Being a huge music fan and working at a bookstore I tend to
read a lot of biographies on musicians. Late last year author Brad Tolinski
released a book of interviews with Jimmy Page and others associated with Page
titled Light & Shade: Conversations
with Jimmy Page.
Earlier this year I finally got the chance to read it. Tolinski covers every era of Jimmy Page with great detail and includes facts that even the most well read of Zeppelin fans would not know about Page. The chapters alternate between a narrative, interviews with Page himself, and interviews with friends and partners of Jimmy. Now we don’t get to see much into the dark secrets of Jimmy Page that he’s kept quiet for all these years, but there is a plethora of new information on Page’s musical background. The story starts out from when Page got his first guitar and goes all the way to present day and the creation of his personal website. Not a beat is missed in Jimmy’s musical career. Of course a majority of the book focuses on Led Zeppelin and the development of the band from album to album, but there’s also small bits and pieces of his lesser-known work, such as with The Firm and Box Of Frogs. Being an avid watcher of any sort of Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin interviews, when reading this book I could picture exactly how Page was answering these questions, thanks to small cues from Tolinski of when the now white-haired guitar god was laughing and other notions of such nature. Those little touches created a very casual feel amongst the book and the interviews weren’t too formal. Ever since the negative reviews of the first few Led Zeppelin albums Jimmy Page has been hesitant of the media and journalists. It was pleasant to see Page open up and for such a book make it to the shelves for fans to learn about the mystery guitarist of one of the world’s greatest bands of all time. It’s most definitely a must read for anybody who is a serious fan of any of Page’s work. From what makes key Zeppelin songs great to what guitars he used for what albums and which bands, Light & Shade has everything musically you could want to know about Jimmy Page.
Earlier this year I finally got the chance to read it. Tolinski covers every era of Jimmy Page with great detail and includes facts that even the most well read of Zeppelin fans would not know about Page. The chapters alternate between a narrative, interviews with Page himself, and interviews with friends and partners of Jimmy. Now we don’t get to see much into the dark secrets of Jimmy Page that he’s kept quiet for all these years, but there is a plethora of new information on Page’s musical background. The story starts out from when Page got his first guitar and goes all the way to present day and the creation of his personal website. Not a beat is missed in Jimmy’s musical career. Of course a majority of the book focuses on Led Zeppelin and the development of the band from album to album, but there’s also small bits and pieces of his lesser-known work, such as with The Firm and Box Of Frogs. Being an avid watcher of any sort of Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin interviews, when reading this book I could picture exactly how Page was answering these questions, thanks to small cues from Tolinski of when the now white-haired guitar god was laughing and other notions of such nature. Those little touches created a very casual feel amongst the book and the interviews weren’t too formal. Ever since the negative reviews of the first few Led Zeppelin albums Jimmy Page has been hesitant of the media and journalists. It was pleasant to see Page open up and for such a book make it to the shelves for fans to learn about the mystery guitarist of one of the world’s greatest bands of all time. It’s most definitely a must read for anybody who is a serious fan of any of Page’s work. From what makes key Zeppelin songs great to what guitars he used for what albums and which bands, Light & Shade has everything musically you could want to know about Jimmy Page.
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