Disclaimer: Many people think this book sucks. It was written by Led Zeppelin’s long-time tour manager, who does self-promote throughout this book. Stairway to Heaven is not really about the music, but more about the band’s off-stage antics while on tour (including the infamous “Mud Shark” incident).

All I can say is that I first read this book when I was about 15, and it was the coolest thing I’d ever read. It made me want to be a rock star and destroy hotel rooms and have my way with groupies. What more could you want from a book?

The Book: Stairway to Heaven: Led Zeppelin Uncensored
The Author: Richard Cole
The Run-Down: No one knew Led Zeppelin like Richard Cole. The band’s tour manager for more than a decade, Cole was there when they burst onto the music scene, achieved cult status, cut platinum records, and transformed popular music. Second only to the Beatles in sales for years, Led Zeppelin was rock’s premier group. But unlike the boys from Liverpool, the excitement of this band”s music was matched by the fever pitch of their antics on and off the stage….

In hotel rooms and stadiums, in a customized private Boeing 707 jet and country estates, Richard Cole saw it all — and here he tells it all in this close-up, down-and-dirty, no-holds-barred account that records the highs, the lows, and the occasional in-betweens. This revised edition brings fans up to date on the band members’ lives and careers, which may be a little quieter now, but their songs remain the same.

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