Light and Shade

July 2, 2012
Over the past decade, the enigmatic Page has been sitting down with Tolinski, the editor-in-chief of Guitar World and author of Classic Hendrix and The Faces: 1969–75, to discuss everything from Page’s early years as a session guitarist and member of the Yardbirds to his heyday with Led Zeppelin and his more recent post-Zep projects and plans. The interviews Page gives to Tolinski are enlightening, and while he doesn’t completely open the vault about Zeppelin’s party lifestyle or his interest in the occult, he does speak freely on guitar technique. Sometimes even more informative than the interviews are the pre-q&a introductions, which set up the topics of discussion and allow Tolinski to demonstrate his encyclopedic knowledge of classic rock and guitar history in his fluid prose. Further expanding the book’s scope are the “Musical Interludes” that follow each chapter and feature entertaining asides like “an inventory” of Page’s guitars; he also conducts interviews with some of Page’s former bandmates like John Paul Jones and Paul Rodgers. By shining a light on the shadowy Page, Tolinski has created a must-have for any Led Zeppelin fan or guitar player. 21 b&w photos.

July 15, 2012
The wizardly, tight-lipped guitarist-producer-songwriter of Led Zeppelin opens up...a little. Guitar World editor in chief Tolinski notes that Page has long been "the paradigm for rock-star inscrutability," a Sphinx-like figure with little affection for the music press. Thus a collection of extended interviews with Page would appear a vital bibliographic entry. However, this unnecessarily repetitive and idolatrous volume only fitfully sheds light on its subject's craft. After a slavering introduction, the author, plainly dredging material from occasional interviews for his magazine, dutifully runs down Page's prodigious career as a top 1960s studio musician in London and his climb to fame in the Yardbirds. The book hits what passes for its stride with the genesis of Led Zeppelin, whose debut 1969 album Page financed and produced himself. Then Tolinski focuses on the quartet's meteoric climb to the top of the '70s rock heap and its sudden caesura with the alcohol-related death of drummer John Bonham in 1980. In his chats with the author, most of them clearly pegged to latter-day album and DVD releases, Page emerges as a smart, dry and unsurprisingly blunt and arrogant character. The best material here illuminates the innovative studio techniques that animated Zeppelin's metal assaults and folk-inflected sorties; Page is less generous with details about his improvisational approach. The book peters out with details about Page's later, lesser work with the Firm, David Coverdale, Zep vocalist Robert Plant and the reunited Zeppelin itself. Tolinski bulks up the book with mostly superfluous interviews with old mates (guitar peer Jeff Beck), collaborators (Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, the Firm's Paul Rodgers, the Yardbirds' Chris Dreja) and uber-fans (Jack White), and thuds to an end with useless offerings from fashion designer John Varvatos and an astrologer. For die-hard Zep fans and guitar geeks only.

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September 15, 2012

Few guitarists have had the enduring influence of Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, and even fewer journalists have had the chance to discuss that legacy in depth with the notoriously reticent rock icon. Tolinski (editor in chief, Guitar World; Guitar World Presents Stevie Ray Vaughan) combs through Page's career to offer one of the most complete studies to date, covering topics ranging from Page's early 1960s session work to his post-Zeppelin projects, including his memorable 2008 performance at the Beijing Olympics closing ceremonies. The author's extensive background knowledge helps Page to expound with depth and clarity on subjects ranging from his musical technique to studio mixing to the role of the Zeppelin live show in the band's international success. Contributions from former bandmates and coworkers including Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck, and publicist Danny Goldberg provide additional perspective. VERDICT Fans of all stripes will be delighted by the wealth of new interview material. This book offers genuine insight into the musical and philosophical vision of one of rock's living legends. Highly recommended for guitar aficionados and readers who enjoy an intimate look at the creative process.--Neil Derksen, Leonardtown, MD

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2012
Tolinski's study of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is a wonderfully embellished conversation, with pithy essays linking Page's testimony and comments by such others as Page's fellow guitar god, Jeff Beck, LZ bassist John Paul Jones, and Jack White that add depth and perspective. Page comes off as thoughtful, even avuncular, far from the brooding, dark mystery man of Mick Wall's highly entertaining When Giants Walked the Earth (2009) and other sources. Not that he isn't a brooding, dark mystery man. But this work is less about his lifestyle and the occasional occult interlude and more about how he created Led Zeppelin from the ashes of the disintegrating Yardbirds. Page composed, arranged, and produced Led Zeppelin's music, and he's more than happy to discuss matters like the importance of microphone placement when recording drummers and the need for the sake of a good overall sound to have some physical space in the recording environment. A very organized artist, Page vividly recalls specifics of recording sessions, collaborating in songwriting with Robert Plant, and recreational exercises in pure hedonism while touring. The hedonism is more than adequately covered elsewhere. This book shows the serious, artistic side of Jimmy Page. A must-have item for rock-music collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)