The First Review

By Steve Sauer, www.LedZeppelinNews.com
Tuesday, December 15, 2009

On the ninth day of Zeppelin, my true love gave to me:
A how-to guide to Led Zeppelin's complete existence

Have you ever wondered just how Led Zeppelin ever happened? Whether life is directed by free will, or by the determined hand of an interested higher power, or by a never-ending random collision of molecules, the four-man and one-time-only collaboration known as Led Zeppelin did take place. The group did what it did, achieved what it achieved, and essentially played no more since 1980. Even with the realization that the circumstances that allowed Led Zeppelin to flourish at the time it did can never be repeated as, simply, times have changed, there is a lot to be learned from everything this band did over time, everything the band was about.

Kevin Courtright is perhaps the first person ever to approach Led Zeppelin's achievements as a finite list of lessons that can be passed on to hopeful musicians of the present and future. If there was ever another publication that attempts what "Back to Schoolin': What Led Zeppelin Taught Me About Music" accomplishes in about 400 pages, it hasn't landed on my shelf. This book isn't another unnecessary biography of the band. He leaves recasting the history to those who've already written it. What Courtright tells here, in a very logical and neatly structured organization of topics, is exactly what musicians can and should glean from knowing anything and everything about the band.

Led Zeppelin's story begins as two sets of virtuoso musicians who were strangers to one another met and promptly started checking things off the to-do list of the one who brought them together. Now already, I've hit upon several things that need to be analyzed further. Inherent within this statement are a lot of facts. The group consisted of four people; that's one. All four people were virtuoso musicians. Two knew each other, and two others knew each other, but neither half knew the other. One person, the founder, had preexisting notions of what could be achieved in this group setting. Only with the entire assemblage of all four could those things be tackled. And once that congregation was formed, their success in meeting or exceeding those goals was almost immediate.

The above paragraph is only my crude way of pinpointing some of the important lessons that can be observed without overlooking a single intertwined detail. Courtright's technique, which is much better undertaken than mine, is to dissect every aspect of the Led Zeppelin story in a unique and sensible format. The topics of his 32 distinct chapters spanning about 400 pages range from the band's collective and individual musical diversity, the art of improvisation, their use of dynamics, their use of tempos, and other areas not about the music but the presentation of it.

Lest we believe there is little to be learned from the procedure of titling an album, Courtright begs us to think again. He explains how the look of the albums resulted from a concerted focus on symbolism and mysterious imagery, preferred over group photos; how the creation of demand came about as a combination of perfectly timed tours and rare media interaction; the contributing ingredients to Led Zeppelin's success in the music business; and just why the band's influence is so lasting.

For each one of the 32 subject areas covered in this book, Courtright details Led Zeppelin's methods, what their achievements meant to him as an impressionable youth first turned on to their music, and how this can -- or in some instances cannot -- relate to any budding musical career in today's climate. I say "cannot" because, as Courtright allows: "[J]ust know that the tactics used by [Peter] Grant and Zeppelin are innovative and successful for them in that time, and any lack of compatibility with today is only indicative of how corrupt, controlled and crushing the industry has become. However, I maintain that with a 'grass-roots' movement of like-minded musicians, utilizing today's technology which does in fact afford some level of autonomy, the trend can potentially be turned back to an at least reasonably equitable state for today's artists."

This book is not a template for success in the music world. Billy Squier, Whitesnake, Kingdom Come and Bonham may have all had their time on the charts, but none was able to do what Led Zeppelin did or enjoy anything close to that kind of lasting power. It simply cannot be repeated intentionally. Still, if the idea that the band's existence can be summed up in a logical way across 400 pages appeals to the aspiring young musician you just know could be the next Jimmy Page, this is the right book for that person. This book will ensure that person seeks out the next Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham.

Basically, if you learned something from reading last month's Web gem of eight lessons in creativity and productivity as gleaned from Led Zeppelin, you ain't seen nothing yet. Kevin Courtright is gonna send you back to schoolin'.

Whole Lotta Love

Led Zeppelin

"Back to Schoolin'" by Kevin Courtright

Led Zeppelin. As with most things in life, these words hold different meaning(s) to everyone who reads them. For some, that meaning may be simply "The premiere rock band of the 1970's"; for others "Four excellent musicians whose music defines a generation"; for yet others "The very apex of rock and roll excess and debauchery." As for me, though the meanings above have at one time or another spilled from my lips, I never could have imagined that the meaning "The first and most important music teachers I've been privileged to have", would find utterance.
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"Converting" to the music of Zeppelin as a teenager in approximately 1978, I am certainly ignorant of the fact that my quickly growing obsession with the band from that point on actually entails a subconscious absorption of information concerning music and the music business that will one day manifest in my own burgeoning musical career. This manifestation is at once subtle, and obvious. The subtlety reveals itself to me when, after repeated listenings of a particular piece I've written, I come to discover particular shadings, colorings or other such elements have subconsciously found their way into my work which I first hear in Zeppelin's. The more obvious manifestations are when conscious "borrowings" from Zeppelin are employed in my music--a practice that any Zeppelin fan knows is common within Zeppelin's own music. This same scenario finds manifestation in my approach to the presentation of my music (album covers, album titles, etc.), as well as the business approach I utilize with my music. So, whether it is the music itself, the presentation of that music, or the marketing strategy within the confines of the music business, I am indebted to Zeppelin in a multiplicity of ways.
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Once I fully realize this indebtedness, I become eager to share what I've learned. The most practical way to do this is to write it down in book form. Thus, Back to Schoolin': What Led Zeppelin Taught Me About Music, is my expression of musical indebtedness to Zeppelin, with the express purpose of passing on a wealth of information and wisdom that I have been pleased to receive over the years to whomever may be teachable enough to likewise reap the benefits. This book is testament to the wonders of both a band of extraordinary power and purpose, as well as the less-than-obvious way in which they have impacted one musician. My gratitude knows no bounds.

http://www.amazon.com/Back-Schoolin-Zeppelin-Taught-About/dp/1615790454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259189109&sr=8-1