Jimmy Page

February 1, 2019

Guitarist Jimmy Page formed a skiffle band when he was 13, joined the Yardbirds at age 22, and became the creative force behind Led Zeppelin two years later in 1968. This biography deals largely with the enormous success--and excess--of the seminal rock group in the early 1970s. Longtime rock journalist Salewicz (Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer) draws heavily from published interviews with Page and others and from the archival work of Dave Lewis (e.g., Led$SPACE$Zeppelin: The Concert File). Salewicz explores the interpersonal dynamics of Led Zeppelin but fails to capture the essence of Page. Near the end of the book he inserts himself as a character and pads the already overlong text with two long interviews he did with his subject in 1977 and 1979. His writing is often overly casual, and his fondness for block quotes cries out for a good editor. VERDICT Somewhere in this saga a more focused biography is struggling to escape, but the minutiae in this book will overwhelm even the most obsessive Led Zeppelin fans.--Thomas Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2019
A full-length biography of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page (b. 1944), whose reclusive habits have only added to his mythic status.London-based music journalist Salewicz (Dead Gods: The 27 Club, 2015, etc.), who has interviewed his subject many times over the decades, chronicles Page's rise from working-class London roots. Like many of his generation, Page went to art school on the way to finding a musical career. Inspired by American rockabilly records, Page became proficient enough at a young age to find work as a studio guitarist, making good money backing up popular acts. As the British blues revival flowered, he became the lead guitar player for the Yardbirds, following Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. When that group broke up, Page formed Zeppelin, mapping out the band's path with iron control. Salewicz follows the group through recording sessions and world tours--Zeppelin was especially popular in the United States--with attention to the band's excesses, which included destruction of hotels along with other violent outbursts, heavy use of drugs and alcohol, and sexual encounters of all sorts. The author also devotes considerable attention to Page's mystical side, especially his fascination with Aleister Crowley, perhaps giving it more credence than it deserves. Salewicz delves into Page's battle with drugs, especially heroin and cocaine, and includes copious reminiscences from groupies who linked up with Page over the years, along with plenty of quotes from interviews with the famously reticent musician and with others who were part of the scene. With the band's dissolution, Page's hermetic tendencies became more pronounced. Salewicz chronicles the solo projects, the reunions with singer Robert Plant, and the painstaking project of reissuing Zeppelin's recorded legacy. Dedicated listeners may want more analytical explorations of the music, and, like many rock journalists, the author tosses around superlatives with a free hand. Still, the book is a must-read for die-hard Zeppelin fans.This close look at one of the ultimate guitar gods should find plenty of readers interested in 1960s and '70s rock.

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February 11, 2019
Salewicz (Bob Marley) sketches an exciting portrait of the rise to fame of Led Zeppelin guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page. Salewicz takes readers through Page’s childhood in 1950s Feltham, England, where he picked up a Spanish guitar when he was eight; by age 15, Page formed a rock group called Jimmy Page and the Paramounts. In the mid-’60s, Page played with guitarist Jeff Beck, pianist Nicky Hopkins, and drummer Keith Moon on Beck’s album Bolero. Soon after, Page, looking for a lead singer, met Robert Plant, who introduced him to drummer John Bonham and bassist John Paul Jones, which led to the formation of Led Zeppelin in 1968. Salewicz takes readers through to the early 1980s and explores the significance of the band’s music (he describes “Stairway to Heaven,” for example, as a “kind of blues lament against selfish gold-digger females”). Salewicz also chronicles Page’s drug use, his attraction to the occult and the writings of Aleister Crowley, as well as the band’s infamous infighting and aggressive behavior, especially toward women and journalists (“Do not make any eye contact with John Bonham,” stipulated written rules for interviewers). This is an excellent biography of Page, evenhanded and exhaustive.