Jimmy Page

The Definitive Biography

By: Chris Salewicz

Narrated by: Tom McGairl

Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

An in-depth biography of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page by the acclaimed biographer of Bob Marley and Joe Strummer, based upon the author's extensive research and interviews.

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 exchanged few words to the press given the level of his fame, and an abiding interest in the demonic and supernatural has only made the myth more potent.

But in the midst of this maelstrom, who was Jimmy Page? Rock journalist Chris Salewicz has conducted numerous interviews with Page over the years and has created the first portrait of the guitarist that can be called definitive, penetrating the shadows that surround him to reveal the fascinating man who dwells within the rock legend.

©2019 Chris Salewicz (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"A hard-riffing new book that reveals how Jimmy Page became the dark heart of Led Zeppelin" (The Mail on Sunday, London)

"[An] ever-readable tome.... Anyone intrigued by how a soft-spoken boy from the west London suburbs became one of the world's most famous musicians won't be disappointed." (The Times, London)

"A must-read for die-hard Zeppelin fans." (Kirkus Reviews)

Light & Shade was more "definitive"

It takes some dissilusionment to call something this thrown together "definitive". If you make it past the horribly written introduction, you'll find that the great majority of the book is just a retelling of Zeppelin's saga and padded by sensationalism and rehashed stories.

There is a fair amount of space given to Page's early years as a studio musician, though; there is little insight from Page himself on this period of time. This would seem to be the problem with most Page biographies, as the only real insight on Page seems to come from interviews, though; even that can be sketchy since Page is not only into mind games, but undoubtedly understands the art of performance during an interview.

There is minimal insight into Page's later years and the period from 1980- 2017 seems rushed.
The books falls short in addressing his role as a father, opinions on modern recording
technology, music gear talk in general, his massive personal library and record collections, lessons learned & many other areas. The book even fails to mention his involvement in the documentary, It Might Get Loud.

The whole book just seemed like a missed opportunity and brings very little new light to one of the most accomplished musicians of our time. I found Light & Shade to be a much more respectable and well done bio, though; hopefully Page will open up and a really comprehensive work can come forth before the man passes on.

Good book about a weird guy

As a Zeppelin fan, this gave me what I was looking for. I'm not sure how a feel about it though. The book was tough at times because Jimmy Page was a fantastic guitar player but also a weird guy that did some terrible things. I feel more connected with the music now that I know a little more about what he was doing, feeling, etc. so I don't regret it. His music wouldn't be the same if it was any other way. The book does a fantastic job of being unbiased, they lay it all out for you as it happened. I definitely don't think its for everyone, probably just the hardcore Zep fans out there.

Page

Only a fair story and performance. To long of a book. Rambles on and on and on.

Needs better production.

While I enjoyed this title the producers should have worked more closely with the reader to correct his bad, often comically bad pronunciation of titles and place names. It got to the point where it becomes distracting from the book itself.

Narrators Matter, Even if the Story is Weak

I was so excited about this book, then the narrator started to read. It was horrendous! I am not even sure how i was able to finish the book, other than I was interested in the story of Jimmy Page. I am disappointed that I actually paid for this book. The narrator would pause in mid sentence for no reason. I am stunned that this person has narrated other books, and will be sure to avoid them in the future.

As for the story, it seemed that the author doesn't really like Jimmy Page and his writing seemed to be guiding the reader to that result as well. I understand that Jimmy Page may have been a dug addict for a great deal of his life, and that he was a driven person with his band, but the story makes it sound as if he was a devil who didn't respect his own band mates. Disappointing is an understatement!

Interesting, But Uneven

The subject matter is obviously very interesting, but the author’s personal opinions come across too strongly, and he insists on referring to silliness like astrology and magic as if it had an actual impact on Page’s life outside of the natural consequences of his interests in it. The narrator is also awful, and his comical mispronunciations are so frequent that it can easily take you out of the story.

Great Book

Very Interesting. Lots of new info not in Hammer of the Gods and other books. Some of the names of rockers were mispronounced. In an audio book, that is hard to follow, and it took me 30 secs on the computer to verify. But the text is great, and I recommend it.

Very good Biography

This is an excellent book about a rock god, but this book isn’t about worshiping him. He is presented flaws and all. Great insight into some of the timeless Zepplin moments and separates myth from legend. The narrator was good, his accent lends itself well to the content though I feel like he mispronounced a few words. All in all a great book.

Tedious in its details without a cohesive story line

The details in this book are too numerous for my mind to catalog or relate in a cohesive way. The story contains interesting rock’n’roll factoids, but no real feel for Jimmy Page’s character— nor anyone else’s. It’s like listening to a savant who knows dates, addresses, names, songs, amps, guitars and babbles on—- without a relatable story. I’m probably not going to finish listening.

Very insightful biography

A very good book about one of the greatest guitarist and songwriters in rock ‘n’ roll!