Led Zeppelin

All the Albums, All the Songs, Expanded Edition

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Pub Date 21 Aug 2018 | Archive Date 15 Jan 2019

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Description

Just in time for their 50th anniversary, one of the world’s most prolific bands is broken down track-by-track, album-by-album in this expanded edition revised to include rarities, outtakes, and B-sides from their storied catalog​.

Formed by the unlikely alliance of two ace London studio musicians and two bar-band bumpkins from the north, Led Zeppelin went on to create the template for the marauding modern rock ’n’ roll band. Though Zeppelin is often described as “heavy,” any true fan will tell you that the band’s catalog is actually a complex amalgam of blues, psychedelia, rock, folk, and country that reflect the influences on all of Led Zeppelin’s four members.

Veteran music journalist Martin Popoff picks apart each of these 81 studio tracks as well as a slew of non-album tracks in exquisite detail, and for the first time ever, analyzing the circumstances that led to their creation, the recording processes, the historical contexts, and more.

Just in time for their 50th anniversary, one of the world’s most prolific bands is broken down track-by-track, album-by-album in this expanded edition revised to include rarities, outtakes, and...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780760363768
PRICE US$30.00 (USD)
PAGES 288

Average rating from 15 members


Featured Reviews

This was the third band book that i read from this author. I think he did an amazing job as putting this book together like other books (I read Queen and Iron Maiden). I loved reading their albums stories and interviews.
If you like Led Zeppelin you should read this.

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I got this book out of curiosity as i like their songs but I'm not much of an expert so I wanted to know them better.
It's a great book, full of information and details, that helped me to improve my Led Zeppelin knowledge.
I think it's a must read for fans of the band and whoever likes rock music.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Quarto Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC

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The legendary band Led Zeppelin is revered by young and old alike. This book explores the entire discography of the group and gives insider info about the music and the group. Although some of the musical references are somewhat over the head of a layman, the book succeeds.

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There never been a band like Led Zeppelin. No one else compares when you really want genuine authentic rock. If you haven't familiarized yourself with every song, every riff, every lyric, it's not too late. Popoff breaks down every song album by album. And, for those of you who are Spotify babies, we used to buy these vinyl discs called albums and each one presented a unique chapter in a band's legend. It was important the order the songs were presented in and which was on Side A and Side B. Popoff focuses on the musicality and the album production techniques. He really doesn't focus on analyzing the lyrics or the fans groupies hotel antics etc. That stuff can easily been found in other books. There are lots of brilliant color photos. It would I think be quite effective to play each album as you read the book to really feel what is being talked about.

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I was recently given the opportunity to read and review these three music books. The books are essentially the same, with different artists as the topics. The books cover three bands, album by album. But when I say bands, I’m talking of the some of the biggest bands the music industry has known – Queen, Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden. As I’ve read all three books, I’ll review them on one review post, as what I’ve got to say applies really to all of them!

I asked to request these books as I love music, and Queen is one of my favourite all time bands! I thought the idea of going through these artists discography track by track, album by album was really original and it really appealed to me. The author has also drafted in some more rock gods and influences to talk about their memories of each band - I particularly liked Dee Snider’s memories of the early Queen concerts! – so you weren’t just getting the author’s viewpoint but the opinions of people who knew them and played with them!

The covers of each book are fabulously eye-catching and really draw you to the books. The books are also packed full of band photos and visual memorabilia, which is enough to keep any die-hard fan happy for hours! I thoroughly enjoyed each and every book, and whilst I didn’t really know any of the Iron Maiden tracks and only some of the Led Zeppelin ones, I loved reading all about them! After I finished each book, I wanted to go and raid my husband’s CD collection just to hear what I’d been reading about!

These books would definitely make a worthy addition to any Queen, Led Zeppelin or Iron Maiden fan’s bookcase! Would highly recommend!

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Martin Popoff, one of the most popular music critics of today, presents a wonderful collection of Led Zeppelin information, imagery, and critique. I consider myself a big fan of the music of Led Zeppelin but I am in no way an expert; I turned to this book hoping that I would gain some insight into the band as a unit, the members individually, and deeper insight into the cultural implications of the music. I couldn't have been more pleased with how Popoff organized this material, because I was able to browse without feeling overwhelmed but when I wanted to review something I remembered from my skimming I was able to quickly relocate that section. 

Popoff incorporated the images seamlessly which aids in the enjoyment of such a large text. The chronological attention to detail is astounding, too. It was almost like I could hear each song playing in the background as Popoff eloquently described the subtle changes and obvious divergences from song to song, style to style, and recording to recording. 

I'd highly recommend this book for Led Zeppelin fans of any level, as well as fans of music history and rock bands. I, for one, will return to this charming Zeppelin biography again and again.

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This book is jam packed with information, photos and tidbits that cause the reader to reminisce about the times that spent in adoration for this band.

It is impossible to describe the kind of detail the author puts into this book. There are descriptions of events, talks with the artists, album cover descriptions, etc.

If you are a Led Zeppelin fan or wish to learn more about the band, this is the book for you!


I received an ARC from Quatro Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

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Are you a Rock and Roll fan? Led Zeppelin was such a game changer and one of my favorites! I love novelty books like this and this one is no exception. 🎸🎸🎸 .

It is crazy to think Zeppelin music has been around for 50 years! This edition breaks down all the songs on each album and even live versions that were not recorded. As most fans know there was much more to the music than just rock, they wrote blues, country, folk, ballads and even had some of that 70’s psychedelic mix. This is must for any avid fan or collector! .

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This is a beast of a book, touching almost 300 pages. It is an expansion on his original 2017 book, and adds in an additional 16 songs that didn’t previously feature on the nine studio LP’s.

Read this and more book Reviews at It's Good To Read - Link: http://ebookwormssite.wordpress.com

Summary:

The author sets out to give, track-by-track, his thoughts on all the songs on all the albums, along with the additional 16. This is not a novel approach, having been already done at least twice before, yet is a deeply personal view on the songs and, more generally, the band, written by a huge fan.

This is not an exercise in mere breathless adoration, however. The author doesn’t paint everything the band did as utter genius, and has issues with some of the tracks e.g. the lyrics on The Song Remains The Same seem “kind of an afterthought”.

Each song chapter is replete with information, for example giving each of the authors and track times, to out-of-court settlements (on “Dazed and Confused”) and in-court failures (“Black Mountain Side”), sales figures (three million in three months for Led Zeppelin II), as well as in-depth discussions around how the arrangements came to be, the various credited and supposed sources/inspirations, and descriptions of the types and makes of instruments used.

Truly, this is a book for the dedicated Led lover. There is an AWFUL lot of information to get through, excellently researched data, covering almost every aspect of every song. The average punter may find themselves just heading for the songs they like most, but the hard-core will love the superb attention to detail.

The book is also lavishly illustrated with carefully curated photographs, of the various band members and some questionable fashion choices!

What I Liked:

It was well-structured, and is a useful reference if listening to the songs/albums.
The research is extremely well done and thorough, and you really have a strong sense of each song, and the technical aspects and issues behind them.
The pictures are well-chosen, and really help lift the narratives.
What I Didn’t Like:

The author does let his own biases cloud his judgement, especially around the influence of “the blues”, which he seems to think dated. (The Blues explosion in the UK in the 60’s owes its life to the US G.I.’s stationed there importing the American blues of the thirties to fifties), and in turn the rock & roll of the US owes its life to the successful exporting of Blues by said British bands (Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Animals, Yardbirds, Clapton, etc. etc).
The prose can be a little difficult to follow/swallow at times, and shows up the author for the fan he is (describing the rest of us as “mere mortals”, for example.
Overall:

It is a good read and reference source, and should be read at least once when listening to the albums. It gives a clear summary of the band’s career, and the impact they had and still have on contemporary popular music. While for me it goes into too much detail, the more devoted fan will love it. It largely stays away from the more lurid and well-documented stories about the band, focusing just on the music.

It is written by a fan for the fans, and would be a great gift to the Led Zeppelin fan (curious – anyone know of a specific name for the fans?? Zepheads? Ledheads? Zeppies? Answers on a postcard please…) in your family!

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to the author and to NetGalley, for giving me a free .pdf of the book in return for an honest and objective review.

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Led Zepplin with its chequered group past are the forerunner of modern rock music. Using progressive means to record they have come out with some of the most iconic albums this side of Pink Floyd with each album being a master class how to put together the perfect album.

These books detail each album with rare interviews and photographs to give a love letter to all fans Zepplin. This is a Zepplin fans dream and one that ticks all the boxes for fans and non fans alike.

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