There have been countless tomes on the mystery and music of Led Zeppelin.
Some of them--most of them--are little more than rehashed and regurgitated
stories and research that have already been well circulated. But a small
percentage of them are truly insightful, beautifully documented and
impeccably written volumes. This is absolutely one of them.
Power wrote a similarly powerful book on Jeff Beck
(Hot Wired Guitar: The
Life of Jeff Beck), and he now lends his estimable talents as a rock
journalist to uncovering and defining the legend of Led Zeppelin. He has dug
deep into the archives and done a staggering amount of research in piecing
together the life and times of Jimmy Page, Zep's creator, visionary and
songwriter.
He follows James Patrick Page from birth right through the recently released
deluxe editions of the band's albums (which Page personally assembled) in
painting a picture of who this gifted musician was and still is.
Even if you've read the other Zep books out there, you must read this one.
Power manages to bring us all the details and little wrinkles without boring
us with facts, figures and dates. It is an excellent biography and as
thorough, complete and compelling as any other tome out there on the same
subject.
It weighs in at nearly 700 pages, but you will be sucked in from the opening
paragraph.