First off I am a Led Zeppelin enthusiast - between owned all their material on different formats, different books, magazines et cetera I saw this promoted on Facebook Ads and I pre-ordered right away.
I unfortunately was traveling before I got back home to see the book but I read the reviews because I was excited and saw the negative reviews and positive reviews.
I want to talk about my thoughts and for those on the fence buying it because you read through some bad reviews I want to take the opportunity to express my opinion.
My Thoughts:
My initial impressions on fulfillment by Amazon were amazing the book was shrink wrapped and bubble wrapped in a well sealed box. This was appreciated greatly as I was abroad.
Once I got the box out of the shrink wrap the book looks absolutely gorgeous with a canvas feeling (not sure what it is called so best describing it) with gold engraved Led Zeppelin. Aesthetically it is appealing because it is simple, clean and with the canvas style book you don't feel you will finger print it up with clean hands. The stock used is a high quality and the colors used on each page are vibrant of very high quality. The book is coffee table grade and well put together.
As advertised (more on that in a bit) this illustrated history is thorough with classic images of the band as well as never before seen. I don't know how much the band had influence on the arrangement of photos through the pages but whomever did an amazing job on presentation.
I also appreciated they did them chronologically and not a potpourri where one page you have photos from all eras. As you flip through you will find some annotations about the photo from the band and in the back there is a college of notes about each photo. The book also presents how the album art was conceptualized and that was entertaining.
Notes about criticisms you will read about:
As you read reviews here and abroad you will see some of the following:
"It is all pictures"
I mentioned above and used the words "As Advertised" when the book was promoted and described as the official illustrated history. What peeves me is when I read both in good reviews and bad reviews that it is all pictures and no text.
An illustrated book is a book that takes you on a journey through images.
One reviewer thought this was going to be "The Beatles Anthology" and was disappointed - at what point was that even promised?
Look if you want a good recommendation for the history of Zeppelin - I always like Keith Shadwick's piece on Zeppelin. Maybe that would be in my mind the ideal companion to this book. One for the story, one for the images.
"I have seen that picture before" OR "If you have the Internet you have this book"
I have an extensive Zeppelin collection of print materials ranging from NME, Melody Maker, Creem, Guitar World, Rolling Stone, Mojo, Q Magazine, issues on Led Zeppelin, Live Dreams (book), Neal Preston's book, and so on - there is no doubt there will be images in this book from those sources. I will also say there is a good bit of photos I haven't seen before - I don't have the rough numbers but I didn't get the feel I will inundated with regurgitated material.
I also appreciate the mixture of classic photos with never before seen.
I will also mention I noticed with classic shots more times than not there was some annotation or story behind the image and to me that is what makes this refreshing.
"Clearing out the vault"
The band really hasn't done much since Bonzo's death, there are only so many images of them that exist. I appreciate this volume because the collection put together means something to the band. To me, between there mega releases of each album and this, they are clearing out the vault. Even with doing that, I don't see it as a negative connotation, I see it more as closure for the band. They are putting everything out there, if you want it you can consume it.
Final Words:
Overall I think this is well put together. As a diehard, I find many great things with this illustrated (KEY WORD) history of the band. When I leaf through the pages, I see an image from a show and I go to my Zeppelin bootlegs and say that is from this show. Very nostalgic. I find the book a great way to have a definitive concise illustrated (KEY WORD) history of the band. If you were to pick a book you wanted to visually represent the band this is it.
If you are hoping for a narrative in text, in the prose of the band, this is not it for you and there are plenty of other releases out there that will fulfill that request.
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From the Publisher
“The first rehearsal was planned in a basement in Gerrard Street, London. Our equipment was set up and after tuning up there was a count in and we began to play together. At the end of that number I believe each and every one of us had a musical communion like no other. It would be a life-changing experience. We agreed to embark on extensive rehearsals.”
— Jimmy Page
“I experienced unimaginable creative peaks and vivid adventure, often played out against a relentless emotional landscape. There were no instructions inside the box we opened, no preparation for the journey, no clues, no destinations. So rough and ragged, joyous and ecstatic, and gone.”
— Robert Plant
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Reviews with images
Led Zeppelin's music and career distilled down into a single beautiful 400-page book
In the olden days people used to have a table next to their couch or sofa, usually in a living or reading room. They would often times serve a guest coffee or other beverages at this table. Many times a hardcover book would be placed on the table for the guest to peruse while they waited for their beverage to be served. This book was usually quite large, full of pictures, contained little text, and was often considered a piece of art in and of itself. Led Zeppelin has made such a book, but it is so much more than a mere coffee table book. It is an electrifying 50-year pictorial history of the greatest rock band of all time. I am literally getting goose-bumps turning the pages. I feel it is a parting gift from the lads, and a most beautiful one.
