Customer Reviews

Led Zeppelin: The Press Reports

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr Godwin does a great job here in compiling countless newspaper and magazine articles from throughout the world. It is so interesting to read about the band in articles that are from the various years. Some articles even reveal mysteries that have been around concerning concert dates, and other facts. If you are a Led Zeppelin fan - this book is a must!

This book reveals a lot, good and bad, about Led Zeppelin. The multitude of interviews provide great insight into the state of the band at that time. Wish there were more pictures, though. A must for all Led-Heads.

The Good: It has lengthy interviews with the band, tour dates (and maps!), and press releases from Atlantic and Swan Song.

The Bad:
1) The album reviews and general criticism are never printed, but rather summarized (usually very briefly) by Godwin. He claims that copywrite law prevents such things, but books like Racing In The Streets and All Yesterday's Parties, on Springsteen and The Velvet Underground respectively, have re-printed articles in their entirety. Perhaps it is less profitable to do so? At any rate, this significantly reduces the value of the book as it obscures a crucial history of how their albums were perceived by critics.
2) As the 1970s wear on, it becomes clear that Godwin falls into a familiar trap as regards positive and negative reviews of the band. The positive reviews receive very little qualification while the negative reviews (especially toward the decade's end) are accompanied with statements about how it was fashionable to hate Zeppelin in punk-era Britain. The idea is that Zeppelin deserved the good reviews, but the bad reviews were merely a result of bandwagon journalism and not reflective of a decline in Zeppelin's music. This is so biased that it calls into question the objectivity of the entire book, a fact that might be mitigated if the articles were re-printed in full instead of us having to rely on Godwin's summaries and editing.

Overall, I'm glad I read it as some information is better than none. I do, however, hope a better book comes along someday, one with a better eye for historical detail and accuracy.