One of the better biographies
Jimmy Page — the Definitive Biography By Chris Salewicz, Harper Collins, $36.99
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The constant “will they, won’t they” question that hangs in the air whenever the subject of Led Zeppelin is raised, is, for me, irrelevant. My view is that we should focus on what we have and what we have had from this phenomenally successful rock band. Led Zeppelin set the bar from what followed, and Jimmy Page was at the forefront of their success, in his role as producer and as guitarist.
2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s formation in which they morphed from the name the New Yardbirds which toured Scandinavia, returning to creating their debut album, and the rest as they say, is history. In the years since they have now sold over 300 million records, lost a founding member in John Bonham in 1980, and have fleetingly performed live over the years, usually with Bonham’s son Jason on drums.
There have been countless books published about Led Zeppelin and in particular Jimmy Page. Chris Salewicz has nailed one of the better ones in JimmyPage,
although, like his fellow writers no one has ever been able to create a Led Zep book with the collaboration of the three remaining band members. That looks like changing later in 2018 when Led Zeppelin themselves launch a 50th anniversary publication. Meantime, you will have to make do with this very well researched and intelligently written Jimmy Page biography. —