Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin: The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Rock Band of All Time [Illustrated] (Hardcover)

Those dissapointed that a global tour was never announced can placate themselves with this first illlustrated history of the supergroup --Thomas Cook Travel magazine, Sept 200;I can't put the book down-apart from many never before seen photos, apart from a total treasure trove of trivia, and articles by musicians and journalists in the know-this coffee table style book is one you'll be returning to again and again-the attention to detail puts it in a class of its' own-this is no rehash it's superbly reaearched and filled to the brim with Zeppelin from every angle, from front row photos to them recording their first album from-the Getty Images brilliant time capsulee style photos from their vast files, I'm led to believe some of the group's black and white shots are from Boston 1969, show a group prepared to conquer every country they toured and played in, there's even a superb colour cross section of bootleg CD'S which at the beginning were selling for around £15 per single disc upwards until Japanese labels like Taranture, now produce live CDs at around £40 per disc, sold at an alleged pressing of 350 only copies per title, one of which lasts only 5 minutes and is a recording of the first time Zeppelin played Whole Lotta Love live! This is a perfect compendium of all a Led Zeppelin fan/collector could wish to see in its 288 colourful pages and a perfect starter hardback book or equally one to the fans like myself, who have derived so much pleasure from the groups' music-Zeppelin still rule and this book makes me proud to be a Led Zeppelin fan and collector for the last 38 years --Howard Mychett, official Led Zeppelin Website This lavishly illustrated book is published by Voyageur Press and the lead author is rock critic Jon Bream. Each album is the subject of an essay by a different rock writer. Some of the other contributors include Greg Kot, Jim Derogatis and David Fricke. For anyone who loves the band, the book is not only a lot of fun but also a great reference (complete discographies for the music geeks among us). You'll love this. --williammckeen dot com I wasn't fortunate enough to be able to see Led Zeppelin live (fingers crossed about the rumored reunion tour), but this book brought me about as close as I could've hoped. It has Zeppelin covererd from A to Z, whether you're looking for photos and memorabilia of the band, tour-by-tour or album-by-album coverage, or stories about how Page, Plant, Jones, and Bonham inspired an entire generation of writers and performers. Trust me, both the casual fan and the 'sleep on the sidewalk for tickets' fan is going to love this book! --Dusty Punch;This book is incredible. The photos alone make it worth owning, but added to that are interviews with other bands, musicians talking about Led Zeppelin and my favorite part, the history of each of their tours. What happened specifically on that tour? See behind the scenes and also see the memorabilia from each specific tour (t-shirts, posters, ticket stubs). --Barbara --Publishers weekly --Dusty Punch;Every few years, it seems, the rockeratti rediscover Led Zeppelin and we're subjected to a load of stories that state the obvious: The harbingers of heavy metal were a great rock band. You'll get no argument from me. If Robert Plant, Jimmy Page (above left with Plant), and John Paul Jones never play another note together, that's fine, but wouldn't it be something to hear, say, 'Bring it on Home' in a sweltering arena some winter night? 'In the meantime, fanatical Zeppelin fans can console themselves with rock critic Jon Bream's impressive new book, Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin: The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Band of All Time. While Stephen Davis's Hammer of the Gods remains the definitive band bio, Bream tells an entertaining story with behind-the-scenes photos, concert posters, interviews, and reminiscences --GQ Magazine -- --5ive an --River Cities Reader, December 2008

'Inside are glossy photos and reproductions of posters, backstage passes and all manner of Zepp memorabilia enough, in fact, to keep you going until their next concert.' --GQ.com, October 2008

Every few years, it seems, the rockeratti rediscover Led Zeppelin and we're subjected to a load of stories that state the obvious: The harbingers of heavy metal were a great rock band. You'll get no argument from me. If Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones never play another note together, that's fine, but wouldn't it be something to hear, say, Bring it on Home in a sweltering arena some winter night? In the meantime, fanatical Zeppelin fans can console themselves with rock critic Jon Bream's impressive new book, Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin: The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Band of All Time. While Stephen Davis's Hammer of the Gods remains the definitive band bio, Bream tells an entertaining story with behind-the-scenes photos, concert posters, interviews, and reminiscences from some of Zep's famous fans, including Joe Perry, Minutemen's Mike Watt, the Hold Steady's Tad Kubler, and legendary groupie Pamela Des Barres, who writes this about Page: 'Such a sweet and lovely precious looking cherub, why is it that he's perverted?' So full of fan-boy ephemera is Bream's coffee-table book - there are images of Zeppelin T-shirts, buttons, and backstage passes - that I half-expected to find something for the bong, tucked perhaps in the lyric sheet for 'No Quarter,' Zeppelin's most Tolkien-esque tune. Alas, that's not included, but William S. Burroughs's highly entertaining 1975 interview with Page in Crawdaddy magazine is. All in all, Bream has done a great service for the legion of denim-clad rock fans who remember laughter - and Led Zeppelin--Boston Globe; Pushing 30 years after Led Zeppelin broke up, it s easy to question what, really, is left to say about the legendary rock n roll band. The answer is plenty, if you take time to check the pages of Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin. This coffee-table volume offers up a complete illustrated history of the historic band from its founding in 1968 to its breakup in 1980, plus the band s reunion concert in December 2007. Author Jon Bream teamed up with an all-star cast of writers, photographers and rock n roll insiders to produce an extensive look at the blues-based rock band that many credit as the daddy of modern metal.The beauty of this book is that even if you re sure you know every inch of the history of the band, there s always a new perspective, a new photo, a new insight from another source that broadens your perspective.If you can t multitask or don t have at least a touch of ADD, you might find the high-energy design of Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin to be a bit of a distraction. It s very, very easy to get lost in the pages for hours at a time, and it s virtually impossible to just dig in and read this book from beginning to end in a single sitting. There s just too much to take in at one time.--Goldmine--Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin by Jon Bream and others, could be subtitled The History of the Hardest Partying Band of All Time, what with tales of groupies, alcohol and carousing, not to mention a comical anecdote about drummer John Bonham getting stuck to a toilet seat on the band's jet. It also recounts how the now-revered Led Zeppelin was once widely disparaged by critics. It left band members hostile to publications such as Rolling Stone, which called 1973's Houses of the Holy a limp blimp. They even hired a press agent to improve their image, eventually agreeing to an interview for a 1975 Rolling Stone cover story that turned the tide And that s part of the book s charm. If you ve got a little time, you can read a section, skim a few essays or peek at the pictures without feeling like you ve lost your momentum or place in the band s history if you set the book down and come back. When you come back (and you ll want to, as there s just too much to enjoy), you ll discover something you missed the time b --Grand Rapids Press

They are the heaviest Rock band in the world, creating the blueprint for an entire generation and defining a musical genre. To celebrate their fortieth anniversary and recent reunion, here is the first-ever complete illustrated history of Led Zeppelin. Created from the ashes of the Yardbirds by guitarist and session wizard Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin featured virtuoso bass player John Paul Jones, gonzo drummer John Bonham, and Robert Plant, a vocalist like no other. Defining what rock 'n' roll could be, they left in their wake a trail of tales as tall and extreme as their stage playing, which reached 130 decibels at some performances!This all-star tribute to one of the biggest Rock 'n' Roll bands of all time features many of today's top American and English rock journalists form Rolling Stone, Cream, Billboard, and more, as well as reflections on the band's inspiration form some of rock's top performers, including Aerosmith, Heart, ZZ Top, the Minutemen, Hold Steady, and others. Glorious concert and behind-the-scenes photography from the top names in rock photography cover the band from the first 1968 show as Led Zeppelin through to the 2007 reunion. Also included are more than 200 rare concert posters, backstage passes, tickets, LP's and singles, T-shirts, buttons, and more from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, all celebrating a book as epic as the band it honors.