LED ZEPPELIN - "Stairway to Heaven"

Led Zeppelin
"Stairway to Heaven"
Promotional single (US)
Released: 1972
Album: Led Zeppelin IV (Released: 8 November 1971)
Writers: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Label: Atlantic

"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album (often referred to as Led Zeppelin IV). It is often referred to as one of the greatest rock songs of all time. Radio stations received promotional singles which quickly became collector's items.

Led Zeppelin's promotional single: "Stairway to Heaven" (1972)

Led Zeppelin - "Stairway to Heaven" (Vinyl 45 rpm)

"Stairway to Heaven" was voted #3 in 2000 by VH1 on its list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs, and was placed at number 31 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". It was the most requested song on FM radio stations in the United States in the 1970s, despite never having been officially released as a single there. In November 2007, through download sales promoting Led Zeppelin's Mothership release, "Stairway to Heaven" hit No. 37 on the UK Singles Chart.

The song has three sections, each one progressively increasing in tempo and volume. It starts as a slow acoustic-based folk melody accompanied by recorders before introducing electric instrumentation. The final section is an uptempo hard rock arrangement highlighted by Page's intricate guitar solo accompanying Plant's vocals that end with the plaintive a cappella line: "And she's buying a stairway to heaven".

Led Zeppelin.s promotional single: "Stairway to Heaven" 

Led Zepellin - "Stairway to Heaven" (music video)

Robert Plant spent much of the '70s answering questions about the lyrics he wrote for "Stairway." When asked why the song was so popular, he said it could be its "abstraction," adding, "Depending on what day it is, I still interpret the song a different way - and I wrote the lyrics."

The lyrics take some pretty wild turns, but the beginning of the song is about a woman who accumulates money, only to find out the hard way her life had no meaning and will not get her into heaven. This is the only part Plant would really explain, as he said it was "a woman getting everything she wanted without giving anything back."

Led Zeppelin played this for the first time in Belfast on March 5, 1971 - Northern Ireland was a war zone at the time and there was rioting in nearby streets. John Paul Jones said in an audio documentary that when they played it, the audience was not that impressed. They wanted to hear something they knew - like "

Led Zeppelin - "Stairway to Heaven" (live at Madison Square Garden)

Led Zeppelin (l - r: John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page)

The song got a better reception when the band started the US leg of their tour. In an excerpt from Led Zeppelin; The Definitive Biography by Ritchie Yorke, Jimmy Page said of playing the song at an August, 1971 show at the Los Angeles Forum: "I'm not saying the whole audience gave us a standing ovation - but there was this sizable standing ovation there. And I thought, 'This is incredible because no one's heard this number yet. This is the first time hearing it!' It obviously touched them, so I knew there was something with that one."

Line-up / Musicians:

Jimmy Page - acoustic, electric guitar, and electric 12-string guitar
Robert Plant - lead vocals, tambourine
John Paul Jones - recorders, electric piano, mellotron, bass guitar
John Bonham - drums

Link / Review:
wikipedia: Stairway to Heaven
songfacts: Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
rollingstone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time - Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven"
ultimateclassicrock: Jimmy Page Talks About Making ‘Stairway to Heaven’
metalmusicarchives: Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

LED ZEPPELIN - "Kashmir"

Led Zeppelin
"Kashmir"
Album: Physical Graffiti
Released: 24 February 1975
Writers: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Bonham
Label: Swan Song

"Kashmir" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their sixth album Physical Graffiti, released in 1975. It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (with contributions from John Bonham) over a period of three years with lyrics dating to 1973. The song became a concert staple, being performed by the band at almost every concert since its release. Page and Plant released a longer live version, recorded with an Egyptian/Moroccan orchestra, on No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded (1994) and continued to perform the song with an orchestra on their 1995 tour.

The original title was "Driving To Kashmir

Led Zeppelin's album: Physical Graffitti
(photo courtesy of Swan Song)

Led Zeppelin - "Kashmir" (from the album Physical Graffiti)

The song runs for 8:28, a length that radio stations usually consider too long to play. However, upon its release, radio stations aired "Kashmir", especially after seeing "Stairway to Heaven", which was almost as long, do so well.

The song includes many distinctive musical patterns of classical Moroccan, Indian and Middle Eastern music. Page explained, "I had a sitar for some time and I was interested in modal tunings and Arabic stuff. It started off with a riff and then employed Eastern lines underneath."

The lyrics were written by Plant in 1973 immediately after Led Zeppelin's 1973 US Tour, in an area he called "the waste lands" of Southern Morocco, while driving from Goulimine to Tantan in the Sahara Desert. This was despite the fact that the song is named after Kashmir, a region in the northwestern part of the Himalayas.

In an interview he gave to William S. Burroughs in 1975, Page mentioned that at the time the song was composed, none of the band members had ever been to Kashmir.

Orchestral brass and strings with electric guitar and mellotron strings appear in the song. This is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs to use outside musicians. Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections. According to Jones, "the secret of successful keyboard string parts is to play only the parts that a real string section would play. That is, one line for the First Violins, one line for Second Violins, one for Violas, one for Cellos, one for Basses. Some divided parts [two or more notes to a line] are allowed, but keep them to a minimum. Think melodically".

Led Zeppelin - "Kashmir" (music video)

Led Zeppelin's performance, 1975
(Photo by Mick Gold / Redferns - rollingstone.com)

"Kashmir" was played live at almost every Led Zeppelin concert from its debut in 1975. One live version, from Led Zeppelin's performance at Knebworth in 1979, is featured on disc 2 of the Led Zeppelin DVD. This performance came from the band's first show at the venue on 4 August. The surviving members also performed the song at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert in 1988. It was again performed at Led Zeppelin's reunion show at the The O₂, London on 10 December 2007 and later released on Celebration Day. That concert's rendition of the song, due to its appearance in the film, has been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance at the 56th Grammys.

Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" on Celebration Day project

Led Zeppelin - "Kashmir" (Celebration Day)

Page and Plant recorded another live version of "Kashmir" in 1994, released on their album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded. For this arrangement, they added an orchestra and Egyptian musicians.

All four members of Led Zeppelin have agreed that "Kashmir" is one of their best musical achievements. John Paul Jones suggested that it showcases all of the elements that made up the Led Zeppelin sound. Plant has stated that "Kashmir" is the "definitive Led Zeppelin song",and that it "was one of my favourite [Led] Zeppelin tracks because it possessed all the latent energy and power that wasn't heavy metal. It was something else. It was the pride of Led Zeppelin." During a television interview in January 2008, he also named "Kashmir" as his first choice of all Led Zeppelin songs that he would perform, commenting "I'm most proud of that one". Page has indicated he thinks that the song is one of the band's best compositions.

Led Zeppelin - "Kashmir" (Earl's Court Arena, 1975)

Peter Grant: "I remember Bonzo having me listen to the demo of 'Kashmir' with only him and Jimmy. It was fantastic. What's funny is that after a first recording of the song, we found it sounded a bit like a dirge. We were in Paris, we had Atlantic listen to it, and we all thought it really sounded like a dirge. So Richard (Cole) was sent to Southall in London to find a Pakistanese orchestra. Jonesy put it all together and the final result was exactly what was needed. He was an exceptional arranger." 

Kashmir, also known as Cashmere, is a lush mountain region North of Pakistan. India and Pakistan have disputed control of the area for years. The fabric Cashmere is made from the hair of goats from the region. The area is also famous for growing poppies, from which heroin is made. 

Line-up / Musicians:

Jimmy Page – lead guitar
Robert Plant – lead vocals
John Paul Jones – bass guitar, mellotron, strings and brass arrangements
John Bonham – drums
With:
Uncredited musicians - strings and brass

Links / Reviews: 
wikipedia: Kashmir (song)
songfacts: Kashmir by Led Zeppelin
allmusic: kashmir - led zeppelin
rollingstone: The 40 Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs of All Time
ultimateclassicrock: led-zeppelin-kashmir-live-song-review