Jimmy Page: Magus Musician Man – An Unuthorized Biography
by George Case

Adequate, if inconclusive, cutand- paste job

There was the time when rock books described as ‘cut-and-paste jobs’ fell neatly into a quick trawl through the cuttings category. In today’s internet world, such a description has a more comprehensive and perhaps credible edge, with this new Page biography a prime case in point.

By his own admission, Case had little inclination to research the subject beyond reading up on countless Page-related articles and books. He does a fairly admirable job in chronicling Page’s history from his early beat group experiences, through The Yardbirds era on to Zeppelin’s mega-stardom, and the stop-start meanderings of his post-Zep career. The strands of the young guitarist’s rarely documented early days are brought together well, but Case is less impressive during the standard relay of the Zeppelin years. Some sloppy errors creep in, with the celebrated Electric Magic 1971 Wembley gigs being dubbed ‘Electric Circus’, while Freddie Mercury’s death is dated 1993, two years after the event.

The more controversial issues that might aid understanding of Page’s psyche are skated over: his late 70s drug dependence, the mis-match of ventures with Paul Rodgers and David Coverdale, and his complex relationship with Robert Plant remain unprobed. Magus Musician Man stands as an inconclusive, study.

ISBN 101423404076

Reviewed by Dave Lewis
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