Product Description

If ever there were Satanic Majesties of rock their name was Led Zeppelin. The band that out-sold the Rolling Stones and made Robert Johnson's deals with the devil look like a playground game of conkers were as high, inflated and glorified as their namesake. In Stephen Davis's scorching account of their phenomenally successful career, no aspect - however disquieting - is ignored. The infamous encounters with willing groupies in hotel bedrooms, the narcotic, alcoholic and psychotic wreckage they wreaked, the disturbing influence of the notorious mage Aleister Crowley on lead guitarist Jimmy Page and the death of John Bonham are all recorded. Above all, the exultant, blazing charge of their music and its effects on Led Zeppelin and their fans is scrutinized.

Hammer of the Gods is a fierce and fearless story about a band that remain a legend of musical, sexual and mystical power. It is the last word in rock 'n' roll savagery.

'The biggest surprise success of the year . . . the Led Zep tale, drenched in sex, drugs and psychic abuse, demonstrated the validity of all the old adages about talent, power and corruption. Stephen Davis's grimy homage to imperial excesss and demonic influence had fans slavering for more' Rolling Stone

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48029 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
"'The biggest surprise success of the year... the Led Zep tale, drenched in sex, drugs and psychic abuse, demonstrated the validity of all the old adages about talent, power and corruption. Stephen Davis's grimy homage to imperial excesss and demonic influence had fans slavering for more' Rolling Stone"

About the Author

Stephen Davis is the author of numerous acclaimed rock biographies, including Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend and Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith.

Customer Reviews

Probably all true
Notorious for being the book that neither Robert Plant or Jimmy Page have read, let alone endorsed, most of the 'sordid' tales don't seem that shocking, in light of the standard behaviour now required of modern rock stars. What does come across very strongly, though, is the general madness that the lifestyle created for the band, which then trapped them, and which made some of the excesses inevitable: the impossible stress of touring and the constantly building pressures to deliver better and better material, without the protective corporate shield of modern management, and above all a deep rooting in the kind of hard blues where sex and drugs and alcohol were standard routes to creativity - no wonder they went off the rails by the end. Yes, they were selfish and indulgent, and no, Jimmy Page probably shouldn't have dumped little Lori Maddox like that, but they created a timeless and genuinely thrilling sound. And a myth that fans lap up as much as the music. This book walks through the whole lot, with plenty of gossip, much of which is sourced from Richard Cole and probably true-ish, and it does give you the story behind 'Royal Orleans' on Presence, which you wouldn't ever work out from Plant's garbled lyrics. Most of all, it makes you realise that when all this madness was going on, they were in their early twenties - and also that it was a very, very different world. Fans who still long for a note-faithful reunion probably won't after reading this: it couldn't ever be the same.

Riveting read!!
This is a great read, one for all long-time Zeppelin fans and new fans of the band who want to find out more about their beginnings, life on the road and the truth behind the myths that led to their 'hellraisers' label. Unlike many biographies which can get bogged down in too much detail and be boring to read, this combines detail with interesting facts and is a real page-turner. Well recommended!

Almost certainly more fiction than fact
Entertaining and in places reads almost like a novel. A bit sprawling and probably needed some brutal editing. Contributes to the cult of band on the edge in place of hard facts and reality. Entertaining and would have made good Oliver Stone film if he hadn't gone the Doors route.