York Times bestselling epic saga of the hard reign of Page， Plant， Jones， and Bonham—a spellbinding， electrifying， no-holds-barred classic of rock 'n' roll history that has now been updated to include the continuing adventures of the band。
Hammer of the Gods is the New York Times bestselling epic saga of the hard reign of Page， Plant， Jones， and Bonham—a spellbinding， electrifying， no-holds-barred classic of rock 'n' roll history that has now been updated to include the continuing adventures of the band。
Reviews
Kayleigh
，
It was fine。 Not half has great as the blurb led me to believe。 It started off well by building up to the formation and early years， but then it just became a repetitive account of what the band got up to。 Left their families at home。 Recorded an album。 Toured the US。 Got into fights。 Hooked up with underage girls。 Drank， snorted， and injected whatever was available。 Trashed hotels。 Got sad about something。 Came home。 Did the whole thing again next year。 Some of the writing also seemed very bias It was fine。 Not half has great as the blurb led me to believe。 It started off well by building up to the formation and early years， but then it just became a repetitive account of what the band got up to。 Left their families at home。 Recorded an album。 Toured the US。 Got into fights。 Hooked up with underage girls。 Drank， snorted， and injected whatever was available。 Trashed hotels。 Got sad about something。 Came home。 Did the whole thing again next year。 Some of the writing also seemed very biased， like they were trying not to make something sound as bad as it was， like Bonham waking up drunk on a plane and grabbing a stewardess to have sex with before she started screaming because "it felt like a rape"。 It FELT LIKE ？？ No， no。。。 he was absolutely going to rape that woman。 There's no sugarcoating it。 Anything discussed that was interesting was also some of the most shocking aspects， specifically reading about Page's 14 year old girl friend （EWW） and Bonham's violent temper while drunk。 I knew the band weren't exactly saints， but WOW， I severely underestimated their abuse of power。 What was also interested was the constant reference to Page's interest with the occult and the speculation about how his "dabbling with the dark arts" caused so many set-backs and tragedies。 I felt like that could have been leaned into a bit more。 Altogether， it was just fine。 I didn't hate it because to be fair， I learned a lot， but I wasn't exactly blown away either。 。。。more
Todd Gelfeld
，
Page turning recollection of the formation of hard rock’s most influential and enduring band。 All of the dirt and debauchery is here。 However， I found the parts about the creative elements and musical experimentation most interesting。
Chiara
，
Ci sono due principali motivi per cui le mie aspettative erano alle stelle， e forse anche sopra: per prima cosa， i Led Zeppelin sono i Led Zeppelin， e ci sono poche cose， nel panorama sonoro， capaci di farmi andare fuori di testa come la loro musica; secondo， io dell'autore avevo già addentato la biografia di Jim Morrison， che ho adorato。La verità è che questa lettura mi ha spiazzata， perché se da un lato intrattiene， raggiungendo quello che immagino fosse lo scopo finale， dall'altro il testo è Ci sono due principali motivi per cui le mie aspettative erano alle stelle， e forse anche sopra: per prima cosa， i Led Zeppelin sono i Led Zeppelin， e ci sono poche cose， nel panorama sonoro， capaci di farmi andare fuori di testa come la loro musica; secondo， io dell'autore avevo già addentato la biografia di Jim Morrison， che ho adorato。La verità è che questa lettura mi ha spiazzata， perché se da un lato intrattiene， raggiungendo quello che immagino fosse lo scopo finale， dall'altro il testo è veramente raffazzonato。 Si parte bene con la giovinezza di Pagey， si prosegue in modo strano perché agli altri non viene dedicato lo stesso spazio。 O meglio， non compaiono proprio， fino al battesimo Zeppelin。 Ogni tanto， con un intervallo di circa trenta pagine， ci si ricorda con improvviso stupore che esisteva anche John Paul Jones。Si mescolano informazioni che vanno dal sensazionalismo e lo scandalo che da sempre accompagnano lo scenario rock， ad un elenco di tracce， date ed indirizzi。 I punti davvero approfonditi sono purtroppo pochi， spesso ci vengono date informazioni anticipate che verranno poi riprese， in modo assolutamente disomogeneo e discontinuo， alcune pagine dopo。Clamorosamente， il libro si apre con la leggenda della presunta vendita delle anime della band a Satana， cosa che poi non verrà mai approfondita。All'apice della mia perplessità， ho letto un po'di recensioni e ho trovato molto spesso il mantra "poorly written"， pensiero che in fin dei conti devo condividere。Nonostante la stonatura di tutto questo intermezzo， la lettura di questo manifesto firmato Stephen Davis offre un piacevole svago e accompagna il lettore appassionato di musica sulle tracce della leggenda。 。。。more
Chris Oleson
，
Regressing to junior high school in 1972 and reading about my favorite band is an acceptable amount of nostalgia。 However， if I start listening to Grand Funk Railroad again and seek podcasts to listen to boomers extoll the pipes of Mark Farner， you have permission to shoot me。Houses of the Holy remains my favorite Zepp record。Basically， a superficial look at the era and the band。 Very little evaluation or explanation or analysis of the music。
Norah Koch
，
I liked the beginning。 Reading about ugly goblin characters seemed fun。 The humour was okay。 But then， it turned into a textbook with a plethora of information that had me yawn。 It could have been an interesting book。
John Guitarson
，
This is odd to read all these years after Zep broke up。 Diffrent times， for sure。
Queen Of Warriors
，
I don't know how I finished this book。 This was a complete mixture of mythology and fiction or i should say a mess？ I'm sorry but really the book should have let readers get acquainted with characters and keep the storyline and plot less complex。 I don't know how I finished this book。 This was a complete mixture of mythology and fiction or i should say a mess？ I'm sorry but really the book should have let readers get acquainted with characters and keep the storyline and plot less complex。 。。。more
Joey Weiss
，
A misplaced sense of prioritization ultimately causes Stephen Davis's account of Led Zeppelin to suffer。 He spends nearly fifty pages detailing the comings and goings of Robert Plant， Jimmy Page， and （to a lesser extent） John Paul Jones after the band dissolved in 1980 following John Bonham's death。 With full respect to the band whom I consider to be in the conversation for best of all time， I don't care all that much about Page's third group in the 1990s or Plant's fourth studio album， or the i A misplaced sense of prioritization ultimately causes Stephen Davis's account of Led Zeppelin to suffer。 He spends nearly fifty pages detailing the comings and goings of Robert Plant， Jimmy Page， and （to a lesser extent） John Paul Jones after the band dissolved in 1980 following John Bonham's death。 With full respect to the band whom I consider to be in the conversation for best of all time， I don't care all that much about Page's third group in the 1990s or Plant's fourth studio album， or the interviews they gave about the other one。 I would have much rather learned more about their decision to break up the band （less than a paragraph）， or a deeper dive into their most prolific reunion show at the O2 Arena in 2007 （less than a page， shorter than the section about an interview Plant did with Larry King）。Additionally， the author walks an uneasy line between condemnation of the band and blind admiration。 He shares candid details about Page's deeply problematic relationship with a 14-year old girl he kept holed up in a room， Bonzo's drunken assaults， and countless other felonious acts but there's no reflection on those。 Davis writes almost amusingly of Page's （and perhaps the author's own） obsession with Satanism， or that time nutty old John Bonham got drunk and punched a woman in the face， knocking her to the floor， with no sense of updated modern-day values。This book also complicated my own feelings about the band。 I loved most of what I read because Led Zeppelin is a musical marvel， having written dozens of my favorite songs and containing my favorite musicians， but it certainly tarnishes their image for me。 If you're a fan of the band， definitely check this book out。 But if you're looking for an objective lens into their musicianship and pop cultural impact， this is not the book for you。 。。。more
Melanie
，
Good book on the best metal band ever。
Christine （KizzieReads）
，
While this is dated， it was still a good read about an iconic band。 Some of the stuff I knew about， as this is my husband's favorite book about his favorite band， but some stuff I had no idea about。 They lead an interesting life while they were making music。 Very interesting！ A good word for this time period is debauchery！ Pure debauchery！！ While this is dated， it was still a good read about an iconic band。 Some of the stuff I knew about， as this is my husband's favorite book about his favorite band， but some stuff I had no idea about。 They lead an interesting life while they were making music。 Very interesting！ A good word for this time period is debauchery！ Pure debauchery！！ 。。。more
Anthony Jones
，
This book is okay for basic facts about people places events and dates， but has very little insight into what makes Zep tick musically。 It would have been far more interesting if written by a musician。
Amy Stergar
，
The writing of the book had a rather disjointed style， but I recommend it anyways to anyone who actually likes Led Zeppelin and their music。 I’m not sure why anyone who didn’t like them has read this and subsequently reviewed the book。。。 As a fan however， the book was extremely interesting。 I loved hearing about how & why each song was created， who influenced the band & who did they rip off music from， why the band performed the way they did， etc。 The stories about how they travelled， drank， dis The writing of the book had a rather disjointed style， but I recommend it anyways to anyone who actually likes Led Zeppelin and their music。 I’m not sure why anyone who didn’t like them has read this and subsequently reviewed the book。。。 As a fan however， the book was extremely interesting。 I loved hearing about how & why each song was created， who influenced the band & who did they rip off music from， why the band performed the way they did， etc。 The stories about how they travelled， drank， dis drugs， sex， etc were entertaining at times but the major draw was definitely the music talk。 Many times during the book I had to stop and play a certain song just to see exactly what they were talking about。 For example， the use of the theramin in Whole Lotta Love， the use of the bow on the guitar in Dazed & Confused， and the mirroring of Robert’s voice with Jimmy’s guitar in many cases。 Fascinating and has made me love my favorites even more。 。。。more
Christine Skowera smith
，
I love Led Zeppelin， so it’s not surprising that I loved this book！ I learned a lot of things about them that I hadn’t known as a band and as solo artists。
Sarah Newton
，
Read the 2008 updated version， with the 14th chapter bringing everything up to date to that year。 A good read， although focussing very much on the daily touring and performing experience of the band， so a bit one-sided。 Personally I wanted more info about the music and its development， process， etc， and perhaps a bit more context。 But if you want a salacious-feeling， pretty gritty description of Zep's career （and post-Zep too， in lesser detail）， then definitely worth a look。 It's an easy read， t Read the 2008 updated version， with the 14th chapter bringing everything up to date to that year。 A good read， although focussing very much on the daily touring and performing experience of the band， so a bit one-sided。 Personally I wanted more info about the music and its development， process， etc， and perhaps a bit more context。 But if you want a salacious-feeling， pretty gritty description of Zep's career （and post-Zep too， in lesser detail）， then definitely worth a look。 It's an easy read， too。 。。。more
MikeFromQueens
，
OK。 So partying was going on。 I was not invited， so it's not that great reading about other people's parties。 It was ok， but I wish there were more insights。 OK。 So partying was going on。 I was not invited， so it's not that great reading about other people's parties。 It was ok， but I wish there were more insights。 。。。more
Kim
，
This is a must for any Zep fan。 Gives a good behind the scenes look at the band。 Does a good job of how the band formed as well as its demise。 I recommend this book。
Rick Rapp
，
Stephen Davis' biography of Led Zeppelin is among the best biographies I have read。 Its literacy flows easily and Davis' impressive vocabulary is evident throughout。 Davis tells the painful and disturbing yet mesmerizing story of the rise and fall of a powerhouse of the rock era。 Sprinkled with shocking and amusing stories， one must shake his head at the self-destructive and childish behavior regularly displayed by an amazing quartet of musician/trend-setters。 Led Zeppelin was the poster child f Stephen Davis' biography of Led Zeppelin is among the best biographies I have read。 Its literacy flows easily and Davis' impressive vocabulary is evident throughout。 Davis tells the painful and disturbing yet mesmerizing story of the rise and fall of a powerhouse of the rock era。 Sprinkled with shocking and amusing stories， one must shake his head at the self-destructive and childish behavior regularly displayed by an amazing quartet of musician/trend-setters。 Led Zeppelin was the poster child for the excess characterized by the rock age of the 60s-80s which left many of its key players dead （including the impressive drummer John Bonham。） The book traces the formation and ascent of this group of sensitive and financially strapped young men and their transformation into mega-stars plagued with self-doubt and loneliness。 Davis also includes many primary source interviews with key players as they discuss the rumors of Led Zeppelin's Faustian deal which was attributed as the cause of much of their pain and loss。 Davis is as unflinching in his praise for their talent as he is in his stark portrayal of their flaws and drug-fueled rampages。 For any fan of rock and especially any fan of Led Zeppelin， this is a must read。 。。。more
Jaidev Shah
，
Overall a decent book。 But too many names and it almost feels like the author wants to cover as much in as few pages are possible。 I would like to know what other than bacchanalia and drinking and drugs held Led Zeppelin together。 Maybe the author did not have access to such information。 Overall a good book if you one wants to know about Led Zeppelin。
Joyce Peterson
，
LZ are so revered today， and so many classical musicians have covered Kashmir etc。， it was really a surprise to read how the critics panned them in their day。 Fun to read about the bad behavior but Mötley Crüe really outdid them （read The Dirt）。 The writing is generally good but could have benefited from excising about 20 percent of the adjectives。
cara
，
generally a good overview of zeppelin’s history， but the writing is atrocious， offensive and impossible to see past。myriad slurs are used to describe fans， colleagues and friends of the band。 the tone is that of a younger brother wishing he could join in on horrific acts like the infamous shark episode。 the mind boggles at how this edition was okayed by editors in 2008。
Alex
，
Carnage。
Juan Carlos Moreno
，
I don't think this book was all that well-written。 I gave it five stars because the members of Led Zeppelin led lives worthy of five stars， which the book does well in capturing。 I don't think this book was all that well-written。 I gave it five stars because the members of Led Zeppelin led lives worthy of five stars， which the book does well in capturing。 。。。more
Rob Peters
，
Raw and visceral biography of the greatest rock band of all time。 Doesn’t hold back in portraying all four members of Led Zeppelin with honesty， humour and a touch of shamelessness。 Obviously unauthorised but the benefit being a juicier read。
Colin McCausland
，
the shark incident
Matt Wheeler
，
Fun read。 I have been a Led Zeppelin fan since childhood， but I’m not sure I’ve ever fully listened to - or appreciated - the albums after “Houses of the Holy。” Is was great to take that journey and really hear the growth from beginning to end and onward to the solo years。 Incredible。
Kevin Kolenda
，
All Led Zeppelin 。 。 All the time 。 。 。all good
Celeste
，
I could have read this over 20 years ago and didn’t because they were my gods。 I avoided the reality because I knew there was a lot that was not good。 All that being said it’s an engaging read that does the timeline well。It was interesting to read about how they really knew they were done when it was done， and losing John Bonham sealed it。Also， despite the bad behavior I still believe that the formation of the band was nothing short of destiny and magic because of the gift they gave to the world I could have read this over 20 years ago and didn’t because they were my gods。 I avoided the reality because I knew there was a lot that was not good。 All that being said it’s an engaging read that does the timeline well。It was interesting to read about how they really knew they were done when it was done， and losing John Bonham sealed it。Also， despite the bad behavior I still believe that the formation of the band was nothing short of destiny and magic because of the gift they gave to the world。 。。。more
Kevin Borth
，
Zeppelin Rules
Sheryl
，
Pure trash， but tasty。
Alex Worrell
，