The title is misleading I do not mean to discuss the links between songwriting and mysticism or mythology. This is more about songs that take on a mystic property. This thought came while watching a clip of "Stairway To Heaven" from Led Zeppelin's recent concert in the O2 arena in London. While the gig received great reviews ninety nine percent of the critics agreed that they made a mess of Stairway. As much as it pains me to admit it they were right, stairway was definitely sub standard for the biggest selling band of all time.
This let loose a train of thought, this is the third time that Led Zep have played Stairway live since John Bonham's death, and all three times it wasn't right. At Live Aid Page's guitar was out of tune, at the Atlantic Records anniversary concert there performance up till they attempted Stairway was great. And recently at the O2 gig it just didn't sound right, I'm not musically talented enough to say that Page was hitting flat notes or Plant's pitch was too high. But it sounded angrier, rougher not Stairway like. The original and the live versions that are available all sound so relaxed and calm. But at the O2 it was like they were just playing it to get it out of the way. Thats what I think anyway.
The song itself seems to have taken on this mystic property though. Ask any Led Zep nut and you'll hear that there is just something to the song, it seems to have a property or effect that goes beyond mere music. It has the greatest guitar solo ever, written by arguably two of the greatest song writers ever and on one of the biggest selling albums of all time. This song seems to have taken on its own identity independent of the minds that created it.
The band once considered dropping the song from the album, until they played it live at a show in Belfast. The crowd reaction let them know that the song was something special. It was, it has become one of the most famous and loved songs of all time. It seems to resist attempts to be played live without John Bonham. It gives the song that something extra that puts it beyond being a classic.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
well its the 'sum of its parts being greater than the whole' isn't it?
That went by a little fast....what you mean?
your talking about why the song doesn't work without all the band members even though the remaining ones are great and I'm just wondering if its a 'sum of its parts' idea....
But its just that song....All the rest of them are perfect....There just seems to be something about stairway
could it just be 'that' song - as you point out there is 'something' about that song that makes it great above and beyond the rest - so does it 'need' all the band in concert to work?
I dunno....I'll ask Jimmy Page next time I'm talking to him :P....But it does seem that there is something to the song beyond just playing the notes
Interesting to know.
Post a Comment