WHEN GIANTS WALKED THE EARTH A Biography of Led Zeppelin

In Led Zeppelin's 1970 opus "The Immigrant Song," singer Robert Plant mouths the cryptic utterance "Valhalla, I am coming," and if this book is any indication, the celebrated British band did indeed live the life of Nordic warriors. Although much of the material in this book is now the stuff of legend, Wall, a British journalist who spent some time with the band, adds new insights, such as guitarist-leader Jimmy Page's obsessive interest in the occult as well as the band's early admiration for Joni Mitchell. Simon Vance reads the work as if it's a Tolkien odyssey or Shakespearean tragedy, immensely dry and proper. This style might seem ironic, given the band's exploits, but it perfectly fits their quintessential Britishness in a way fans will surely appreciate. J.S.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]