Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7076 in Books
• Published on: 2009-11-10
• Released on: 2009-11-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 512 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780312590000
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
'So this is the big one: a fat, juicy biography of the biggest band ever...Mick Wall, the veteran rock journalist, lays it all bare in a book that can only be described as definitive.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'As well as being the most complete account yet of a great British rock band, When Giants Walked the Earth is, as its name implies, a document of a bygone age...Wall has done his subject proud.' SUNDAY TIMES 'It deftly strikes the balance between lofty authority and finding a way to get inside the heads of its subjects' GUARDIAN 'This fantastic account of Led Zeppelin's wild and decadent heyday is as detailed and definitive as music biographies get.' LONDON LITE 'The definitive account of rock legends Led Zeppelin' DAILY RECORD 'A fascinating and diligently reseached account of rock'n'roll excess.' YORKSHIRE EVENING POST 'The definitive book about Led Zeppelin... Mick Wall has done a fine job here and certainly knows his stuff.' BIRMINGHAM POST 'That Wall can add so much fresh details to the Led Zep story is in itself an extraordinary achievements. That he manages to humanise these planet-striding giants while doing so puts this book into the "definitive" category.' CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE 'We've read about the booze, drugs, devil worship and deviant sex... Mick Wall delves a loot deeper into the dark stuff' IRISH TIMES

About the Author

Customer Reviews

by far the best
"When Giants Walked The Earth" is without question the best-researched and "insiders" biography of Led Zeppelin.

Author Nick Wall traces the band's history chronologically, with the use of italic second person (author talking to the band member within the text) narrative text to flesh out historical and personal information. This device is interesting at first, but does become tiresome.

Unlike "Hammer of the Gods" and Richard Cole's book, author Nick Wall does not glamorize the (at times) gross excess of the band's offstage behavior. He also doesn't sweep it under the table. Instead, he places it in the proper context: hugely successful bands in the late 60s and early 70s, including the Beatles, Stones, and The Who, indulged in horrendous excess, but it doesn't erase the amazing music they made.

Wall has spent considerable time interviewing Jimmy Page, and he addresses Page's interest in Crowley and "the occult" in an objective way. Page studied and had an interest in these matters, but was not sacrificing children or virgins and was far less "evil" in his exploits than the drunken, depraved antics and brutality that John Bohnam and Richard Cole particpated in when homesick or bored. Wall now depicts Page as a straight, lucid, exceedingly talented, and gentle man who would like to have the grand body of work he masterminded in the 1970s stay alive.

Wall depicts Plant in a simlarly objective manner. Bonham and Plant were not the industry insider London muscians that Page and Jones were. However, their talents were undeniable, and one is impressed with how quickly all four of these musicians were making true magic together. Plant rises in esteem and fame throughout the story, while Bonham sadly has a much harder time dealing with being away from his family and maintaining a sane existence. Wall presents Bonham as an immensely talented individual who could shift from loving family man to sick maniac in a matter of a few (copious) drinks.

The book essentially ends with Bonham's death, although Wall briefly addresses the Plant/Page tours and Jone's solo/production work.

He addresses the December 2007 reunion, one of the few areas where I'd have to disagree with his assessement. Wall attended, noted the yuppie conveniences of the 08 arena in London and star power of the crowd, and dismisses the experience as something he liked but wouldn't probably go to again if he had a chance. He describes Jimmy Page as an older man playing at a younger man's game, and lauds Robert Plant for his new life/career playing bluegrass/folk/country with Alison Krauss. Wall seems to feel this is a much better place for Plant than playing with his former bandmates.

I beg to differ. Page sounds much better than he did during the 1977 Zeppelin tour, and other lower points in their journey. I've seen videos of Plant/Krauss and the entire 2007 02 Reunion. In my opinion, Plant sounds/looks/acts in his element with the 2007Led Zeppelin, and seems pretty weak to me in his Alison Krauss co-star role.

That aside, don't miss this book. Simply the finest Zeppelin biography to date, and impossible to top unless Page, Plant, or Jones choose to pick up the pen.

A Deeper Analysis
This biography provides by far the deepest analysis I have read of Led Zeppelin's astonishing, synergistic creativity. The journey into Page's occult studies; Robert Plant's escape from middle class mediocrity; John Bonham's raging working class anger and John Paul Jones' genteel drifting through a landscape of session musicians: the narration of these things lifts the shroud of mystery just a little and reveals just how and why this explosive combination of musicians worked so well. As a Zeppelin fan of some forty years, I recommend this book.

Dont waste your time.
I must start by saying I am and ,have always been a devoted fan of Zeppelin since I was 13;Now at 42 I have pretty much read ,watch interviews of Zeppelin in print or audio and,video. The book re-hashes most information in other books written.This is not new information on Led Zeppelin and the flashback parts of the book at first are kinda' cleaver and interesting,the flashbacks do get old and sometimes silly.

Then an entire chapter is devoted soley to Aleister Crowley was not just boring but,not relevant to the book as a whole.

The writing was well done,however you almost felt when you were reading this he was lifting sentences sometimes word for word from other books.

Agian I love and respect Led Zeppelin just as much as the most devoted Led head but,if you've read "Hammer of the Gods" you pretty much get the idea. I do agree with Mick Wall on one thing,Robert has moved on but Jimmy,God love him .....Jimmy just can't seem to move on. Don't worry Jimmy Led Zeppelin will be played for years to come.Great timeless music always lives on.
The pictures are okay the details about the terrible 77' tour was good otherwise I unfortunately found the book to be repeating stuff most Zeppelins know.
Hope this helps any potential purchasers of the book.