Customer Review: Coldplay rocks!
I borrowed this book from a friend and I'm buying my own copy after reading about what is the complex group of individuals known as Coldplay. I was very perturbed at the few mentions of how much Chris Martin was teased as a kid because people believed he was gay (so what if it was the case, which it isn't?) and how critics continue to put down the most original group that has graced music in about a decade. I'm also a bit tired of hearing the wisecracks about Martin's looks (I think the man is cute and very charming, along with the rest of Coldplay). The first Coldplay song I heard on the radio was "Clocks" (from "A Rush of Blood to the Head") and I, at first, thought it was a new U2 single (not realizing, until I read this book, that Coldplay idolizes U2). I was hooked from then on. I recently sat down and listened to the entire "X&Y" album again and appreciate their songwriting and vocal abilities more than ever. The group is a welcomed breath of fresh air in this day and age of corporate "music" (undertalented and overexposed starlets doubling as singers, rappers rapping over drum machines calling women every derogatory name in the book and videos being nothing more than glorified porno film shorts). Phil O'Brien exposed Coldplay for what they really are: A complex group of individuals who value their art and their talent is appreciated (screw the naysayers!).
Customer Review: I wish I could give it even more stars
I'm a little old for a Coldplay fan (53), but I "discovered" them when I watched them play at Live8 in July 2005. Chris Martin is far from "boring" as this book attests. He's interesting, smart, funny, complex, deep and - yes - a nice guy who can get in touch with his feelings and express them beautifully in his wonderful songs. I was already a fan of Chris' wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, and was glad to see that the book dealt with the relationship. It made me dislike the "STALKerazzi" even more. Vultures! The book really told me a lot that I was dying to know about the band, especially their charismatic frontman. I highly recommend it.
Rock music fans wept from heartbreak on September 25, 1980. On that date, John Bonham, the talented drummer for the band Led Zeppelin, died from symptoms caused by an alcohol overdose, and concluded the reign of musics greatest heavy metal band. While the story of Led Zeppelin rightfully revolves around the bands music and their antics on and off stage, Led Zeppelin posters also have a firm place in rock history. The bands contribution to the image of rock music as portrayed through the bands posters was monumental. Led Zeppelin took rock and blues influences to new heights with their music, and captured the imagination of a generation with their poster art.
There are so many great Led Zeppelin posters; it's tough to pick a favorite. Certainly, one of the best would be the Swansong poster art of Apollo (not Icarus) above the runes. The composition is so simple, but the emotional power behind the art is undeniable. Of course, Apollo's mane of hair makes it a rock poster classic. While the meaning of the runes is still subject to debate this day, depending on your source, the most widely accepted version is that each member chose a symbol to represent them on the album cover. Robert Plant's symbol of a feather in a circle comes from an ancient mythical Mu civilization, and represents truth for Plant. John Bonham's rune of the three interlocking circles has a mysterious origin, but Plant has said that he thought it implied the trilogy of man, woman and child (or it was the emblem of Ballantine Beer inverted). John Paul Jones's symbol of a circle overlaying three ovals represents unity and family. The meaning of Jimmy Page's "zoso" symbol has not been disclosed to the public.
Some mistakenly attribute the symbols and runes on Led Zeppelin posters to an involvement by one or more band members in cults or alternative religions, and delusional rumors about satanic subliminal messages in the Stairway to Heaven played backwards have been spread for years. Though, these wild accusations often show that their fundamentalist accusers were more warped than the band. While many Led Zeppelin songs do demonstrate an attempt by the band to put people in touch with their spiritual or mystical sensitivities, nothing the band produced conflicted with basic Judean-Christian philosophies. The Led Zeppelin poster Writhing Angel should evidence the bands belief in the struggle of good against evil. Listen to Led Zeppelin yourself. You will find the lyrics to Immigrant Song, The Battle of Evermore and Whole Lotta Love and any others, are just pure rock.
Led Zeppelin hypnotized a generation around the world with powerful rock anthems. They synthesized wild combinations of musical influences and defined hard rock for the 1970's. Despite the fact that the band has produced a magnificent collection of poster art, it is interesting to note that the "plane photo" poster of the four band members in front of their airplane is still one of the most widely demanded rock music posters. In the same stature as the Beatles and Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin fans will not let go of this band. Their music means too much. In the end, the tremendous weight of success was too much for drummer John Bonham. But even with his passing, we can still buy the Stairway to Heaven. Maybe that's enough for this life.
In addition to being a collector of Led Zeppelin posters and a lifelong fan of the band and its music, Rock is the editor and publisher of Rock Poster Review. For more poster reviews, news and rumors about your favorite artists, please visit http://www.rockposterreview.com.
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