Author:Jimmy Page
Of all the occupations that lend itself to careful archiving, rock star isn’t an obvious contender. Particularly the life of someone who allegedly embraced wanton debauchery with as much enthusiasm as Jimmy Page. How could he possibly have found the time I hear you ask. Well, it seems somehow he did.
Back in 2014 “Jimmy Page” arrived – a sumptuous 500 page high quality photograph laden autobiography, more coffee table than book. But such is the range and depth of Jimmy’s archive, this second volume presents “the detail behind the detail”. And he’s not kidding.
Even if, like me, you’re not a Led Zep aficionado, this tome still draws you in. There’s not just all the guitars – the first Hoffer, the twin necks, the black Les Paul Custom with the Bigsby arm (and the loan agreement that he bought it on) – there’s the entire set up for the recording of “Whole Lotta Love” (guitars, tape echo and cabinets), diaries, jackets, tour carnets, studio logs, posters, trousers, contracts and page after er… page of pictures. There’s even the banjo he played on “Gallows Pole”, the guitar he used on the “Death Wish” soundtrack and handwritten notes which show the key and guitar selection for every song at the O2 reunion gig. It’s a nerds wet dream.
It’s all presented in chronological detail – 100 pages in and he’s just got to the Yardbirds. By page 250 it’s Physical Graffiti, and unlike the preceding book, the text – which seems very much in Jimmy’s voice as far as I can tell – is as important as the picture. The book closes with his story of playing the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, the making of “Play It Loud” and pictures of the notes he wrote when selecting takes for the LZ studio album re-releases.
It’s also not mind-bendingly expensive, unless you want one of the 2,500 individually numbered and signed first edition. This edition is going for around £35 online as far as I can see. I can’t vouch for the quality or size of the print – I had access to a watermarked PDF (which is fair enough) but could only view it through the PDF equivalent of YouTube, which was like reading a book through your neighbours letterbox. It’s a testimony to the quality of the book’s contents that I read it nonetheless.
Length of Read:Long
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Not just Page fans but anyone with an interest in guitars and gear.
One thing you’ve learned
The power of never throwing anything away.
aardvarknever says
Did the original volume get any coverage here?
Before “The Great Drupal Unpleasantness”?
Rigid Digit says
In a similar vein, Bill Wyman’s book Rolling With The stones – sounds similar where Bill opened his archive and told the story through ephemera (original booking sheets, bus tickets, bills for damages etc).
Wouldn’t have expected Jimmy to be as OCD-archivist as Bill, but it sounds like he might be.
£35 sounds steep, but it appears to be a weighty tome – one for the Christmas List methinks.
Mike_H says
£35 for a book stuffed with colour pix, if they’re properly reproduced on decent paper, is probably a pretty good deal. If that’s what you want. If the publishers have not taken much care and just knocked it out, however …
Twang says
It looks fabulous but a lot depends on the quality of the binding. Possibly one for the Christmas list but I’d want to see it first.
deramdaze says
I rather think that Jimmy Page always saw the “bigger” picture.
Whatever you think of them, Led Zeppelin were clearly as much manufactured (I’d say more) as The Monkees.
Twang says
On that basis so was every band that ever existed though not all were selected with TV series compatibility as the first priority.
Jaygee says
Just got this. Absolutely superb quality, although more a book for dipping in and out of than immersing yourself in wholesale. Either way, it’s a major treat.