Dave Thompson – If You Like Led Zeppelin …
Backbeat Books
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| Led Zeppelin - If You Like Led Zeppelin ... 2012 |
Few bands in the history of rock have a more complicated
genealogy than the mighty Led Zeppelin, the pitiless thunder gods of 1970s blues-heavy
proto-metal who came and conquered, before losing the seemingly indestructible
John Bonham to excessive drinking and stopping cold turkey. The job of making sense of it all falls to
veteran music scribe Dave Thompson, whose latest book is an immersive
exploration of a tangled rock-and-roll ancestry and yet, true to Thompson’s irreverent
manner and devilishly clever writing style, it’s not at all stuffy or pedantic.
Even while studying both Zeppelin’s DNA and that of its vast progeny with a
scrupulous eye for detail, Thompson breathes new life into what had become a
dusty, lifeless history, allowing it to unfold in the most remarkably casual
manner.
One of Thompson’s greatest strengths as a writer lies in
making connections that not everybody sees and then weaving disparate strands
of information and insight into entertaining, gently provocative prose. And although Backbeat Books' “If
You Like Led Zeppelin …” has the potential to start heated arguments, it slyly eats away some of the Zeppelin mystique without thoroughly destroying it, and for that, it deserves acclaim. Thompson is practically
embedded with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones in the studio as they grinded out
their early session work, and when it comes to unpacking the unruly story of
the Yardbirds and all their personnel changes, Thompson is the perfect guide,
pointing out the not-so-obvious key events and turning points in their brief,
but influential, existence. Similarly, he transports readers back to the
vibrant music scenes of late-1960s England – the British blues boom drawing
particular interest – that feed Zeppelin’s esoteric tastes, while never shying
away from the less savory and downright despicable aspects of the band’s wilder
adventures. Legendary for his anger, John Bonham, as Thompson writes, is said
to have once held a man over a balcony, 20 floors from the ground, by his
ankles after the unfortunate bloke made a joke about drummers. And you thought
only hip-hop moguls pulled those kinds of reckless stunts.
Ah, it’s only rock ‘n’ roll, though, and this is, for the
most part, a celebration of Zeppelin’s genius and what artists – including folk
(Roy Harper, most of all) and blues (Howlin’ Wolf, in particular) legends –
left their mark on the collective consciousness of Page, Bonham, Jones and
Robert Plant. Casting his net far and wide, Thompson illuminates Zeppelin’s
relationships – however slight or indirect – with everybody from Jeff Beck to
Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, 10cc and Graham Gouldman, The Beatles, John Mayall, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Fairport
Convention, Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, and Cliff Richard, to name but a few.
Even bit players like Mickie Most – a minor figure to most, although many will
surely recognize the name and know his place in rock history – find themselves
written about extensively in Thompson’s tome, as anecdotes about the inner
workings of the music business are discussed with a mixture of levity and dead seriousness.
Only 188 pages in length, “If You Like Led Zeppelin …” has
more to offer than dry facts and faded nostalgia. Along with an objective autopsy
of Zeppelin’s Swan Song, the vanity label they started at a time when everybody
was doing it, Thompson lists his 40 favorite Zeppelin covers and surveys their
TV and movie appearances – material that, while mildly interesting, seems very
much like filler. Nonetheless, Thompson’s work, while far from comprehensive,
is a ripping yarn, well-paced and informative. Spreading its seed far and wide,
Zeppelin influenced everybody from Soundgarden to Heart, Whitesnake, the Black
Crowes and all those denim-and-leather-clad hellions of the New Wave of British
Heavy Metal, along with countless others. In turn, Bonzo, Jones, Page and Plant
had their own spirit guides from the worlds of the blues, folk and other ethnic
traditions, and Thompson has tied it all together in a neat little package, recommending more than 200 other bands, records, films and other ephemera you might enjoy if Zeppelin just happens to be your cup of tea.
- Peter Lindblad
