Led Zeppelin: The Only Way Is Up – Book Review
Published by Lansdowne Books
Another look at Led Zeppelin — this time it’s not a record, but a book. And not just any book.
This is Led Zeppelin: The Only Way Is Up by Richard Morton Jack, published by Lansdowne Books, and it is absolutely huge. We’re talking 350 pages of pure rock ‘n’ roll archaeology.
But here’s the fascinating part — this book doesn’t tell the whole Led Zeppelin story. It stops just as Led Zeppelin II is released. Everything before that — from the ashes of The Yardbirds to the band’s first flights across the globe — is explored in forensic detail.
The Birth of a Legend, Told Day by Day
When I first saw this advertised, I assumed it was another “career-spanning” Zeppelin biography. But I was wrong. This is an entirely new way of telling their story.
What Richard Morton Jack has done here is assemble almost every single piece of press coverage Led Zeppelin received between 1968 and 1969 — from local newspapers and fanzines to international features — and present it all chronologically, day by day.
It’s not just a biography, it’s a time machine. You can trace the excitement as four young musicians — Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham — form a band that would change everything.
The book begins with Jimmy Page’s birth on 9 January 1944, and from there the timeline unfolds in incredible depth. There are hundreds of unseen clippings, ads, and gig listings — including ones from my own neck of the woods around Birmingham.
One of the real personal moments for me came when I spotted a 1967 listing from the Birmingham Evening Mail announcing Robert Plant and the Band of Joy playing at The Wheatsheaf, a pub in Sheldon — about a 10-minute walk from where I grew up! I was only eight at the time, far too young to go, but just knowing that gig happened right there was amazing to know.
A Rock and Roll Detective Story
This book has clearly taken years to compile, and it shows. Morton Jack has the patience and precision of a detective — unearthing forgotten gig posters, lost interviews, obscure features, and long-buried news reports.
The result is something totally unique: a day-by-day account of how Led Zeppelin built their reputation before the world even realised what was happening.
There’s also a superb foreword by Chris Welch, who covered the band throughout their career and gives valuable first-hand context to how Zeppelin operated and how close he became to them as a journalist.
As the pages turn, you can feel the shift — from the last echoes of the British blues boom to the dawn of something entirely new. Reading it, you understand just how young they were — Bonham was 21, Jones 20, and Robert Plant still finding his voice — yet they were about to unleash something that would define the next decade.
Why This Book is Different
I’ve read countless Zeppelin books over the years, and like many of you, I’ve seen Classic Rock magazine covers and documentaries re-telling the story again and again. But this is different.
This is a primary source history, not a re-telling. It’s as if someone has opened a secret archive and said, “Here — read the news as it happened.”
- The detail is extraordinary:
- Rare local reviews of early gigs.
- Promotional ads for debut concerts.
- Reactions to the release of Led Zeppelin I.
- Press reactions from across Europe and America.
- It’s the closest you’ll get to feeling what it was like to be there — reading about the band as they exploded onto the scene.
And then, just as Led Zeppelin II appears — the book stops. That’s it. Curtain down.
Which raises the exciting question: will there be a Volume Two?
A Monumental Piece of Work
At around £65, this is a premium publication — but it’s worth every penny. The quality of the paper, the clarity of the reproductions, and the meticulous referencing make it not just a book, but a collector’s archive.
For Zeppelin fans, this sits at the top of the mountain. There’s nothing else like it.
It made me pull Led Zeppelin I off the shelf and play it again. And although it didn’t sound different — it felt different. Suddenly, I could see what was behind it — the people, the places, the press buzz, the energy.
There’s an emotional core to this book. It captures the wonder of a time when everything was new — before the myths, before the legends, when four young musicians were changing music forever.
So, if you’re looking for the ultimate Christmas gift for a Zeppelin fan — or for yourself — The Only Way Is Up is essential.
Absolutely brilliant, deeply researched, and utterly immersive.
There really is only one way to fly — and this is your manual.
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
