Hammer of the Gods

Rating:
Summary: well written, not near as bad as said in other reviews
Review: ...i am a huge led zeppelin fan, and i can safely say i know quite a bit. When i first picked this book up, i had heard some stories about how it was all garbage. I read it and enjoyed it thoroughly. being curious about how well a reporter could write a book on a band, i decided to pick up another book on zeppelin. I got Stairway to Heaven, uncensored. This one was written by Richard Cole, their road manager. I found that Richard Cole seems to agree with Stephen Davis im pretty much every way. In Hammer of the Gods, Richard is said to be a wild drunkard. However, in Richard Coles book, he is even more of a wild drunk. I read many of the same stories in these books. What i learned is that Stephen Davis is a much better writer than Richard Cole is. He somehow is able to put the power of Led Zeppelin into words. Overall, this book is amazing, and if you are a fan of Led Zeppelin, or even if you simply like some of their music, this is a great book to read. I really enjoyed it, and suggest that everyone read it. And as for the band dismissing all the outrageous stories in this book, i don't doubt it. However, that does not make them false(i would probably deny it if i did these things too). This band was truly amazing, and to sum up Led Zeppelin, i think Jimmy said it best: "Power, mystery, hammer of the gods."

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable Garbage
Review: I consider myself a big Led Zeppelin fan, but this book spanning its career has got to be the biggest piece of [garbage] I have ever laid my eyes on. It's so poorly written. The stories come across as big exagerrated lies. And the only one Davis seems to talk to who is close to the band is Ricahrd Cole, their drunken road manager. Not exactly a reputable source.
Most disappointing is how little is actually written about their music and their creative process. It's all tabloid style stories and writing. Stay away from this one!

Rating:
Summary: Amusing, however not true
Review: I found this book enjoyable. It tells a story about Led Zeppelin starting out a few years before the band was formed and goes through the history of the band (almost) up to the present day. I thought the book was enjoyable and amusing. But I don't think very much of it is true. It seems like it is based mostly on rumors and speculation. Even Robert Plant said of it, "I don't want to give any credence at all to the guy who wrote the book. I'd say maybe 50 percent is correct." Anyway, I did not think that it was a bad book and it has alot of good stories that you can tell to your children.

Rating:
Summary: Hammer of The Gods
Review: This book is one of my favorites, not only because I'm a huge fan of Led Zeppelin, but because it's so real. The stories are heart felt, these guys been through so much. I only wish I could've seen them in concert, but I was way too young. If your a Zeppelin fan and you never read this book I suggest you do you won't be sorry. I remember being in grammer school and doing a book report on them, I received an A+ it's so great to learn so much about legends such as these 4 great guys.

Rating:
Summary: THESE GUYS WERE TAPPED!
Review: You won't believe how nuts these guys were! As a matter of fact, I'm not sure I believe these stories at all. Plant, Page and especially Bonzo may have been good musicians but come across as dispicable human beings who should have been kept in cages while not on stage. Only Jones is depicted as a true professional. All in all, an entertaining read. Ones has to question the validity of the stories though.

Rating:
Summary: "These guys wrote the book of rock"
Review: Being a bigger fan now than I was 30+ years ago, I decided to read this book. Sure, the author has spiced it up some, and probably left a lot out. But all in all this is an awsome book. I enjoyed Stephen Davis' literary style. It was very readable, and interesting. If you are a fan of the mighty Zep, read this book! If not, leave it be.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Great!!
Review: A great experiance through time and music.This reading gives great insight to the life and music of Led Zeppelin.I like books that you can get lost in ,in other words,I found myself transported into the plot.It was hard to put down and even after listening to the music since a teen,I came away with a new outlook on it after reading Hammer of the Gods. If you are a Zeppelin fan or if you enjoy reading about such subjects read this!It gives you a great feeling for the times and a respect for the music that by which all rock bands in the future would be based.

Rating:
Summary: This booked rocked
Review: Great book, it shows all of the members personalities, and then some. Great stories as well....

Rating:
Summary: Richard Cole was broke and needed the money
Review: I must admit when I first read this book I was a 20 year old Led Zeppelin worshipper. Therefore, I treated every word of this book like it was manna from Heaven. However, now that I am older and wiser I can see that this book is a whole lotta nothing. Richard Cole, Zeppelin's ex-road manager and an all around despicable person is responsible(in cohoots with Stephen Davis) for most of what's in this book.

My theory is Cole, who finally managed to get out of his Italian jail cell, was broke and needed to finance his cocaine habit. So he sells his soul to Stephen Davis in exchange for the most sordid, sleazy details of his life w/Zeppelin that he can remember(and exaggerate).

Don't get me wrong, nobody will ever mistake Page, Plant etc. for the Vienna boys choir. However, this book is such a transparent attempt at money making that you don't really get an accurate picture of the band.

If your idea of great TV is "Jerry Springer" then this is your kinda book. Otherwise forget it.

Rating:
Summary: What about the women in the story? Tell us more.
Review: I loved the women in the story, like the Rolling Stone reporter
who called Zeppelin a bunch of animals! And the French model Charlotte Martin who was the mother of Jimmy Page's daughter. The only woman there was WAY to much about was Pamela Des Barres (if you aren't already bored by her - read her autobiography). Even Patti D'Arbanville was mentioned.

I agree with the reviewer there was not enough stuff about Zepplin's time in Britain .

The book was well detailed. I would have given it 5 stars if it had featured more interesting quotes from the women . Especially women rock stars - who most likely had opionions about Zeppelin.