The 12 days of Zeppelin: The band in pictures

On the sixth day of Zeppelin, my true love gave to me:
"Good Times Bad Times: A Visual Biography of the Ultimate Band" by Ralph Hulett and Jerry Prochnicky

There's been no shortage of photo books documenting the run of Led Zeppelin from 1968 to 1980, but one of the new entries in that category may just be an essential addition to the genre. That's the 216-page "Good Times Bad Times: A Visual Biography of the Ultimate Band," which assembles about 200 stills from about 64 different photographers delivering every side of the band: their onstage presence, their home lives and their homes away from home.

Certainly with Led Zeppelin, their image is central to the appeal of the band. No matter if Led Zeppelin was performing in a small club or a large outdoor festival, the visions of Robert Plant preening with a microphone and Jimmy Page marching with his guitar captivate an audience just as much as does the music.

So wrongly called "the quiet one," John Paul Jones livens up the book as he plays mandolin in a particularly memorable shot with his wife and daughters at home in England.

John Bonham's appearance is never better typified than when he is seen wearing a Snoopy shirt with the words, "I wish I could bite somebody ... I need a release from my inner tensions!"

Samples from the book:

Led Zeppelin explored Japan's culture with great enthusiasm. All the members bought cameras and had a field day with them. Here, Page and Plant are totally engrossed in the task at hand. "Led Zeppelin: Good Times, Bad Times"; Abrams, 2009; photo credit Koh Hasebe / Shinko Music Archives

May 12, 1969. When he heard Led Zeppelin play for the first time in California, photographer Robert Knight was blown away and quickly helped them secure a gig in Hawaii. When the band got off the plane in Honolulu, Knight took pictures of them clutching reel-to-reel boxes that no doubt contained the works-in-progress that would become Led Zeppelin II. Knight recalled, "I met the band at the airport, with a VW and camera bag. I got some terrific shots of them at the house they rented at Diamond Head -- learning to surf, strolling the beach, and other very mad behavior." "Led Zeppelin: Good Times, Bad Times"; Abrams, 2009; photo credit Robert M. Knight

Photographer Ron Raffaelli worked with Led Zeppelin mostly in 1969, accompanying the band on several European and U.S. tours and documenting sessions for Led Zeppelin II at Quantum Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Primarily, though, he's known for his striking images of Zeppelin taken at his Hollywood studio. Here, he was able to bring out the spontaneous individuality of the band members while also illustrating the group's unity. "Led Zeppelin: Good Times, Bad Times"; Abrams, 2009; photo credit Ron Raffaelli / www.mobiusgallery.net

Check out this full review of "Good Times Bad Times: A Visual Biography of the Ultimate Band" as posted on LedZeppelinNews.com prior to the book's publication in October.