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Led Zeppelin: All the Albums, All the Songs, Expanded Edition
Just in time for their 50th anniversary, Led Zeppelin breaks down one of the world’s most prolific bands—track by track, album by album—in this expanded edition, revised to include rarities, outtakes, and B-sides from their storied catalogâ??.
Formed by the unlikely alliance of two ace London studio musicians and two bar-band bumpkins from the north, Led Zeppelin went on to create the template for the modern marauding rock ’n’ roll band. Though Zeppelin is often described as “heavy,” any true fan will tell you that the band’s catalog is actually a complex amalgam of blues, psychedelia, rock, folk, and country that reflect the specific influences carried by each of Led Zeppelin’s four members.
Veteran music journalist Martin Popoff picks apart each of these 81 studio tracks, as well as a slew of non-album tracks in exquisite detail, and, for the first time ever, he analyzes the circumstances that led to their creation, the recording processes, the historical contexts, and more.
Celebrate Led Zeppelin's 50th anniversary with this veneration of the band's extensive catalog of rock music.
Formed by the unlikely alliance of two ace London studio musicians and two bar-band bumpkins from the north, Led Zeppelin went on to create the template for the modern marauding rock ’n’ roll band. Though Zeppelin is often described as “heavy,” any true fan will tell you that the band’s catalog is actually a complex amalgam of blues, psychedelia, rock, folk, and country that reflect the specific influences carried by each of Led Zeppelin’s four members.
Veteran music journalist Martin Popoff picks apart each of these 81 studio tracks, as well as a slew of non-album tracks in exquisite detail, and, for the first time ever, he analyzes the circumstances that led to their creation, the recording processes, the historical contexts, and more.
Celebrate Led Zeppelin's 50th anniversary with this veneration of the band's extensive catalog of rock music.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published August 21, 2018
73 people are currently reading
484 people want to read
About the author
Martin Popoff
224 books248 followersAt approximately 7900 (with over 7000 appearing in his books), Martin has unofficially written more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. He was Editor-In-Chief of the now retired Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Canada’s foremost metal publication for 14 years, and has also contributed to Revolver, Guitar World, Goldmine, Record Collector, bravewords.com, lollipop.com and hardradio.com, with many record label band bios and liner notes to his credit as well. Additionally, Martin has been a regular contractor to Banger Films, having worked for two years as researcher on the award-winning documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, on the writing and research team for the 11-episode Metal Evolution and on the ten-episode Rock Icons, both for VH1 Classic. Additionally, Martin is the writer of the original metal genre chart used in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and throughout the Metal Evolution episodes. Martin currently resides in Toronto and can be reached through martinp@inforamp.net or www.martinpopoff.com.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 1, 2018
There never been a band like Led Zeppelin. No one else compares when you really want genuine authentic rock. If you haven't familiarized yourself with every song, every riff, every lyric, it's not too late. Popoff breaks down every song album by album. And, for those of you who are Spotify babies, we used to buy these vinyl discs called albums and each one presented a unique chapter in a band's legend. It was important the order the songs were presented in and which was on Side A and Side B. Popoff focuses on the musicality and the album production techniques. He really doesn't focus on analyzing the lyrics or the fans groupies hotel antics etc. That stuff can easily been found in other books. There are lots of brilliant color photos. It would I think be quite effective to play each album as you read the book to really feel what is being talked about.
December 13, 2021
First off, this is a beautiful and well put together book... and for that alone I'll give it three stars. As for the content, there wasn't a lot here that interested me. Popoff gives us a musicians view of the Zeppelin discography, and often delves into instruments and recording technique...and as I'm not a musician, it wasn't very interesting to me. I prefer stories about the recording process as opposed to details around the recording process. A decent read but one that fell a short of the entertainment that I usually get from Popoff's books.
January 14, 2019
Led Zepplin with its chequered group past are the forerunner of modern rock music. Using progressive means to record they have come out with some of the most iconic albums this side of Pink Floyd with each album being a master class how to put together the perfect album.
These books detail each album with rare interviews and photographs to give a love letter to all fans Zepplin. This is a Zepplin fans dream and one that ticks all the boxes for fans and non fans alike.
These books detail each album with rare interviews and photographs to give a love letter to all fans Zepplin. This is a Zepplin fans dream and one that ticks all the boxes for fans and non fans alike.
July 20, 2023
I can never get enough of learning details about all of the songs from one of the greatest rock bands of all time! Multi talented and professional in their own right, loved seeing photos and learning what work went behind making every band member do what they do with perfection.
Bonus for me was listening to each song as I read about them.
Bonus for me was listening to each song as I read about them.
July 3, 2023
Awesome book to read while listening to the eternally great music of Led Zeppelin. As a fan of the band, so much of their individual songs was unknown. Makes me appreciate the collective genius of rock's most influential bands. Nice photos to boot!
December 26, 2020
Great reference book to have in the collection
June 8, 2025
Very Thorough and engaging. Popoff is a rock n' roll genius.
January 19, 2019
Kind of unsure what to say about this book. A lot of my reaction is based on my feelings about the albums themselves, not so much on Popoff's writing, although I do find Popoff in full-on apologist mode in this one, where everything is great, that even when Zeppelin rips off some old blue artist, they were using it more as a jumping off point or an homage then simply stealing. You can really see this when he basically prefaces his Houses of the Holy review with talk of "most people criticize this album, but ..." But it's not really fair to criticize him for this as he makes it very clear in the introduction how enamoured he is of the band, so you know that you're in for a book of praise.
This book represents a different approach from Popoff's usual one. Most of his works when he takes the album by album, song by song format he discusses the mostly using quotes from the participants, but in this retrospective, he talks about how they were recorded - which instruments used, how the participants played, etc - and his impressions of each track. There are very few quotes used. Having read a lot of his books, it took me a bit to get used to this, and not being a musician, a lot of the technical music stuff was wasted on me.
I did, as I said, find myself reacting more to his impressions as opposed to my own, as one would when having an argument with someone. So when he praises Houses of the Holy, and says that most criticism revolves around "The Crunge" and "D'Yer Mak'Er", I thought, no, it's "Dancing Days" and "The Rain Song" that I always really hated from this album. He loves those songs. Popoff feels that Physical Graffitti is possibly the best album ever made whereas it's always been one of my least favourite of their catalogue. To be fair, I can't count the number of people I've met over the years that have argued that it's their best, whereas I always felt it had a couple of good songs - "Kashmir", or course, and "Houses of the Holy", but was largely as big swampy morass of sameness the rest of the way. But this is nothing to do with the book, but with my feelings about the catalogue compared to his.
I guess the biggest takeaways from this book for me were that Robert Plant wasn't much of a lyricist, and that John Paul Jones, particularly, but John Bonham as well, may not have gotten the writing credits that they should have. The other artists that the band borrowed from are already well-documented. Plant's lyrics seem to have been often cribbed from old blues songs, or are very cryptic, which some might read as having hidden depths, but I read as being a nicer word for nonsensical. If you don't understand a lyric, it sounds better if it's cryptic than if is just doesn't make any sense.
My feelings about the lack of the writing credits derive from Popoff's descriptions. He talks about what Jones and Bonham both add to a song, and one wonders where authorship ends. If what Jones has added to the song makes a success of it, shouldn't he get a credit? I read Joe Perry's autobiography not long ago, and he mentions a songwriter getting credit on Aerosmith's "Rag Doll" for basically changing the title from Ragtime to Rag Doll. I think song credits are a fascinating topic in themselves.
The other thing about reading books like this is you revisit the catalogue and remember how great it is, or in some cases, like this one for me, that you like the band less than you thought. I think I basically liked albums 2-4, and then the rest of the discography is a little spotty for me. Less of a Zeppelin fan than I thought.
An interesting read if you're a fan.
This book represents a different approach from Popoff's usual one. Most of his works when he takes the album by album, song by song format he discusses the mostly using quotes from the participants, but in this retrospective, he talks about how they were recorded - which instruments used, how the participants played, etc - and his impressions of each track. There are very few quotes used. Having read a lot of his books, it took me a bit to get used to this, and not being a musician, a lot of the technical music stuff was wasted on me.
I did, as I said, find myself reacting more to his impressions as opposed to my own, as one would when having an argument with someone. So when he praises Houses of the Holy, and says that most criticism revolves around "The Crunge" and "D'Yer Mak'Er", I thought, no, it's "Dancing Days" and "The Rain Song" that I always really hated from this album. He loves those songs. Popoff feels that Physical Graffitti is possibly the best album ever made whereas it's always been one of my least favourite of their catalogue. To be fair, I can't count the number of people I've met over the years that have argued that it's their best, whereas I always felt it had a couple of good songs - "Kashmir", or course, and "Houses of the Holy", but was largely as big swampy morass of sameness the rest of the way. But this is nothing to do with the book, but with my feelings about the catalogue compared to his.
I guess the biggest takeaways from this book for me were that Robert Plant wasn't much of a lyricist, and that John Paul Jones, particularly, but John Bonham as well, may not have gotten the writing credits that they should have. The other artists that the band borrowed from are already well-documented. Plant's lyrics seem to have been often cribbed from old blues songs, or are very cryptic, which some might read as having hidden depths, but I read as being a nicer word for nonsensical. If you don't understand a lyric, it sounds better if it's cryptic than if is just doesn't make any sense.
My feelings about the lack of the writing credits derive from Popoff's descriptions. He talks about what Jones and Bonham both add to a song, and one wonders where authorship ends. If what Jones has added to the song makes a success of it, shouldn't he get a credit? I read Joe Perry's autobiography not long ago, and he mentions a songwriter getting credit on Aerosmith's "Rag Doll" for basically changing the title from Ragtime to Rag Doll. I think song credits are a fascinating topic in themselves.
The other thing about reading books like this is you revisit the catalogue and remember how great it is, or in some cases, like this one for me, that you like the band less than you thought. I think I basically liked albums 2-4, and then the rest of the discography is a little spotty for me. Less of a Zeppelin fan than I thought.
An interesting read if you're a fan.
January 20, 2019
This is a beast of a book, touching almost 300 pages. It is an expansion on his original 2017 book, and adds in an additional 16 songs that didn’t previously feature on the nine studio LP’s.
Read More Book Reviews on my blog It's Good To Read
Summary:
The author sets out to give, track-by-track, his thoughts on all the songs on all the albums, along with the additional 16. This is not a novel approach, having been already done at least twice before, yet is a deeply personal view on the songs and, more generally, the band, written by a huge fan.
This is not an exercise in mere breathless adoration, however. The author doesn’t paint everything the band did as utter genius, and has issues with some of the tracks e.g. the lyrics on The Song Remains The Same seem “kind of an afterthought”.
Each song chapter is replete with information, for example giving each of the authors and track times, to out-of-court settlements (on “Dazed and Confused”) and in-court failures (“Black Mountain Side”), sales figures (three million in three months for Led Zeppelin II), as well as in-depth discussions around how the arrangements came to be, the various credited and supposed sources/inspirations, and descriptions of the types and makes of instruments used.
Truly, this is a book for the dedicated Led lover. There is an AWFUL lot of information to get through, excellently researched data, covering almost every aspect of every song. The average punter may find themselves just heading for the songs they like most, but the hard-core will love the superb attention to detail.
The book is also lavishly illustrated with carefully curated photographs, of the various band members and some questionable fashion choices!
What I Liked:
- It was well-structured, and is a useful reference if listening to the songs/albums.
- The research is extremely well done and thorough, and you really have a strong sense of each song, and the technical aspects and issues behind them.
- The pictures are well-chosen, and really help lift the narratives.
What I Didn’t Like:
- The author does let his own biases cloud his judgement, especially around the influence of “the blues”, which he seems to think dated. (The Blues explosion in the UK in the 60’s owes its life to the US G.I.’s stationed there importing the American blues of the thirties to fifties), and in turn the rock & roll of the US owes its life to the successful exporting of Blues by said British bands (Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Animals, Yardbirds, Clapton, etc. etc).
- The prose can be a little difficult to follow/swallow at times, and shows up the author for the fan he is (describing the rest of us as “mere mortals”, for example).
Overall:
It is a good read and reference source, and should be read at least once when listening to the albums. It gives a clear summary of the band’s career, and the impact they had and still have on contemporary popular music. While for me it goes into too much detail, the more devoted fan will love it. It largely stays away from the more lurid and well-documented stories about the band, focusing just on the music.
It is written by a fan for the fans, and would be a great gift to the Led Zeppelin fan (curious – anyone know of a specific name for the fans?? Zepheads? Ledheads? Zeppies? Answers on a postcard please…) in your family!
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to the author and to NetGalley, for giving me a free .pdf of the book in return for an honest and objective review.
Read More Book Reviews on my blog It's Good To Read
Summary:
The author sets out to give, track-by-track, his thoughts on all the songs on all the albums, along with the additional 16. This is not a novel approach, having been already done at least twice before, yet is a deeply personal view on the songs and, more generally, the band, written by a huge fan.
This is not an exercise in mere breathless adoration, however. The author doesn’t paint everything the band did as utter genius, and has issues with some of the tracks e.g. the lyrics on The Song Remains The Same seem “kind of an afterthought”.
Each song chapter is replete with information, for example giving each of the authors and track times, to out-of-court settlements (on “Dazed and Confused”) and in-court failures (“Black Mountain Side”), sales figures (three million in three months for Led Zeppelin II), as well as in-depth discussions around how the arrangements came to be, the various credited and supposed sources/inspirations, and descriptions of the types and makes of instruments used.
Truly, this is a book for the dedicated Led lover. There is an AWFUL lot of information to get through, excellently researched data, covering almost every aspect of every song. The average punter may find themselves just heading for the songs they like most, but the hard-core will love the superb attention to detail.
The book is also lavishly illustrated with carefully curated photographs, of the various band members and some questionable fashion choices!
What I Liked:
- It was well-structured, and is a useful reference if listening to the songs/albums.
- The research is extremely well done and thorough, and you really have a strong sense of each song, and the technical aspects and issues behind them.
- The pictures are well-chosen, and really help lift the narratives.
What I Didn’t Like:
- The author does let his own biases cloud his judgement, especially around the influence of “the blues”, which he seems to think dated. (The Blues explosion in the UK in the 60’s owes its life to the US G.I.’s stationed there importing the American blues of the thirties to fifties), and in turn the rock & roll of the US owes its life to the successful exporting of Blues by said British bands (Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Animals, Yardbirds, Clapton, etc. etc).
- The prose can be a little difficult to follow/swallow at times, and shows up the author for the fan he is (describing the rest of us as “mere mortals”, for example).
Overall:
It is a good read and reference source, and should be read at least once when listening to the albums. It gives a clear summary of the band’s career, and the impact they had and still have on contemporary popular music. While for me it goes into too much detail, the more devoted fan will love it. It largely stays away from the more lurid and well-documented stories about the band, focusing just on the music.
It is written by a fan for the fans, and would be a great gift to the Led Zeppelin fan (curious – anyone know of a specific name for the fans?? Zepheads? Ledheads? Zeppies? Answers on a postcard please…) in your family!
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to the author and to NetGalley, for giving me a free .pdf of the book in return for an honest and objective review.
March 6, 2019
Let me first say that I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin. They were just one of many rock bands that a young kid aged 10 getting a little older thought was different. Well, one of. So, for now, I will review this book from the perspective of that young guy going into his teens. I enjoyed the book for the part of the backstories of the different albums. How the author takes you through each album and each song from each one. I have found over the years that people you are fans each have different favorite songs and most are not the ones that are played over and over on the radio. The photos in the book add to the book along with some of the artwork from concerts. Some of the photos I have seen maybe other people have, but I thought that was a good touch. You also get you worked behind the scenes of the album and how and why they did certain things that way. The author does mention car accidents and death of Robert Plant’s son in 1977 and how “All my Love” was a tribute to him. Being seventeen at the time I really was not paying attention. But now having lost a child and a grandchild I understand. Now in my late 50’s yes I still listen to them and yes the author speaks of the lawsuits that have been brought against them including one still pending. The song they reference “Taurus” by Spirit if you can listen to it is a good song but I won’t go into all of the legal stuff. What I will touch is the blues. In my late twenties I really got into the old blues and from there I began to realize just how much a lot of the groups or individual, guitarists from England and here in the U.S. were influenced by the old Delta and Texas, even Chicago Blues. So it does not surprise me that many of their songs have a blues background explained by the author. Remember the Stones, Clapton, Beck, Mayhall, even the Beatles were influenced when Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Dixon and other came over to England in the late 50’s early 60’s after being pushed aside by record companies. The young men of England listened to their records now had their music live and because of that the 70 changes music. So yes this is a good book about every record and every song, whether you like Zeppelin or not it is worth the read a top rock band ever. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
January 4, 2021
If you're looking for the most thorough examination of Led Zeppelin's catalog, this book gives you comprehensive information and then some on every one of their songs included on their albums as well as a series of rarities. Since the late 1980s, I've been faithfully listening to Led Zep and have read multiple books and articles and watched documentaries on the band. This book contained information I never even knew. Martin Popoff has the knack for digging deep into every aspect of the band and uncovering interesting information.
Along with a review of each song, arranged chronologically and by album, pictures of the band and the records themselves appear on the pages. Some I never saw before, and it brings extra credibility to the entire proceedings. Although there are not any in-depth interviews, the analyses of each song encourage you to break out your records or CDs or go onto YouTube to listen to them again. The new perspective may enlighten you or cause you to disagree. But that's okay because that just brings greater meaning to the songs.
One drawback would be that you don't receive any kind of CD for the songs, but I'm not sure how that could even be done without authorization and with copyright laws. One mistake I made was not listening to the songs I was less familiar with like the ones on Coda. At one time, I knew Coda inside out--it may have been during or after college over 20 years ago--but I could not remember some of the tunes. However, this book, which I received for Christmas two years ago, can be used as a reference when you hear a line or a lick that sparks your curiosity.
I totally recommend reading any one of the many books Popoff wrote about Led Zep, Pink Floyd, several metal bands, and Rush. So much information will be revealed that huge fans can relish. Right now, I'm reading a new Rush book that is absolutely amazing and chockfull of never before released information. I'll be writing about that as soon as I finish it.
Along with a review of each song, arranged chronologically and by album, pictures of the band and the records themselves appear on the pages. Some I never saw before, and it brings extra credibility to the entire proceedings. Although there are not any in-depth interviews, the analyses of each song encourage you to break out your records or CDs or go onto YouTube to listen to them again. The new perspective may enlighten you or cause you to disagree. But that's okay because that just brings greater meaning to the songs.
One drawback would be that you don't receive any kind of CD for the songs, but I'm not sure how that could even be done without authorization and with copyright laws. One mistake I made was not listening to the songs I was less familiar with like the ones on Coda. At one time, I knew Coda inside out--it may have been during or after college over 20 years ago--but I could not remember some of the tunes. However, this book, which I received for Christmas two years ago, can be used as a reference when you hear a line or a lick that sparks your curiosity.
I totally recommend reading any one of the many books Popoff wrote about Led Zep, Pink Floyd, several metal bands, and Rush. So much information will be revealed that huge fans can relish. Right now, I'm reading a new Rush book that is absolutely amazing and chockfull of never before released information. I'll be writing about that as soon as I finish it.
December 20, 2018
I was recently given the opportunity to read and review three music books. The books are essentially the same, with different artists as the topics. The books cover three bands, album by album. But when I say bands, I’m talking of the some of the biggest bands the music industry has known – Queen, Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden. As I’ve read all three books, I’ll review them on one review post, as what I’ve got to say applies really to all of them!
I asked to request these books as I love music, and Queen is one of my favourite all time bands! I thought the idea of going through these artists discography track by track, album by album was really original and it really appealed to me. The author has also drafted in some more rock gods and influences to talk about their memories of each band - I particularly liked Dee Snider’s memories of the early Queen concerts! – so you weren’t just getting the author’s viewpoint but the opinions of people who knew them and played with them!
The covers of each book are fabulously eye-catching and really draw you to the books. The books are also packed full of band photos and visual memorabilia, which is enough to keep any die-hard fan happy for hours! I thoroughly enjoyed each and every book, and whilst I didn’t really know any of the Iron Maiden tracks and only some of the Led Zeppelin ones, I loved reading all about them! After I finished each book, I wanted to go and raid my husband’s CD collection just to hear what I’d been reading about!
These books would definitely make a worthy addition to any Queen, Led Zeppelin or Iron Maiden fan’s bookcase! Would highly recommend!
I asked to request these books as I love music, and Queen is one of my favourite all time bands! I thought the idea of going through these artists discography track by track, album by album was really original and it really appealed to me. The author has also drafted in some more rock gods and influences to talk about their memories of each band - I particularly liked Dee Snider’s memories of the early Queen concerts! – so you weren’t just getting the author’s viewpoint but the opinions of people who knew them and played with them!
The covers of each book are fabulously eye-catching and really draw you to the books. The books are also packed full of band photos and visual memorabilia, which is enough to keep any die-hard fan happy for hours! I thoroughly enjoyed each and every book, and whilst I didn’t really know any of the Iron Maiden tracks and only some of the Led Zeppelin ones, I loved reading all about them! After I finished each book, I wanted to go and raid my husband’s CD collection just to hear what I’d been reading about!
These books would definitely make a worthy addition to any Queen, Led Zeppelin or Iron Maiden fan’s bookcase! Would highly recommend!
December 29, 2018
Martin Popoff, one of the most popular music critics of today, presents a wonderful collection of Led Zeppelin information, imagery, and critique. I consider myself a big fan of the music of Led Zeppelin but I am in no way an expert; I turned to this book hoping that I would gain some insight into the band as a unit, the members individually, and deeper insight into the cultural implications of the music. I couldn't have been more pleased with how Popoff organized this material, because I was able to browse without feeling overwhelmed but when I wanted to review something I remembered from my skimming I was able to quickly relocate that section.
Popoff incorporated the images seamlessly which aids in the enjoyment of such a large text. The chronological attention to detail is astounding, too. It was almost like I could hear each song playing in the background as Popoff eloquently described the subtle changes and obvious divergences from song to song, style to style, and recording to recording.
I'd highly recommend this book for Led Zeppelin fans of any level, as well as fans of music history and rock bands. I, for one, will return to this charming Zeppelin biography again and again.
Review originally posted here: http://www.aubreysalyers.com/single-p...
Popoff incorporated the images seamlessly which aids in the enjoyment of such a large text. The chronological attention to detail is astounding, too. It was almost like I could hear each song playing in the background as Popoff eloquently described the subtle changes and obvious divergences from song to song, style to style, and recording to recording.
I'd highly recommend this book for Led Zeppelin fans of any level, as well as fans of music history and rock bands. I, for one, will return to this charming Zeppelin biography again and again.
Review originally posted here: http://www.aubreysalyers.com/single-p...
November 22, 2018
Canadian journalist Martin Popoff has achieved the mantle as the most prominent author of books focusing on the heavy end of the rock music genre. He doesn't do anything by halves as this new Led Zeppelin tome checking out their albums, and all 81 songs that they produced. Led Zeppelin was formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham. When Bonham died in 1980 they disbanded.
Album by album Martin Popoff details and analyses the songs, their heritage, and who also played on some of the tracks. Its a fascinating insight into one of rock music's top bands. As well as delivering the key facts surrounding the albums Popoff also brings other rare and often stunning songs that never made it onto the LPs.
If you have any interest at all in Led Zeppelin you will find this book valuable beyond measure. Popoff does give his spin, sure, but he has gone to great lengths to dig out every relevant fact which is what makes it a bible for followers of a band which has sold somewhere between 200 and 300 million copies. Not bad for a group that started out as the New Yardbirds.
Album by album Martin Popoff details and analyses the songs, their heritage, and who also played on some of the tracks. Its a fascinating insight into one of rock music's top bands. As well as delivering the key facts surrounding the albums Popoff also brings other rare and often stunning songs that never made it onto the LPs.
If you have any interest at all in Led Zeppelin you will find this book valuable beyond measure. Popoff does give his spin, sure, but he has gone to great lengths to dig out every relevant fact which is what makes it a bible for followers of a band which has sold somewhere between 200 and 300 million copies. Not bad for a group that started out as the New Yardbirds.
September 24, 2019
Tämän kirjan parhaita puolia ovat upea kansi sekä se, että lukiessa tulee kuunneltua läpi tämän loistavan bändin koko tuotanto.
Kirjoittaja on musiikkikriitikko, joka ei ilmeisesti pysty tai halua kirjoittaa aiheestaan täysin objektiivisesti. Mukana on paljon hänen omia, hieman elitistisiä mielipiteitään. Kirjoittajan suosikkikappale ei ole (tietenkään) mikään suurimmista ja tunnetuimmista hiteistä, vaan kolmosalbumin Celebration Day. Hän toteaa myös, että ”…In Through the Out Door oli joillakin mittapuilla kenties paras Led Zeppelinin levy”. Millähän mittapuilla?
Mukana on myös paljon turhaa triviaa sekä spekulaatiota tyyliin mitä jos se ja se biisi olisi ollut sillä ja sillä levyllä… Uskon, että näin legendaarisesta aiheesta ja runsaasta aineistosta olisi saanut aikaan paremmankin kirjan. Mutta se on tietenkin vain minun mielipiteeni.
(P.S. Pardon my Finnish. Luin kirjan suomeksi, joten arvostelukin on samalla kielellä.)
Kirjoittaja on musiikkikriitikko, joka ei ilmeisesti pysty tai halua kirjoittaa aiheestaan täysin objektiivisesti. Mukana on paljon hänen omia, hieman elitistisiä mielipiteitään. Kirjoittajan suosikkikappale ei ole (tietenkään) mikään suurimmista ja tunnetuimmista hiteistä, vaan kolmosalbumin Celebration Day. Hän toteaa myös, että ”…In Through the Out Door oli joillakin mittapuilla kenties paras Led Zeppelinin levy”. Millähän mittapuilla?
Mukana on myös paljon turhaa triviaa sekä spekulaatiota tyyliin mitä jos se ja se biisi olisi ollut sillä ja sillä levyllä… Uskon, että näin legendaarisesta aiheesta ja runsaasta aineistosta olisi saanut aikaan paremmankin kirjan. Mutta se on tietenkin vain minun mielipiteeni.
(P.S. Pardon my Finnish. Luin kirjan suomeksi, joten arvostelukin on samalla kielellä.)
November 6, 2021
It is as good as a rock band based book gets!
Many general notions about Zeppelin’s music are deeply driven with the every-album, every-damn-song, that Popoff takes in this one.
Tons of pieces that felt like album fillers to me, take shape and relevancy when reading an listening along the most complete collection of Zeppelin tracks.
Why a so high rating for a book that… well is almost not literature?
Even if I try to vanish expectations as much as possible when watching a new movie, reading a new book, listening to a new album… it’s almost impossible not to imagine what you’d like to get from an experience, and this one widely exceeded my expectations.
It’s not just your common “how it started” and how band members “fell in addictions and personal problems”. It links many pieces of personal, band band wide experiences and personal stages to every bit of riffs, beats, lyrics, melodies and full concepts that you heard when the album got to your ears.
Pure gold.
Many general notions about Zeppelin’s music are deeply driven with the every-album, every-damn-song, that Popoff takes in this one.
Tons of pieces that felt like album fillers to me, take shape and relevancy when reading an listening along the most complete collection of Zeppelin tracks.
Why a so high rating for a book that… well is almost not literature?
Even if I try to vanish expectations as much as possible when watching a new movie, reading a new book, listening to a new album… it’s almost impossible not to imagine what you’d like to get from an experience, and this one widely exceeded my expectations.
It’s not just your common “how it started” and how band members “fell in addictions and personal problems”. It links many pieces of personal, band band wide experiences and personal stages to every bit of riffs, beats, lyrics, melodies and full concepts that you heard when the album got to your ears.
Pure gold.
September 29, 2017
(I read the hardcover version; not sure why it says Kindle above. With all the color photos, this should be read as a book.)
I read and really emjoyed the author's book on the Rush discography. This one was a bit different. There seemed to be a lot more "technical" musical stuff about drop-D tuning, etc. Minor gripe. What I really missed was the panel of people reviewing the music. In the Rush book, the author collaborated with a variety of musicians, music journalists, etc. In this one, it's all him so the reading is not as varied, nor the info as broad-based. Still, a good read for any fan of Zeppelin
I read and really emjoyed the author's book on the Rush discography. This one was a bit different. There seemed to be a lot more "technical" musical stuff about drop-D tuning, etc. Minor gripe. What I really missed was the panel of people reviewing the music. In the Rush book, the author collaborated with a variety of musicians, music journalists, etc. In this one, it's all him so the reading is not as varied, nor the info as broad-based. Still, a good read for any fan of Zeppelin
January 8, 2019
Are you a Rock and Roll fan? Led Zeppelin was such a game changer and one of my favorites! I love novelty books like this and this one is no exception. 🎸🎸🎸 .
It is crazy to think Zeppelin music has been around for 50 years! This edition breaks down all the songs on each album and even live versions that were not recorded. As most fans know there was much more to the music than just rock, they wrote blues, country, folk, ballads and even had some of that 70’s psychedelic mix. This is must for any avid fan or collector! .
Thanks to @netgalley for this copy!
It is crazy to think Zeppelin music has been around for 50 years! This edition breaks down all the songs on each album and even live versions that were not recorded. As most fans know there was much more to the music than just rock, they wrote blues, country, folk, ballads and even had some of that 70’s psychedelic mix. This is must for any avid fan or collector! .
Thanks to @netgalley for this copy!
January 9, 2019
This book is jam packed with information, photos and tidbits that cause the reader to reminisce about the times that spent in adoration for this band.
It is impossible to describe the kind of detail the author puts into this book. There are descriptions of events, talks with the artists, album cover descriptions, etc.
If you are a Led Zeppelin fan or wish to learn more about the band, this is the book for you!
I received an ARC from Quatro Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.
It is impossible to describe the kind of detail the author puts into this book. There are descriptions of events, talks with the artists, album cover descriptions, etc.
If you are a Led Zeppelin fan or wish to learn more about the band, this is the book for you!
I received an ARC from Quatro Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.
October 11, 2017
For the fan who's about the music and not the B.S., this is the perfect book. You get both thoughtful critiques and detailed explanations of each song, as well as fun trivia. I reviewed Led Zeppelin: All the Albums, All the Songs for The Current.
December 2, 2018
I got this book out of curiosity as i like their songs but I'm not much of an expert so I wanted to know them better.
It's a great book, full of information and details, that helped me to improve my Led Zeppelin knowledge.
I think it's a must read for fans of the band and whoever likes rock music.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Quarto Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC
It's a great book, full of information and details, that helped me to improve my Led Zeppelin knowledge.
I think it's a must read for fans of the band and whoever likes rock music.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Quarto Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC
January 14, 2023
I was hoping for a story behind the songs book, but this was far more technical. It was more about recording the songs, instruments and overdubs than lyrical inspiration. Still an interesting read for any Zeppelin fan. And it makes me want to listen to their entire catalog, start to finish, so, mission accomplished!
December 1, 2018
The legendary band Led Zeppelin is revered by young and old alike. This book explores the entire discography of the group and gives insider info about the music and the group. Although some of the musical references are somewhat over the head of a layman, the book succeeds.
October 29, 2017
If you like Zeppelin then you will love this book. It expalins the songs.
April 6, 2019
Another song-by-song analysis from the rock canon. Popoff highlights the contributions of John Bonham. I like Houses of the Holy more than Physical Graffiti.
May 8, 2023
American blues bloom
September 29, 2023
Very dry, technical reviews of Zep's songs and albums. As a Zep fan, I didn't learn anything I didn't already know.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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