A newly published book runs through Led Zeppelin’s discography in detail, showcasing information like alternate covers and matrix numbers.
“The Ultimate Guide to Led Zeppelin Original Albums” by Yasuichiro Shimbo was published in Japan on September 26.
The 144-page book, which is written entirely in Japanese, runs through all of Led Zeppelin’s albums and showcases key details such as the labels of different international pressings and key matrix numbers that indicate different pressings.
The book can be purchased through Amazon Japan and Disk Union.
“This book comprehensively introduces all of the original US, UK, and Japanese vinyl records released under the band’s name,” the book’s description on Shinko Music reads, according to a translation. “With abundant photographs, it presents the jackets, labels, inner sleeves, and matrix number engravings in an encyclopedic style, while analyzing and explaining the characteristics of each record in detail. A must-have, meticulously crafted record guide for Led Zeppelin fans!”
“Led Zeppelin’s popularity in Japan is incredibly high due to their two legendary tours in Japan,” Shimbo tells LedZepNews. “Japanese fans also continue to respect the band for what they did in Hiroshima.”
According to Shimbo, the book’s extreme detail could be due to what he refers to as “Japanese ethnicity.”
The book features details of every Led Zeppelin album
“There is a virtue in paying attention to detail,” he explains. “But there are people in London who are familiar with Blue Note Records, so it’s not that strange.”
“Although it is not a book written in English, fortunately the proportion of text is small and most of it consists of colour photographs,” he adds. “Nowadays, it is not difficult to translate using Google.”
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AloJapan.com