When Giants Walked the Earth
A Biography of Led Zeppelin

Name: When Giants Walked the Earth
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Mick Wall
ISBN: 9781483071664

Author: Mick Wall

Narrator: Simon Vance

Unabridged: 18 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 10/22/2009

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Music & Musicians, Arts & Entertainment, Music, History & Criticism, Rock

Synopsis

Veteran rock journalist Mick Wall unflinchingly tells the story of the band that pushed the envelope on both creativity and excess, even by rock ’n’ roll standards. Led Zeppelin was the last great band of the 1960s and the first great band of the 1970s—and When Giants Walked the Earth is the full, enthralling story of Zep from the inside, written by a former associate of both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Rich and revealing, it bores into not only the disaster, addiction, and death that haunted the band but also into the real relationship between Page and Plant, including how it was influenced by Page’s interest in the occult. Comprehensive and yet intimately detailed, When Giants Walked the Earth gets into the principals’ heads to bring to life both an unforgettable band and an unrepeatable slice of rock history.

About Mick Wall

Mick Wall was the founding editor of Classic Rock Magazine. He is the author of numerous music titles, including books on John Peel, Iron Maiden, Don Arden, and Black Sabbath. He ghosted XS All Areas: the Autobiography of Status Quo and is a former DJ on Capital Radio.

About Simon Vance

Simon Vance is an award-winning actor and an AudioFile Golden Voice with over fifty Earphones Awards and thirteen prestigious Audie Awards. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Michael

I did not read the more famous Hammer of the Gods biography because I heard it took too much vicarious pleasure in the revelling and partying of the Zep boys and did not talk enough about the music they produced. The Mick Wall biography on the other hand, does mention some of the shameless and shame......more

Goodreads review by Danilo

U srednjoj su jednom godišnje delili knjige kao nagrade nekim učenicima, mene je profesorica iz srpskog volela pa sam imao tu privilegiju da biram koju ću knjigu da dobijem. I tako dok su ostali dobijali klasične romane i slično, ja sam u četvrtoj godini dobio biografiju Zeppelina, u trećoj je bio Fr......more

Goodreads review by Elaine

It's a big improvement on Hammer of the Gods, and I dithered over whether to give it three or four stars. I agree with the reviews here there and everywhere that are calling it the "definitive biography". It boasts thorough research, in depth knowledge both personal and research-based, good writing,......more

Goodreads review by *TUDOR^QUEEN*

I love reading rock biographies and had never enjoyed one about Led Zeppelin. This seems to be one of the best books about this iconic band, and I was familiar with the author from some other fine rock bios he's written. I was lucky enough to pick this gem up on a kindle sale. This was a very thoroug......more

Quotes

“The definitive account of rock legends Led Zeppelin.” Daily Record

“A fascinating and diligently researched account of rock ’n’ roll excess.” Yorkshire Evening Post

“The definitive book about Led Zeppelin…Mick Wall has done a fine job here and certainly knows his stuff.” Birmingham Post

“We’ve read about the booze, drugs, devil worship and deviant sex…Mick Wall delves a lot deeper into the dark stuff.” Irish Times

“That Wall can add so much fresh detail to the Led Zep story is in itself an extraordinary achievement. That he manages to humanize these planet-striding giants while doing so puts this book into the ‘definitive’ category.” Classic Rock Magazine

“Simon Vance transports the listener back in time to the dawn of heavy metal in rock journalist Wall’s biography of the legendary Led Zeppelin…Vance delivers a gritty performance that captures the spirit of both the band and the late 1960s…Vance’s range of voices and lively, spirited narration enliven the detailed history of the band and the private lives of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones. A must for die-hard Zeppelin fans.” Publishers Weekly

“Wall painstakingly traces Zeppelin’s development and musical pedigree. His access and attention to detail make this a definitive work…an essential source for anyone eager to learn about the era when rock stars ruled the world.” Publishers Weekly

“As well as being the most complete account yet of a great British rock band, When Giants Walked the Earth is, as its name implies, a document of a bygone age…Wall has done his subject proud.” Sunday Times (London)

“It deftly strikes the balance between lofty authority and finding a way to get inside the heads of its subjects.” Guardian (London)

“So this is the big one: a fat, juicy biography of the biggest band ever…Mick Wall, the veteran rock journalist, lays it all bare in a book that can only be described as definitive.” Daily Telegraph (London)