"The picture of Jeff Beck and Robert Plant was one of the first rock'n'roll photos I ever took. It was written a year before I graduated from high school, in 1969. There were a number of concerts going on in Queens, and I knew the organizers. It was a Jeff Beck concert and I was standing around backstage. Vanilla Fudge were also on the schedule, and while they were on stage, Jeff Beck came through the backstage area, along with a blonde guy who I wasn't sure who he was. I took a few pictures. And of course, a short time later I realized that it was Robert Plant. And I know Jimmy Page was there too, because a friend of mine took a picture of him. But I really didn't know much about Led Zeppelin, but I knew everything about Jeff Beck."

"So this is simply a picture of Robert Plant accompanying Jeff Beck to a Jeff Beck concert. Later that evening, Robert went on stage and sang along with Rod Steward, who was Jeff Beck's singer at the time."

"This picture gives a glimpse of what it was like before millions of security guys were everywhere and managers and agents and so on...!" - NEAL



Neal Preston - Exhilarated and Exhausted

BOOK TIP

Neal Preston is one of the greatest rock photographers of all time. "Exhilarated and Exhausted" is an unrestricted retrospective of his 40-year career. This was produced in collaboration with Neal and is the first time he has granted unrestricted access to his legendary archive – it is considered one of the most important and extensive photo collections in the music industry. This extraordinary band is a who's who of rock kings.

Neal has been the official tour photographer for Led Zeppelin, Queen, Bruce Springsteen and The Who, and has also photographed extensively the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson and many more.

The book includes his portraits, backstage moments, live performances, post-performance highs and lows, and outtakes. Neal's photographs vibrate with a palpable and inimitable intensity. Neal is a true insider, and the images are brought to life by his liner text – a stunning insight into life as a rock 'n' roll photographer on tour.