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When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography Of Led Zeppelin [Paperback]

Mick Wall
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
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Book Description

28 May 2009

They were 'the last great band of the sixties; the first great band of the seventies'; they rose, somewhat unpromisingly, from the ashes of the Yardbirds to become one of the biggest-selling rock bands of all time. Mick Wall, respected rock writer and former confidant of both Page and Plant, unflinchingly tells the story of the band that wrote the rulebook for on-the-road excess - and eventually paid the price for it, with disaster, drug addiction and death.

WHEN GIANTS WALKED THE EARTH reveals for the first time the true extent of band leader Jimmy Page's longstanding interest in the occult, and goes behind the scenes to expose the truth behind their much-hyped yet spectacularly contrived comeback at London's O2 arena last year, and how Jimmy Page plans to bring the band back permanently - if only his former protégé, now part-time nemesis, Robert Plant will allow him to. Wall also recounts, in a series of flashbacks, the life stories of the five individuals that made the dream of Led Zeppelin into an even more incredible and hard-to-swallow reality: Page, Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, and their infamous manager, Peter Grant.

The culmination of several years research, this book tells the full, shocking story of Led Zeppelin from the inside, written by someone who has known Jimmy Page for over twenty years.


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Product details

  • Paperback: 496 pages
  • Publisher: Orion (28 May 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1409103714
  • ISBN-13: 978-1409103714
  • Product Dimensions: 15.3 x 3.6 x 23.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 637,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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 ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

The final word on the world's greatest rock band, Led Zeppelin.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Led Zeppelin - In The Light 19 Mar 2010
Format:Paperback
Out of the three Zeppelin biographies that I have read, this is by far the best. Diligently researched, and well written it keeps you wanting to return to the albums (always a sign of a good music book) with each record being examined in great detail, which led to me purchasing Moby Grape's "Grape Jam" (1967) Grape Jam] album after discovering that the roots to Zep's "Since I've Been Loving You" lay with Grape.
I also enjoyed the somewhat controversial `flashback' sequences. They add to the story, but without interrupting the flow, and also saves the reader from having to plough through acres of pre-Zep history at the beginning. Using this method, Wall is able to bring the five (LZ plus manager Peter Grant) protagonists together very quickly and thus get on with the main story. His research on Jimmy Page's fascination with the occult and Aleister Crowley is also excellent, devoting as he does an entire chapter to this subject. This is important stuff in understanding the band from "Led Zeppelin IV" (1971) onwards, and I've never come across such in-depth knowledge of Crowley in a Zeppelin book before.
Another standout section is Wall's revelations about the 1979 Knebworth gigs. Far from being the triumphs that they are made out to be, Wall reveals the horrendous mess and disasters that dogged these two concerts from the start. Led Zeppelin should of got the message there - you're time is up!
Unfortunately things do unravel slightly in the final two chapters; Wall seems obsessed with the idea of a Led Zeppelin reunion almost to the extent of everything else, and the various 80's, 90's and 00's album releases are dealt with in a rather offhand manner.
... box set had to happen, and apart from one brief mention early on, the highly acclaimed "BBC Sessions" (1997) [[ASIN:B000002JEV BBC Sessions album is ignored altogether!
Even the excellent double DVD (2003) [[ASIN:B00008PX8P Led Zeppelin: DVD (2DVD) [2003] is given short shrift; very strange since Wall penned the liner notes for this set.
Finally whilst Robert Plant's award of the CBE in 2008 for services to music is covered, there is no mention of Jimmy Page's OBE in 2005 for his long time charity work helping to improve the lives of Brazil's impoverished street children. I know that Page likes to keep this work out of the media spotlight, but it does seem extraordinary to not mention it at all.
Despite these few errors this book remains well worth perusing. Read more ›
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any Led Zep fan 12 Feb 2009
Format:Hardcover
This book is just fantastic. It really does tell the whole story of the behemoth that was Led Zeppelin. The reviews aren't kidding when they say that this is THE definitive Zep biography. I haven't read any of the other bio's, like Hammer of the Gods, but after reading When Giants Walked the Earth I don't want to.
My only criticism is that at some points the italic "in the mind of" sections can be a bit confusing because you don't instantly know who Wall is impersonating.

Overall, this is a must-read. I think I'll be rereading it in a year or two.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly brilliant 29 Nov 2008
Format:Hardcover
I only started reading this because I bought it for my husband for Xmas but once I started I couldn't put it down. I used to read music books when I was younger but stopped when I realised they were nearly always fan books. This isn't like that. It's obvious Mick Wall knows his stuff and has spoken to everyone including the band but he doesn't pull any punches. I don't know if the band will like it but they should because it's not only a great book about them but just a great book anyway. Utterly brilliant.
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24 of 28 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Monumental achievement 18 Nov 2008
Format:Hardcover
After having only the sleazy and now outdated Hammer of the Gods to put up with all these years, it's amazing to finally have the sort of serious, brilliantly written book on Zeppelin the band and their fans deserve. I never thought I'd live to see the day but here it is at last. Mick Wall is famous enough already as a great rock writer but this has to be the best thing he's ever done or ever likely to do. Zeppelin of course are simply the greatest rock band ever. What a combination the two make. The book pulls no punches, but at the same time goes right to the heart of the matter, telling you everything - everything - you've ever wanted to know about the band, the people in it, the music they made and the times they helped shape. Wall seems to have spoken to them all and come away with the truth at last. I literally could not put it down. There have been some great books over the years about groups like the Stones and the Beatles but this tops them all. Seriously. If Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have any sense they should go down on their bended knees and thank Wall. They may not come out of it always smelling of roses but at least he's done them the favour of burying Hammer of the Gods forever. Compared to that, When Giants Walked The Earth is the bible.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic book !!!!! 21 Nov 2008
Format:Hardcover
this is an essential read for any fan of led zeppelin. very well researched and beautifully written.
by far the definitive biography on the band so far and very hard to beat i'd say.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Couldn't Put It Down 2 Jan 2009
Format:Paperback
I spotted this in the shops just before Xmas, and dropped some none too subtle hints to my wife, and hey presto I had something to read over Xmas.
It's a 400page plus heavyweight read and I have just (2nd Jan) finished it - superby written its a book you can't put down.

I have been a fan for over 30 years, and whilst there was a lot in this book I already knew, there was a whole lot more. The music is covered in detail, but it's the stuff outside the music where a lot more light is shed on the band, and its individual members far more than anything else I have read. Its an uplifting, fascinating read - truly sex, drugs and rock and roll, with the ultimate practitioners of the non-stop party.

And yet.....its also poignant and quite sad in places as everyone involved (with the exception of Jonesy) has suffered personal tragedies, and when it comes up to date you ultimately start to feel sorry for Jimmy Page as its obvious that Robert Plant has "moved on" and its Jimmy who wants to try to recreate something from 30-35 years ago.

Anyone who is even the slightest bit interested in Led Zeppelin should buy this book, and its appeal goes further than that as it reads almost like fiction at times being fast paced and the characters are very well observed - I know how it ends, but that didn't stop me wondering as I turned every page what was going to happen next!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic read about the greatest and heaviest rock and roll band in...
This is a great about Led Zeppelin, from when they started through to their fantastic at the O2 arena in 2007, for any die-hard Led Zep fan, this is a must-buy!!
Published 4 days ago by Mr. Joel S. Greenhalgh
3.0 out of 5 stars Good times, bad times you know I've had my share
Just finished the book and I wanted to put down my thoughts on the piece. Apologies that it is subjective in terms of my opinion, but hope that I present a balanced case. Read more
Published 29 days ago by ScienceGeek71
4.0 out of 5 stars Over The Wall
I was pleased to pick this up for £3 in the HMV sale a few weeks ago. It's a much-publicized and popular biography of Led Zeppelin that appears to be more authoritative than... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jeremy Walton
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read
Wow what a book - loved it from end to end - really informative and revieling. I was attached to this book from the moment I started reading it . I cant reccomend it more highly
Published 2 months ago by Rich
4.0 out of 5 stars Dazed & Confused
It's a big improvement on Hammer of the Gods, and everywhere is calling this the "definitive biography". Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lord Anon
4.0 out of 5 stars More shade than light
This is an exhaustive and mostly enjoyable account of Led Zeppelin's rise and fall. While not authorized, Mick Wall has had plenty of first-hand access to band members and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by A Reviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent biography of the best rock band!
If you are a fan of the Led Zeppelin you will like to read this biography!
It's very detailed and contains a lot of interesting facts of the history of LZ. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Rui do Carmo
5.0 out of 5 stars thanks
This was a prezzie for my brother in law he loved the condition and it arrived on time this item was descrided as what I was informed postage was very fast and on time
Published 4 months ago by karen
5.0 out of 5 stars When Giants Walked the Earth (Hardcover)
Yawn... YET ANOTHER Led Zeppelin Biography..yawn.. Took me two months before I bothered to read It, & what an excellent read it is too, better than I thought it would be. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mark Carroll
5.0 out of 5 stars When Giants walked the earth Leads the way
I have always loved music from the beatles to 70's super groups to punk rock to 80's new romantics but I have always hated heavy rock especially Led Zeppelin!!. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Kevin
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