'Life' by Keith Richards
Leave it to the man himself to tell more flat-out unbelievable stories of a life well-lived. Richards' no-holds-barred candor is refreshing, to say the least, but anyone thinking that the rock legend has forgotten more than we could ever know need only crack the spine on this tomb to realize that, while he may have lost a step or three over the years, he has a mind like a steel trap.
In much the same way he has soared as a co-writer of literally dozens of stone-cold rock classic with Mick Jagger, Richards and co-writer James Fox are firing on all cylinders, creating an intensely interesting 547-page barn-burner that is a must for any rock fan.
Want a real treat? Wait until the November 16th release of the audio book version narrated by Johnny Depp! As if that weren't enough, the audio book is unabridged and clocks in at just over 23 hours! Of course, Audible.com subscribers can access and download the audio book now!
'When Giants Walked The Earth: A Biography Of Led Zeppelin' by Mick Wall
What else can be said about Led Zep that hasn't been told in any of the previous books on this legendary band? Leave it to legendary scribe Mick Wall to make even those stories your familiar with seem fresh in the re-telling. Wall takes on the role of forensic scientist, going over every aspect of the band's existence with a fine-tooth comb and comes up with easily the most essential book ever written on the band that was Led Zeppelin.
New interviews with Page and Plant offer little in the way of new information, but do shed interesting light on their own individual thought processes about how the band worked and how each views the ongoing legacy of the band.
'Treasures Of Led Zeppelin' by Chris Walsh
Wait, another book on Led Zeppelin? Yeah, that's what I thought, then I opened up this book and saw that it was a meticulous gathering of rare Led Zep memorabilia from all phases of the band's career. For those of us too young to partake in the band when they were still around, this is a keen collection that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that merch and memorabilia were never better than those days when, as Mick Wall put it, giants walked the earth.
Of course, Chris Walsh was there, touring with the band throughout the 70's and collecting tons of ticket stubs, posters, t-shirts, and other Led Zep souvenirs that most fans have probably never seen.
'LZ-'75: The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin's 1975 American Tour' by Stephen Davis
Wait a second, a third new book about Led Zeppelin?! This is starting to border on overkill, right? Wrong. Davis' book takes a fly-on-the-wall POV of Led Zep's legendary 1975, as he was there, covering every step of the band's US trek, taking meticulous notes and gathering a suitcase full of notebooks which he promptly lost for 30 years. Thankfully for us, he found them and has compiled a comprehensive book on one of the most debaucherous tours in rock & roll history.