Led Zeppelin – charismatic front man Robert Plant and guitar innovator Jimmy Page backed by the superhuman rhythm section of John Bonham and John Paul Jones – produced some of the most distinctive music in rock ’n’ roll history. From their first rehearsal in a small dingy space in Soho in 1968 through their last concert in 1980, the band chased their muses fervently, rigorously touring and producing a hooky, hard-rocking catalogue along the way.
Unprecedented inventiveness and fierce ambition guaranteed high album sales and sold-out concerts, but their massive popularity came at a cost when drugs and alcohol abuse in the last few years of the band’s existence started to stifle the creative force and Bonham’s untimely death signalled the end of the band.
In Led Zeppelin Day by Day (July 2016, Backbeat Books), author, music journalist, and music historian Marc Roberty chronicles the legendary group’s career, covering all the concerts the band has performed, including set lists (where known) and reviews of many significant shows. Roberty also looks deeply into the music, analyzing recording sessions for each album and session projects undertaken by individual members, which are listed chronologically, alongside studio location details, release dates, performance credits, and oral histories from studio insiders.
Along the way, Roberty corrects previously undetected mistakes in Zeppelin history and provides new information as well, including the true identity of the Vancouver studio for an overdub session for Led Zeppelin II (In the liner notes, it’s simply called “the hut.”) and details about a farmhouse near Puddletown, Dorset, England, where the band rehearsed material for Houses Of The Holy.
Led Zeppelin was the greatest rock band ever to step onto a stage or into a recording studio. Filled with rare images, rich detail, and quotes from recording engineers and studio staff who saw and heard it all firsthand, Led Zeppelin Day by Day tells the story of the band’s highs and lows and, most importantly, their music as never before!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MARK ROBERTY is an award-nominated author, music journalist, and music historian. His articles have been featured in Guitarist,Rolling Stone, Mojo, The Financial Times, The Independent, Best (France) and Where’s Eric, the Eric Clapton Fan Club magazine. He is the author of Eric Clapton, Day by Day; The Early Years 1963-1982 and Eric Clapton, Day by Day: The Later Years, 1983-2013, both published by Backbeat Books. He lives in London.
