Martin Popoff – Led Zeppelin: All The Albums, All The Songs – Expanded Edition
Voyageur Press
August 21, 2018
As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s debut, music journalist and author extraordinaire Martin Popoff has decided to revisit his 2017 analysis of the band’s entire catalogue of music. As a result, Led Zeppelin: All The Albums, All The Songs – Expanded Edition not only details general facts, theories, anecdotes, and Popoff’s own thoughts on each song from Zeppelin’s nine studio albums, but also includes sixteen more essential rarities that Popoff breaks down.
While the purpose of rereleasing the book was for Popoff to indulge in some of Zeppelin’s greatest buried treasures, it must be noted that a majority of the book follows the course of Zeppelin’s career through their work in an excellent manner. Whereas the book pays such close attention to every Led Zeppelin song, this is obviously a book targeted towards big fans of the band. For this reason, Popoff shies away from writing a biography, only providing crucial information when the need arises. Rather, Led Zeppelin: All The Albums, All The Songs – Expanded Edition is an eye opening look at rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest band through their biggest hits and each and every deep cut. Combining a collection of stories from the studio and interviews along with the public reception to their work, Popoff paints a clear picture of not only Zeppelin’s mighty trajectory, but also their greater impact on popular music throughout the course of the ‘70s and beyond.
Just like the rest of Led Zeppelin: All The Albums, All The Songs – Expanded Edition, Popoff goes over sixteen newly included rarities. The inclusion of such songs – “Sugar Mama”, “Sunshine Woman”, “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do”, and “Swan Song” among others – furthers Popoff’s underlying narrative that examines Zeppelin’s greater effect in and out of the studio. It is through such an extensive analysis that even the greatest of Zeppelin fans can gain a new depth to their appreciation and admiration for the band.
While it may feel a touch soon for a rerelease – given the original book’s 2017 release – Led Zeppelin: All The Albums, All The Songs – Expanded Edition is an exceptional book for all range of Zeppelin fans. Through Popoff’s narrative and his carefully curated collection of images, his focus on the music of Led Zeppelin makes for a stellar read. Most importantly, however, it is a book that is guaranteed to be listening to the band’s essential collection of work. As you follow along through the book with the music, you may even hear something that you’ve missed all this time.
Author Biography
Unofficially, Martin Popoff has written more album reviews than anyone else in the history of music as the editor-in-chief of the now retired Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles as well as contributing to Revolver, Guitar World, and Record Collector among others. As an author, Popoff has written seventy-three books examining a wide range of rock and metal. His work also extends into film, having worked on the award winning documentary Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage, as well as VH1’s Metal Evolution and Rock Icons.