Led Zeppelin: Shadows Taller Than Our Souls

by Charles R. Cross

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Zeppelin’s first album release, Led Zeppelin offers generations of fans a critical, retrospective re-evaluation of the band’s mystery-enshrouded saga, as told by New York Times bestselling biographer Charles R. Cross. Cross, the author of Heavier Than The Biography of Kurt Cobain , analyzes each of Zeppelin’s nine albums, arguing that the Gods of Rock sold millions because of the intricate musical depth that they brought to so many genres—not just the thudding, metal aspect of their sound.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

104 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

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Charles R. Cross

This is Charles R. Cross, a rock music journalist and author based in Seattle. He is the founder of Backstreets magazine, a periodical for fans of Bruce Springsteen, editor of "Springsteen: the Man and His Music," a compilation of Backstreets articles, and is also author of a biography of Kurt Cobain, titled Heavier Than Heaven. His most recent release is entitled Room Full Of Mirrors - A Biography Of Jimi Hendrix.

In 2004, while conducting research for the Hendrix book, Cross rediscovered the gravesite of Jimi Hendrix's mother, Lucille Jeter Hendrix, in an abandoned section of Greenwood Memorial Park, where Jimi Hendrix himself is buried in an elaborate granite memorial. The gravesite of Lucille Hendrix was lost because the standard welfare marker of her day, an inscribed brick, became buried in decades of mud from the area's notorious heavy rains. Cross delivered a moving eulogy for Lucille when a proper headstone was dedicated at the site.

Courtney Love, the widow of Kurt Cobain, has acquired the rights to Heavier Than Heaven, which is now being made into a film by Universal Pictures. This is the first film to be made from Cross' work.

Reviews

[Christopher Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

With its title lifted from the band's 1972 classic "Stairway to Heaven," "Shadows Taller Than Our Souls" is much more than just "another" Led Zeppelin bio. Rather than simply regurgitating the same old "Mud Shark" stories that fans (should) have long since grown weary of, veteran rock critic and best-selling author Charles R. Cross chooses to focus on Led Zeppelin's groundbreaking and timeless music. From their early, wide-eyed, "Zeppelin I" sessions in 1968 to their final disconnected recordings in 1978, Cross allows the reader to become a fly on the wall and experience the entire creative process behind each of the band's legendary LPs -- from Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's initial writing sessions, to primitive portable tape recorder demos, to the grandiose final mix.

So much has been written on Led Zeppelin since its inception in 1968 that creating a book that's both unique and compelling, forty years on seems like quite a tall order. However, with "Shadows Taller Than Our Souls," Cross seems to have accomplished that very objective.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book because it concentrated on the artistry of the music, and not the cliches, gossip & scandals. Also because I love LZ & always will! It includes great extras: copies of promotional items, posters, and especially rare photos. If you are a Zep fan, this is a must-have!

[Derrick McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I gifted this to my dad after I was done with it.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice pop-outs!

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book mostly because my youngest daughter bought it for me for Father's Day. She picked it out because she knows I love Zeppelin.