4/29/2023 0 Comments Led zeplin book![]() “No less than five sources close to the band told this author that Grant had admitted spiriting the Drake money away,” Spitz writes. Spitz clearly intends to put the matter to bed for good. Take the Drake Hotel robbery on July 29, 1973, for example, when Led Zeppelin was robbed of more than $200,000 in cash stored in the New York hotel’s safety deposit boxes. When relying on these new interviews, Spitz’s book is at its best, with the author digging into well-known stories and asking witnesses what really went on. I hung onto the back of his shirt so that he didn’t fall over into the stalls.” ![]() He was standing up on his seat cheering and leaning dangerously over the balcony rail. “Jim got so excited when Jerry Lee came on. “We had seats in the front row of the balcony,” she says in the book. “Jimmy lost,” Spitz explains, “fifty-five years later, Williams is still married to Anna.”Īnna herself recalls travelling with a teenage Page to see Jerry Lee Lewis perform at Fairfield Hall in Croydon, presumably on May 9, 1963. The other guy was responsible for getting the pianist into a taxi.” “So we drew straws to see who would take her home. “Jimmy and I both fancied Anna,” Williams recalls in the book. It’s here where the book shines thanks to Spitz’s interviews with Dave Williams, a childhood friend of Page who provides fascinating anecdotes about Page’s first forays into the musical world. The first 100 pages of the book chart Page’s life from his childhood through to becoming a budding musician and session professional. The book’s prologue describes the band’s legendary JanuBoston Tea Party show, explaining its significance and the impact it had on a young Steven Tyler in the audience.įrom there, Spitz goes on to discuss the history of blues music in England, examining its influence on generations of young musicians. It’s a readable volume that doesn’t get bogged down or sidetracked for too long in individual performances or recording sessions. Spitz’s book is a comprehensive, warts and all look at Led Zeppelin that runs to 688 pages. Fascinating details from people who knew Led Zeppelin The book’s chapter titles give an early indication of the scope of Spitz’s interest: “Just Boys Having Fun,” “Flying Too Close to the Sun,” “The Year of Living Dangerously,” and “Their Own Private Sodom and Gomorrah” are particularly telling examples.įans hoping for a book that examines Led Zeppelin’s on-stage musical development will be better served by reading Dave Lewis and Mike Tremaglio’s recently updated “Evenings With Led Zeppelin” book instead. Spitz spends a significant proportion of the book discussing Led Zeppelin’s off-stage antics, examining their increasing drug consumption, the violence that surrounded them, and allegations of relations with underage groupies. Reading “Led Zeppelin: The Biography,” one gets the distinct impression that Page is likely to also brand it “miserable” and consign it to the heap of existing unofficial biographies. Previous proposals for a Led Zeppelin film “were pretty miserable,” Page said in September, “to the point where they would want to be concentrating on anything but the music.” In recent years, he appears to have relaxed this position, publishing an official photographic history of the band for its fiftieth anniversary in 2018 and co-operating with an authorised documentary film set to be released next year. This, he seems to feel, should be enough to satisfy curious fans. If Page had his way, Led Zeppelin’s story would be told solely through the band’s music – whether studio albums or live recordings. Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones declined to speak with Spitz, meaning he relies on previous interviews, existing books, and associates with differing levels of reliability and axes to grind to tell the story of Led Zeppelin. In the grandly titled “Led Zeppelin: The Biography,” due to be released on November 9, Spitz charts a comprehensive course through Led Zeppelin’s career, relying on more than 50 interviews with associates of the band to build up a well-told story of their success.īut fans hoping for major revelations about Led Zeppelin, whether in the studio or on stage, are likely to be disappointed. The latest author to write a Led Zeppelin biography is Bob Spitz, a veteran American journalist best known for writing comprehensive and positively reviewed biographies of The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Ronald Reagan. Robert Plant sings on “Ramble On” that “mine’s a tale that can’t be told,” but over the years many authors have attempted to tell the story of Led Zeppelin, with varying levels of success.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |