When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography of Led Zeppelin

Simon Vance transports the listener back in time to the dawn of heavy metal in rock journalist Wall’s biography of the legendary Led Zeppelin. Tracing the origins and history of the band and its members—from the early days with the Yardbirds to the birth and global conquest of the Mighty Zeppelin—Vance delivers a gritty performance that captures the spirit of both the band and the late 1960s. Although Wall’s portrait is often unpalatably sycophantic—particularly unfortunate are the melodramatic sections told in the second person—Vance’s range of voices and lively, spirited narration enliven the detailed history of the band and the private lives of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones. A must for die-hard Zeppelin fans only, this audiobook, with its 18 hours of smitten zealotry, may prove too much for the casual listener. A St. Martin’s hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 14). (Nov.)