Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Their Music, 1968-1980

by Keith Shadwick, Led Zeppelin (Artist)

(Book). Led Zeppelin may have disbanded in 1980, but their legacy lives on. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham always insisted that the music they made, onstage or in the studio, was the important thing. This meticulous book turns away from Zeppelin's well-chronicled antics on the road to explore what made them the biggest rock band of their day and an enduring influence on generations of musicians. With many rare and seldom-seen photographs, this is the definitive vindication of Led Zeppelin's place at the pinnacle of 20th century musical achievement.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Clinton Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read served its purpose, giving me a grounded understanding of who Led Zeppelin were. And for my easily distracted mind, a good ratio of words:pictures. From what I can make out, Led Zeppelin became great because of their ability to experiment, pioneer the way in "heavy metal" of their time and deliver loud, mind-blowing concerts for over a decade. Clearly they were all about Page and Plant but, as proven by Bonham's death in 1980, the band could only ever operate with all four and ceased to do so after that unfortunate accident

[Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keith Shadwick wrote the best book on Led Zeppelin that I
have read.

It is not without errors. For example - a photo caption puts Zeppelin in Oakland in June '77 instead of July. And Shadwick claims that Plant says "I know the *rain*" in Achilles Last Stand instead of "I know the *way*" - but these are pretty minor mistakes, especially when contrasted with some other material written about the band.

Shadwick's book is insightful and offers a great deal of eloquence as he talks about Zeppelin in the studio and on stage. He is definitely critical at more than a few points, but he is merely offering his opinions. I don't agree with him that D'yer M'ker was a 'misadventure' for the band - I rather enjoy the song. Shadwick puts DM in the same league as Hot Dog, while he has a curious affinity for Ozone Baby, which is a track I find almost without merit. He and I agree on Darlene though... we both like it.

I heartily recommend Keith Shadwick's book. Obviously the average fan is not going to agree with everything he has to say about the band - and some of his writing conflicts with other traditionally-held notions, or skips over them entirely - but it is intelligently written. There are some 'extracurricular' activities mentioned in the book, but that is definitely not the main focus of his work.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look on how Zep recorded and progressed from album to album. Some recording technique is mentioned, but it showed how one of the most popular bands recorded albums in between tours, and personal termoil. Not much ego in this book because these are four true musicians who deserved equal space on each and every album.

[Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since none of the band members have written autobiography, this is probably the most detailed book you can find about the history of their music through 1980. The only caveat has said it does rely on the other book “hammer the gods, whose veracity has been put into question. However, a lot of the quotes in the book are clearly lifted from other interviews and direct sources. I have a few questions about the way he describes the timing of Page and Plants Morocco trip, because it doesn’t match up with things that they have said in the past, for example, in an interview with Robert Plant, he reports that he and Jimmy went to Morocco directly after one of their tours, because they just didn’t want to go home yet and that they were inspired to write Kashmir after the Morocco trip. In the book, Shadwick says that the Morocco trip happened after they wrote Kashmir and that their wife and girlfriend went with them for the trip. The other thing that sort of weird is that Shadwick downplayed Jimmy pages substance-abuse problems, Other than mentioning it during the recording of their final studio album, he makes it seem like it was just speculation and conjecture, up to that point. but other than that, it seems pretty balanced. Also, since this book was written in 2005, it does not cover the O2 concert in 2007, and the book essentially ends with John Bonham‘s death, with no real afterword.

Also I don’t know why Shadwick hated DM so much! It’s not bad!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed. Set lists for all their tours, management info, family life..so much in one book.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good history of the band's recording and touring activity, without sensationalism (plenty of other books out there for that). Learned a few things and solidified my knowledge of the Zep timeline. Solid objective analysis of the songs and their construction; for the first time I understand why I don't really like In Through The Out Door. Definitely a worthwhile read, punctuated with good photographic representation.

[Rob Branigin · Rating 3 out of 5]

surprisingly dry. great photos, though.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive biography of the band. Covers just about everything of importance, along with some great photographs!

[Richard Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and comprehensive. A great excuse to listen to their back catalogue in sequence and appreciate the story behind the music.

[Duder · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like der fotoz

[Jennifer]

best book i've ever read on the band. great pictures!