Reviews - Led Zeppelin: The Biography

Led Zeppelin: The Biography by Bob Spitz

59 reviews for:

Having read Spitz's Beatles biography, this one felt like a must-read, and it didn't disappoint. I now feel like I know the complete story of Zeppelin's rise and fall. Very thorough and very engaging.

mr_dobalina's review

3.0

Men behaving badly. Love the music but bleh! I was hoping for more insight but I'm not sure there's any to be found, so maybe the review is a little unfair.

kellynanne's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous informative medium-paced

ceelabee's review

2.0

Led Zeppelin is one of my favorite classic rock bands and this book made me hate all of them as people with the possible exception of John Paul Jones. The book seems thoroughly researched and therefore possibly or probably somewhat accurate, but if so, then what a group of horrible people, especially Bonham. I already knew about the underage groupies, drinking and drugging, but this book is an exhaustive laundry list of every act of statutory (and straight-up) rape, unprovoked violent attacks, and record label mismanagement perpetrated by the band and their staff. It's also incredibly detailed on the record contract information and musical instruments owned by the band. I'm not a business person, nor am I musician, so this part didn't interest me. Honestly I found it a slog to get through this and since I can't do anything about their horrendous track record as human beings, and have already spent my hard earned cash on records etc, I would have preferred to remain in the dark about some of this stuff. I think there would be something to be said for a biography approved and participated in by the surviving members, to add at least some positivity to the record.

matthew2666's review

5.0

I'm a big Zep-head, but even as such, I was surprised at how extremely engaging this book is. Just a wild, astounding, astonishing, and often horrifying portrait of a brilliant band. I see a lot of reviews on here stating that it seems like Spitz holds the members of the band in great disdain, but I didn't pick up on that at all; rather, he has an admirable amount of grace for these usually kind and very talented, but often troubled, egomaniacal and even dangerous men. It's a good reminder that we all contain multitudes.