A somewhat ragged but intriguing time capsule, sure to appeal to Zeppelin and classic-rock fans.
Rock journalist and biographer Davis (Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N’ Roses, 2008, etc.) commemorates Led Zeppelin’s 1975 U.S. tour.
An extension of the author’s 1985 Zeppelin chronicle, Hammer of the Gods, the appearance of this book is somewhat puzzling. The ’75 American tour was neither the band’s first, last, best nor most notorious. It was plagued by illness (Robert Plant), injury (to Jimmy Page’s hand), lawsuits or criminal charges waiting to happen (to John Bonham, called “The Beast,” but never to his face) and equipment malfunction (John Paul Jones’s Mellotron, essential to the band’s new centerpiece, “Kashmir”). The chief justification for the book is Davis’s rediscovery of a boxful of notes and memorabilia from the tour, which he had covered for Atlantic Monthly (whose “old fart” editor in chief at the time never saw fit to actually run the piece). As odd a subject as the tour may seem, there are reasons to recommend it. In 1975, the band released Physical Graffiti, the first on their own Swan Song label. Previously considered just a band for suburban teenagers, Zeppelin was at the height of their commercial and critical success. However, the band members were beginning to be seen as overblown dinosaurs far removed from the concerns of their fans, and punk rock was bubbling up to challenge blues-influenced megabands like Zeppelin for the hearts and minds of anguished adolescents. Davis writes with enormous affection for that passing world, indulging in a little reminiscence of his own lost youth as he recalls his front-row seat for (arguably) the biggest band ever.
A somewhat ragged but intriguing time capsule, sure to appeal to Zeppelin and classic-rock fans.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-592-40589-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Gotham Books
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
