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Gerald "Jezz" Woodroffe was Robert Plant's keyboard player from 1982 until late 1985. He was featured in three Robert Plant solo albums, Pictures at Eleven, The Principle of Moments and Shaken 'n' Stirred. He toured with Robert Plant, Robbie Blunt, Paul Martinez and others from June 1983 until September 1985 and co-wrote some of the more memorable Robert Plant solo tracks, such as Burning Down One Side, Stranger Here... Than Over There and Big Log.
Since then, Woodroffe had team up with vocalist/guitarist Sally Hope and has put out five albums, Squaw Peak, Purusha Cover Me (1997), Manna From Heaven (1998), Medicine (2002) and Pearl (2007) and a new album Retrospective is set to be released later in 2010.
In 2004, Woodroffe released an album of Led Zeppelin covers, with double bassist Iona Mackintosh and drummer Ivor Roland, entitled In Through The Swing Door: Swing Cover Versions Of Led Zeppelin Classics. The idea was not originally Woodroffe's, but of former Robert Plant guitarist, Robbie Blunt, who mentioned it in a phone call conversation. Since I've Been Loving You was the first track that was reconstructed.
There was enough interest in this album to have Woodroffe revisit it in July 2010, have it remastered and add a new track -- Big Log, from 1983's The Principle of Moments.
This album rocks, er swings! From start to finish it does not fail to captivate my attention. It conjures up thoughts of West Coast jazz clubs in the 1950s and 1960s, with dimly lit, smoky small rooms, with Cal Tjader, Dave Brubeck, Joe Marello and Stan Getz playing until the sun came up. Woodroffe stays true to the original tunes, while still taking alternative improvisational journeys into the sonic unknown.
Most every musical genre has been applied by various artists to the music of Led Zeppelin over the years, some with good success and others that might be summed up with the Led Zeppelin track What Is And What Should Never Be (an excellent track itself... Volume 2, Jezz?) however In Through The Swing Door: Swing Cover Versions Of Led Zeppelin Classics has got to be one of the finest-sounding versions available today.
In Through The Swing Door: Swing Cover Versions Of Led Zeppelin Classics Track Listing:
1. Moby Dick - 1:30
2. Kashmir - 5:39
3. The Rain Song - 5:36
4. No Quarter - 4:56
5. Dazed And Confused - 5:03
6. That's The Way - 3:54
7. Four Sticks - 4:51
8. Since I've Been Loving You - 6:04
9. Stairway To Heaven - 6:46
10. Big Log - 7:04
In Through The Swing Door: Swing Cover Versions Of Led Zeppelin Classics is available at http://www.sallyhope.col.uk/shop.php Jeff Strawman, August 2010
Book Review
Chris Welch is a British rock journalist that has interviewed everyone from Tina Turner, Roger Waters (from Pink Floyd), Van Morrison, Mick Jagger and Phil Collins, just to name a few. He joined the staff of Melody Maker in October 1964 and the first band that he interviewed was The Yardbirds with Eric Clapton.
On October 18, 1968, Chris Welch attended a concert at London's Marquee Club on Wardour Street. Support band was a local band named Sleepy and the night was headlined by The Yardbirds, whom only a week later changed their name to Led Zeppelin. He claimed that there was only 150 people there that night at the Marquee and wrote in an interview of the night that "this band will go far". Too right.
Welch had seen Led Zeppelin in concert on many more occasions while reporting for Melody Maker, including at the Carnegie Hall in 1969, the entire German Tour in Spring 1970, Earls Court in 1975 and the occasional solo Plant or Page gig.
In addition to interviews, Welch is quite the author of rock noteables, including Jimi Hendrix, Cream, David Bowie, John Bonham and Peter Grant, as well as writing liner notes for many albums.
Treasures Of Led Zeppelin is set to hit U.S. book stores on October 5, 2010, although it has already been released in the United Kingdom on May 13. It is Welch's 6th book with the subject related to Led Zeppelin and the first book in 12 years directly about Zeppelin. Treasures focuses on the memorabilia related to Led Zeppelin, including replications of ticket stubs, posters, flyers and other items. Rounding out this 64-page behemouth, is a chronologized biography, including years before and after Led Zeppelin up until July 2009. A gathering of the usual photos helps visually guide the reader along the way in the history of Led Zeppelin.
To the reader who is just an occasional fan of Led Zeppelin, this book is perfect. It contains a little bit of everything visually to stimulate your senses and educate you on Led Zeppelin. To the more avid fanatic, however, it is evident that there is a bit some of the dates and facts are incorrect. Some of the pieces of memorabilia are affixed to the pages in the box with something that resembles scotch tape and some of the guides to identify what pieces of memorabilia are have been placed a bit illogically. With that said, I was a little disappointed at the end of reading this book. For someone with the credentials and experience that Chris Welch has, I wish that this book could have been a little bit better.
In any event, Treasures Of Led Zeppelin absolutely does not fail to gain the attention with it's colorful use of the memorabilia and photographs. It does present some facts that are only known to the well seasoned Led Zeppelin and it can definitely be used as a resource point.
Jeff Strawman, August 2010
Book Review
"Hey, man, how are you? Do you have a minute? Do you want to come on the road with Led Zeppelin? You do? That's great! Can you get a magazine assignment? You think you can? Terrific. I only need a letter from your editor. Let me know. I'll save you a seat on the Starship. Gotta go. God bless you - good-bye." Led Zeppelin's publicist Danny Goldberg had called up journalist Stephen Davis to cover the upcoming 1975 American tour of Led Zeppelin to "change the image" of Led Zeppelin in America from the wild barbarians that the media made them to be.
Davis had recorded his notes into three notebooks which eventually got filed away into a box. When he went to recall information from the notes from his 1985 book "Hammer Of The Gods", the notebooks had gone missing, having been misplaced in moving. He ended up using the transcript for his original article. Ten years later Aerosmith guitarist enlisted Davis to write his speech inducting Led Zeppelin into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and, once again, his search for his LZ-'75 notebooks came up short, although the final speech from Perry and from Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler was nothing short of brilliant. Davis finally found the notebooks in 2005, along with some cassette tape interview recordings and some other items from the tour. This book is the journey that journalist Stephen Davis had taken on tour with Led Zeppelin from January to March 1975.
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After a warmup meeting with Goldberg at Zeppelin's New York City, Davis joined up with Zeppelin on the first Chicago date on the 1975 tour. He was set to write an article, not for Creem or Rolling Stone, but for The Atlantic Review, a monthly political magazine.
The tour was already doomed with Jimmy Page spraining his left ring finger in a train door before leaving England and Robert Plant catching influenza upon arrival to the United States. The band had a few warmups in a London Theatre and a few warmup gigs in front of the public, but were extremely rusty in the month of January. The band were messing up songs that should have been easy to perform. Combining the disappointment of that with the fast paced life of going from concerts to limousines to the Starship and on to the next concert made for low band morale and having each of the band members to slowly separate from each other into their own worlds offstage.
Slowly, throughout the month of February, Robert's voice improved and Jimmy's hand was healing and Led Zeppelin's performance level was coming back. Offstage, Led Zeppelin hadn't skipped a beat. John Bonham was overindulging in alcohol as a way to self medicate his pain from being homesick from his family in England, although his attempted to call home every day before he passed out went to bed. Since he was drinking as much as he was, Bonham both earned the new nickname "The Beast" who would act out violently against anyone who would even breathe incorrectly in his direction (journalists, roadies, groupies) and also would have gastrointestinal issues that would force the convoy of limousines to have to stop multiple times on the way to the airport for Bonham.
In early March 1975, Stephen Davis had called his photographer friend Peter Simon had come up to Los Angeles to photograph Robert Plant while Davis interviewed him. Mid-interview, Plant walked out onto the balcony, stretched out his arms to the world and proclaimed "I AM A GOLDEN GOD!"
After that, Led Zeppelin flew up the west coast and performed shows in Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. By the time that Led Zeppelin had reached their last few gigs at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California, they were a well-oiled machine. Record executives, the fans and the groupies were all there, driving them to a higher level. Led Zeppelin had finished their tour on the top.
Davis had said goodbye and went home to transcribe his notes into an article for The Atlantic Review. The article was rejected by the editors, calling Led Zeppelin screaming monkies. Davis didn't care because he still got paid. He had secured a seat on the Starship and got to experience the best band in the world on their best tour ever.
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I _love_ this book. It isn't told with any particular angle or promotion. It's told from the first-hand perspective who was there to witness from the beginning to the end of the 1975 US Tour. If you enjoyed the stories that were told in Hammer Of The Gods then LZ-'75 will be a delicious slice of pie with a scoop of ice cream on top for you. The 224 pages of stories contained within this book certainly make you a fly on the wall for every second. Go out and get this book!
Book Review
Everyone knows that Peter Grant was Led Zeppelin's manager, that he was often called the fifth member of the band and that Olympic Studios was the location that tracks from Led Zeppelin, , Houses Of The Holy and Physical Graffiti were recorded at. Do you know the connection between Led Zeppelin and Glynis Johns is? How about Rushcock Parish Church? What is the significance of the University of Surrey for Led Zeppelin and who is George Hardie?
Answers to these questions and many more can be found in Celebration Day: The Led Zeppelin Encyclopedia, an unofficial publication written by rock journalists Malcolm Dome and Jerry Ewing, available in bookstores on June 23, 2010. While other types of books on Led Zeppelin have saturated the market, this is the first real encyclopedia-style book spanning the entire time of Led Zeppelin and the members solo careers.
Reading through this book, I was constantly amazed at the information contained within, becoming as wide-eyed as I was when I dropped Led Zeppelin II onto the turntable at my buddy's house for the first time in high school.
This book holds a very important permanent place in my library, one that cannot be replaced. It is both an excellent read and an excellent all-around reference manual for the band Led Zeppelin and everything related.
CD Review
When I was asked to review a new CD entitled Modern Meditations - Rock goes Zen : The Rock Classics, I was hesitant. I have heard most every interpretation of a Led Zeppelin song, from Jazz-based to classical to death metal and everything in between. I give every one of them credit for originality as they all had certainly opened my eyes. Some of the interpretations were outstanding and others were... well, just lacking.
With that said, I jumped at the chance to get a copy of Modern Meditations - Rock goes Zen : The Rock Classics. This CD was performed and produced by multi-instumentalist and 2000 graduate of the Berklee School of Music, Dan Mylette. The first track fades in very slowly, with some rich chords from the Hammond organ, then adds layers of strings and finally some echoed guitar. All of the different textures of instruments compliment each other very well.
The effectiveness of music labelled as being meditative is no joke either. I listened to this on two different occasions while driving the car and both times I had to cut my trips short due to wanting to fall asleep, being so relaxed. These interpretations of rock classics are not hard on the ears at all. In fact, they are extremely soothing. I wonder, however, that other people may do what I did, which was trying to listen too hard to the melody of each song instead of the letting the tracks have it's desired effect. A minor inconvenience, I'm sure.
Included are interpretations from songs by Bob Dylan (Knockin' On Heaven's Door), The Beatles (Across The Universe), David Bowie (Changes), The Rolling Stones (You Can't Always Get What You Want), John Lennon (Imagine), Van Morrison (Into The Mystic), U2 (I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For), The Police (Message in a Bottle), Pink Floyd (Wish You Were Here), Bob Marley (One Love), Led Zeppelin (Stairway To Heaven) and a Modern Meditations' original track entitled Infinity.
This has to be one of the most exciting and entertaining collections of music I have ever seen. I think that most people would enjoy this CD in their collection.
WIN YOUR FREE COPY TODAY! Go to Achilles Last Stand's Twitter Page at twitter.com/ledzeppelinorg and follow the tweets. Send a tweet stating "@modmeditations i want the cd #ledzeppelinorg". Two entries will be picked from random on January 31, 2009. Limit one entry per Twitter account. Previous winners may not enter. Winner will be contacted via Twitter. Good luck!
Book Review
Everyone needs to give Charles R. Cross an A+ for originality. What would possibly give a new Led Zeppelin biography an original edge in the oversaturated world these days? Why, of course, reproduced Led Zeppelin memorabilia. All joking aside, in this world of 50 million biographies about Led Zeppelin, authors strive to achieve an edge, to emerge in front of the rest. All of the stories that can be told have been told and all of the pictures have been posted. What's new? What can give the average reader the experience of living in the time of the 1960s and 1970s when Led Zeppelin was still in existance? Reproduced Led Zeppelin memorabilia.
The stories and facts contained with the 104 pages of the hardcovered book Led Zeppelin: Shadow Taller Than Our Souls" are top-notch. It contains 90 full-color and black-and-white images, including some never-before-published and rare photos. This book is an excellent resource for knowledge on Led Zeppelin. Every time I pick it up, intending on viewing a couple pages, I end up flipping through the entire book.
This book definitely has a permanent place on my coffee table, with it's colorful covers and colorful inside. A+, Mr. Cross. A+!!!
WIN YOUR FREE COPY TODAY! Go to Achilles Last Stand's Twitter Page at twitter.com/ledzeppelinorg and follow the tweets. Send a direct message stating "I WANT SHADOWS TALLER THAN OUR SOULS!". Two entries will be picked from random on January 31, 2010. Limit one entry per Twitter account. Previous winners may not enter. Winner will be contacted via Twitter. Good luck!
Book Review
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that is true, then this book is worth at least 200 thousand words. Led Zeppelin: Good Times, Bad Times: A Visual Biography of the Ultimate Band by Jerry Prochnicky and Ralph Hulett is an amazing and eye-opening look at Led Zeppelin from their first performance in Denmark on September 7, 1968 through their reunion concert at the O2 Arena in London, England on December 10, 2007.
Over 60 photographers have contributed their photos and stories to give a full look and perspective into an amazing history. From photos at the Rose Palace in Pasadena, California and the Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts in May 1969 and February 1972 photos of Jimmy Page bending the D string during Heartbreaker at the Sydney Showground to Robert Plant in the San Diego Sports Arena on June 19, 1977 with clenched fist and the band performing their last song at the last concert before John Bonham died, you truly get everything in-between.
In addition to photos of live performances, you also get candid and private photos of the band members at home with their families, like John Paul Jones playing mandolin outside on the steps of his country estate in Hertfordshire, England for his wife Maureen and two of his daughters, Tamara and Jacinda, in August 1970 and Robert Plant, curled up in a wicker chair with his daughter Carmen.
Also captured are early shots of the band in the studio, working on tracks for upcoming albums as well as backstage shots before and after live concerts.
This hard covered, 216-page book is a perfect visual companion to Prochincky and Hulett's 2005 book Whole Lotta Led: Our Flight With Led Zeppelin. Whether this book ends up on your coffee table or in your bookcase library of Led Zeppelin-related books, it should be a required addition.
Jeff Strawman
October 2, 2009
WIN YOUR FREE COPY TODAY! Go to Achilles Last Stand's Twitter Page at twitter.com/ledzeppelinorg and follow the tweets. Send a direct message stating "I WANT MY GTBT!". One entry will be picked from random on October 31, 2009. Limit one entry per Twitter account. Winner will be contacted via Twitter. Good luck!
Book Review
When my husband, Jeff (owner of led-zeppelin.org), asked me to read and write a review on a Led Zeppelin book Black Dogs by Jason Buhrmester, I admit I was skeptical - I am NOT a Led Zeppelin fan.
However, all that being said, I picked up Black Dogs and I began reading. Honestly, this was on book I couldnot put down - I even walked around the house while reading.
Mr. Buhrmester has a way of writing that makes this story of the theft of Led Zeppelin's money almost believable.
Throughout the story of a bunch of bumbling idiots, and how they may have pulled off this "heist" was quite entertaining and very hilarious at time. More often than not, I had to shake my head at the imporbability of the "heist" happening as Mr. Buhrmester writes, but in actuality, a lot of "heists" happen in the way he proposes.
All in all, the Black Dogs book was an extremely interesting read and I would most likely be reading it again. I highly recommend all Led Zeppelin fans read it, as well as those that like the true crime books, and even for the general fiction reader. You definitely won't be disappointed! I wasn't! --Michelle Strawman, July 11, 2009
Book Review "Page was really, really fast on the guitar. What a player - and loud! Plant's vocals were almost out of control and had a desparate quality to them that i hadn't heard in any other singer, quite like that. Bonham and Jones looked and sounded like they knew what they were doing. Like I said before, we didn't know who Jones, Bonham and Plant were. My friends were stunned at how Zeppelin played too. We were all impressed at how good they were. And they were only an opening act." -Bob Stall on Led Zeppelin's Dec. 29. 1968 Portland, Oregon Performance.
Sonic Boom: The Impact Of Led Zeppelin, Volume 1 Break & Enter by Frank Reddon is the first part in a series on Led Zeppelin as told by people that were there, seeing them live and concert and from the outside perspective of those that were alive and aware of the changing times of rock music.
From Don Fitzpatrick, who promoted Led Zeppelin at the JFK Pavilion, Gonzaga University at Spokane, Washington, who got swung at by Jimmy Page for introuducing the band incorrectly to the late, great DJ/VJ J.J. Jackson who attended Zeppelin's January 1969 Boston Tea Party shows to Andy Simpson, a San Francisco blues guitarist who discusses the 1960s music scene in San Francisco, I really got a total and complete sense of Led Zeppelin in their infancy.
This 736-page behemoth boasts 53 separate interviewees as well as a section of learning resources, which contains suggested books, articles, websites, officially released CDs and DVDs.
Volume 2: You Shook U.S. and Volume 3: The Tape Kept A-Rollin' are future volumes in this series set to be released later in 2009 and I personally cannot wait to read them as quickly and with such enthusiasm as I did this 1st edition.
Book Review The Making of Led Zeppelin's (2008 Edition) by Robert Godwin is a thoroughly exhausting discovery into every aspect of Led Zeppelin's fourth untitled album.
This softbound book starts off right away, diving into some of the band's most mysterious aspects, the four symbols. From John Bonham's symbol that looks like the Ballantine Beer logo, to John Paul Jones' man-woman-child-themed logo, to Robert Plant's Ra symbol to the eternally unknown Zoso, everything gets explained, with historical documentation.
Godwin also displays different album covers and singles covers from different countries, as well a history of the recording of the album, with interview snippets from the people that were there, a history of Headley Grange, the old house in which most of the album was recorded in as well as a description of how the epic "Stairway To Heaven" was created.
Around the time that the fourth album was released, Led Zeppelin had finished their Return To The Clubs tour, another US tour, a trip to Japan and were about to start a tour through England. A chapter on these tours that featured songs from the fourth album is chronologed.
Finally, a listing, a description and a bit of history is told about each track in the album.
This book should have a rightful place in every Led Zeppelin fanatic's bookcase. It contains 112 pages of pure facts, no bloat.
Book Review
First impression: The book is beautiful, beginning with the cover. The layout and art direction are superb. The focus changes frequently, which keeps it interesting.
The book is generally organized in chronological order, except when it makes more sense not to.
There are images of Led Zeppelin from all phases of the band's history, including several items from Jimmy's days with the Yardbirds.
The book includes concert photos, promo photos, photos of Les Pauls and the doubleneck, photos of memorabilia, including concert tickets, posters, and various LP and CD releases from around the world.
Comments about Zep from band members, and from many other musicians are sprinkled throughout the book. The range of people who are admirers of LZ is truly amazing; from Steve Earle to Ray Davies to so many other artists.
The author includes interesting commentary about various aspects of Zep's career. He recounts concerts he attended.
Each album is looked at again, by other contributors. I haven't read all the re-reviews, but the review for LZ 1 was great. It really captures how it seemed when it was released, and also covers its long-lasting impact.
There are complete lists of each tour. I did not check each dates against the other sources that are available, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone at FBO eventually does. The dates I did notice, particularly for the better-known shows, were accurate.
Whenever photos or posters are pictured, the complete image is almost always used, as opposed to the collage-style, which often blocks out something you would like to see. Photos include information on the exact date the photo was taken.
Many of the photos are familiar, and much of the memorabilia and posters are well-known, too, but there are also many items pictured that I had not seen before.
Even if you have some of this information somewhere else, it is great to have it all in one place.
When I first heard about this book, my initial thought was, do I really need another Zep book? I really like the Shadwick and Cross-Flannagan books, so why this?
Now that I have spent some time with 'Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin,' I would like to commend the author for his work. It is a very well-done book, and all but the most casual Zep fan (is there such a thing?) would probably love it.
Thanks to pfiskio
CD Review
Second Season: Progressive and Classic Rock as Jazz, a new CD released on October 1, 2008 by Wave Mechanics Union, interprets the works of classic rock and progressive bands Yes, Rush, The Who, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, The Police and Led Zeppelin, to name a few, and gives them the ultimate jazz makeover.
Assembled from almost 30 musicians from Indianapolis, Nashville and Los Angeles, this project is absolutely top notch. When I closed my eyes, I swear I could hear the smooth and silky stylings of Ella Fitzgerald with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Vocalist Lydia McAdams exemplifies the very essence of jazz singing and the arrangements of Ryan Fraley and Ralph Johnson left me speechless in how they transformed guitar, bass, keyboards and drums into a full jazz orchestra.
I played this CD recently at a cocktail party and turned the volume up just enough so that other guests could just barely hear the vocals. I stood back in the corner to watch the reaction and was amazed. Between the people mouthing the words, to the giggles, to the heads turning to the toetapping, everyone in the room could not believe what they heard. Aside from the popularity of the original tracks, these new arrangements easily caught the attention of the party guests.
Track Listing:
1. Won't Get Fooled Again
2. Killer Queen 3. The Rain Song
4. The Great Gig in the Sky
5. Available Light
6. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
7. Eleanor Rigby
8. Why Should I Cry For You?
9. Elephant Talk
10. Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
11. Heart of the Sunrise
CD Review
Gnarrrrly! Now you rockers that are heading down the aisle can stay true to your roots and make your chick stay happy. The Rock 'n' Roll Wedding Collection offers 15 tracks of everything from rock classics to new rock favorites.
I found while listening to this CD that these string quartet versions are very interesting recreations of the original, even letting instruments play as the lead vocals.
For those about to rock, say I do!
Track Listing:
1. Stairway to Heaven (String Quartet Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
2. All You Need Is Love (String Quartet Tribute to the Beatles)
3. You Shook Me All Night Long (String Quartet Tribute to AC/DC)
4. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (String Quartet Tribute to Aerosmith)
5. All I Want Is You (String Quartet Tribute to U2)
6. Wild Horses (String Quartet Tribute to Rolling Stones)
7. I Was Made for Loving You (String Quartet Tribute to Kiss)
8. Sweet Child O' Mine (String Quartet Tribute to Guns N’ Roses)
9. Livin' on a Prayer (String Quartet Tribute to Bon Jovi)
10. Wonderful Tonight (String Quartet Tribute to Eric Clapton)
11. Daughters (String Quartet Tribute to John Mayer)
12. Heroes (String Quartet Tribute to David Bowie)
13. God Only Knows (String Quartet Tribute to the Beach Boys)
14. Landslide (String Quartet Tribute to Fleetwood Mac)
15. Have I Told You (String Quartet Tribute to Van Morrison)
DVD Review
Ever since the 1976 theatrical release, Led Zeppelin fans noticed that The Song Remains The Same wasn't right. Jimmy Page's fingers weren't moving together with the sound, John Paul Jones wore three different outfits, abrupt tempo and musical changes (ie: bad splicing) and what's up with those fantasy scenes?
Well, JPJ still has the same clothes and Jimmy Page still climbs to the top of the mountain only to find himself, however Jimmy Page and producer Kevin Shirley have made a valiant attempt to match the audio up with the visuals. Due to legal restrictions, the video couldn't be altered visually. On top of that, the audio has been remastered and remixed in Dolby 5.1 aural goodness.
Something new, which wasn't included in 1997's direct-to-DVD release, is the addition of a second disc of extras. The extras include 2 never-before-released performances of Celebration Day and Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop and The Ocean (which were included in 2003's DVD), TV Footage about the 1973 Tampa concert, Led Zeppelin robbed during the MSG concerts, Robert Plant's BBC Interview, the original movie trailer and a Radio Profile Spotlight by Cameron Crowe from 1976.
All in all, this release is greatly desired and appreciated. Hopefully, it is the first of many more things to come from Jimmy Page and company.
Book Review
Entering the middle years of the 1970s, Jimmy Page had a good case to be leading the world’s biggest rock group, in a day when such a title was hotly contested and carried a serious cultural cachet. Without ever becoming a household name or a multimedia fixture, Led Zeppelin was an indisputable success within the music industry and among the teeming youth market.
Author George Case has penned the first biography of Led Zeppelin’s guitarist Jimmy Page. Although unauthorized, Case has included countless intimate stories about Page and the rest of Led Zeppelin, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones and drummer/percussionist John Bonham.
Jimmy Page: Magus, Musician, Man is an EXCELLENT book that I am sure is the result on thousands of hours of research and piecing together many articles and interviews.
Starting with Page's birth in January 1944 in Heston, George Case paints a very detailed portrait of every facet of Jimmy Page's life, from his days as a session man to being a Yardbird to the twelve years in Led Zeppelin to being a solo artist up through Page's OBE ceremony.
Along with Mick Bonham's John Bonham and Chris Welch's Peter Grant: The Man Who Led Zeppelin, I recommend George Case's Jimmy Page: Magus, Musician, Man as the only autobiography you will need on Jimmy Page. Now, if only Robert Plant and John Paul Jones would follow suit.
Music Review
Close the door, put out the lights….. and turn on the nightlight. Tonight your baby will fall asleep to the sounds of Lullaby Renditions of Led Zeppelin from the Rockabye Baby! series, now available from Baby Rock Records. 11 of the most popular tracks by Led Zeppelin have been transformed into melodious lullabies by performer and arranger Michael Armstrong. Instead of distorted Gibson guitar licks and Fender Jazz bass grooves, glockenspiel, vibraphone, mellotron and other instruments complete these songs.
Just as a test, I let this CD play for my two-week old daughter. Within minutes she and her mother were both asleep in their respective beds. I, personally, find this CD to be very relaxing in the car and at work, yet it still makes me toe-tap to the beat.
As the liner notes say, “Hasn’t it been a long time since your baby rock and rolled?”
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, Houses Of The Holy and Physical Graffiti were recorded at. Do you know the connection between Led Zeppelin and Glynis Johns is? How about Rushcock Parish Church? What is the significance of the University of Surrey for Led Zeppelin and who is George Hardie?)
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by Jerry Prochnicky and Ralph Hulett is an amazing and eye-opening look at Led Zeppelin from their first performance in Denmark on September 7, 1968 through their reunion concert at the O2 Arena in London, England on December 10, 2007.
. Whether this book ends up on your coffee table or in your bookcase library of Led Zeppelin-related books, it should be a required addition.)
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(2008 Edition) by Robert Godwin is a thoroughly exhausting discovery into every aspect of Led Zeppelin's fourth untitled album.)
