Friday, October 04, 2019

Jimmy Page: The Definitive Biography by Chris Salewicz


(2019: nonfiction)

From the inside flap

“The original enigmatic rock star, Jimmy Page, is a mass of contradictions. A towering presence in the guitar world and one of the most revered rock guitarists of all time, in private he is reclusive and mysterious, retiring, and given to esoteric interests. Over the decades he has the exchanged few words with the press, given the level of his fame, and an abiding interest in the demonic and supernatural has only made the myth more potent.

“In the mid-Sixties Jimmy Page was London’s most-in-demand session man, playing on records by everyone from Donovan to the Who to the Kinks. In 1964 he accepted an offer to join the Yardbirds, where he replaced Eric Clapton and made blues-based music alongside Jeff Beck. Quickly tiring of the constraints of that band, Page, along with Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones, formed what would quickly become the biggest rock band of all time, Led Zeppelin would go on to sell over 100 million records in the U.S. alone. Songs like ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ ‘Dazed and Confused,’ and ‘Whole Lotta Love’ remain rock radio staples to this day. With their mountain of money, revolving door of groupies, and excessive drug-taking, Led Zeppelin wrote the book on rock ‘n’ roll until it all inevitably imploded.”


Review

Jimmy is an excellent biography about the storied multitalented musician and producer. Salewicz, for the most part, focuses on Page’s musical output, business life and his romantic/bad habits, only briefly mentioning his children, so if you are looking for details about his kids, you won’t find much here. This is worth reading, maybe owning, if you are a rock/Zeppelin/Page fan.

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