Davis’ new book on Led Zeppelin a bit of a letdown

book-cover-lz-75LZ ’75, from Hammer of the Gods scribe Stephen Davis, has some issues. Essentially, the book is the story Led Zeppelin’s 1975 American tour, which mostly absent from Hammer, due to David misplacing the notebooks in a friend’s basement for 30 years or so. So, what would have worked quite well as part of a grander narrative is stretched out into a solo book of its own.

When LZ ’75 works, it’s fascinating. At times, the interaction between Led Zep and their fans – or even their interactions with one another – is much like a battle. The battle can even be seen to be one that’s within, especially considering drummer “Bonzo” John Bonham’s prediliction for the bottle. All of these similarities to war, with each concert taking on the aegis of an incursion into enemy territory, combines with Davis’ in-depth, embedded journalist style of reportage to make this book more akin to that of someone serving with a military unit than of a music journo following a concert tour.
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