When Giants Walked the Earth

A Biography of Led Zeppelin

By: Mick Wall

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Led Zeppelin rose to become one of the biggest-selling rock bands of all time. Mick Wall, respected rock writer and former confidant of band members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, unflinchingly tells the story of the band that wrote the rulebook for on-the-road excess and eventually paid the price for it, with disaster, drug addiction, and death.

Wall also recounts, in a series of flashbacks, the life stories of the five individuals that made the dream a reality: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, and their infamous manager, Peter Grant.

Finally, the full, shocking story is told from the inside.

©2009 Mick Wall (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"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)
"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)

"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)

Could ha e been half as long

Absolutely hated the flashback scenes. But loved the glimpse into the reality of what it was like behind the scenes as a touring rock band. Makes me glad I'm not them, really. If you don't read about this kind of thing you get this false idea of how great it would be, but in reality it's a waste of life.

great

it was hard to follow the flashbacks at times but it was very enthralling. definitely compelling

Excellent

Loved it. The audio version is especially awesome for an American, I tried reading the book but it was slower since some is written in the voice of the British members of the band.

Incredible read for fans

This book was on my must read list forever. I adore Led Zeppelin but I had no clue about how the legacy of "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" with Zeppelin started. There's nothing spared from this book. It taught me about the music business and the legacy that these four rock stars made more than any documentary ever could. I highly regard this book for teaching me about my favorite band and I must recommend this to any fan of Zeppelin. The narrator is a favorite of mine as well. Overall I give this book a perfect score but I'm biased.

As Good As Can Be

The problem is that no Led Zeppelin bio can ever live up to the greatness of it's subject. Entertaining, interesting, well researched it is. I would like to read more personal accounts of Zeppelin shows, what that experience was like. This book is long on journalism, short on subjective accounts. Still well worth hearing. Recommended.