compiled by Dave Lewis
Tight But Loose Publishing, Bedford England 2012
Dave Lewis’ Led Zeppelin: Feather In the Wind Over Europe 1980 is the most awesome and comprehensive compilation of rock music tour data I’ve ever seen. In seven chapters and five Appendices, Lewis covers the 14 day final tour of the most seminal and accomplished rock band of all time as they work their way through Europe. Lewis doesn’t just provide the results of second-hand research, he gives the reader the up close and personal, first-hand reports of his own experiences as he lived with the band and listened to the performances from the stage. He provides transcripts of Page, Plant and others’ comments between songs at each performance, summaries of each day’s performance and reviews from the media as well as excerpts from Lewis’ own diaries. The photos alone are worth this 270 page tome, many of them rarely, if ever, seen before, of casual views of the band or shots of the performance from the stage itself.
Keeping with the personal nature of this book, a chapter includes Dave Lewis interviews of people who were backstage with the band – from Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant, to road crew and techies, to groupies, plus a chapter of “front of stage” recollections of the lucky fans who got to hear the performances. Finally, the Appendices take on the subjects of the bootlegs, memorabilia, tour statistics (yes, finally a list of all Jimmy Page’s guitars and amplifiers in one place!), discography of the final album Coda, and a listing of notes and sources.
An added bonus: The limited hardback first edition is individually numbered, certified and signed by the author.
This extraordinary book is a must-have for Led Zeppelin fans, be they born well past the last year of Led Zeppelin’s final performance or of an age with the band members today. If you were there, this will bring back fond memories. If you weren’t, this is the next best thing. If you don’t already have your copy, get one immediately!
