WHEN GIANTS WALKED THE EARTH - A BIOGRAPHY OF LED ZEPPELIN

In this well-researched biography of the English band Led Zeppelin, Mike Wall relies on a plentitude of interviews to give a balanced look at the legendary antics and status of these giants of 1970s rock. Particularly in the United States, where the band earned insane amounts of money on tour, the members of Led Zeppelin--guitarist Jimmy Page, drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham, and vocalist Robert Plant--could get away with nearly anything. (Apparently bassist John Paul Jones eventually stayed in different hotels to escape the madness.) Physical assaults on random bystanders, unabashed misogynistic behavior, and rampant drug use were normal--and with a manager like Peter Grant, who previously worked as a heavy for a notorious slumlord, nobody much complained about the band`s excesses. Wall even takes on the rumors of Page`s Aleister Crowley-inspired Satanism with remarkable intelligence. This book has plenty of salacious and shocking hotel-room stories, but it also takes a serious look at the impact of one of the most important rock bands of all time.