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Robert Plant's 80s Coca Cola Commercial


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Why? His purpose for doing so was to reach a wider audience. I don't see why that's something he should be embarrassed about.

Hi 9,

Because people that were in too Rock Music in general and Led Zeppelin in particular viewed it as a sell out to commercialism, as you well know, something that Rock and Roll fans were against in the very beginning, when it all started it was about a social and music revolution, but as people got older and greedier some would take awards, medals, and honours, we shouldnt be so surprised though should we, that they give up their or our principles, when there are so many $ £ € up for grabs hey?

The tradergy is this though, after writing the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven it seems that Robert will not be able to climb that Stairway as "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a RICHMAN to enter the Kingdom of Heaven" unless he goes on one hell of a diet that is. :lol:

Hats off to Keith Richards and Peter Green and that ilk for not selling out on their principles. :beer:

Regards, Danny

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Talk about "sell out to commercialism".

scan0007.jpg

:rolleyes:

I thought that was beyond extreme in the odd category. Jimmy could have played anywhere, with anybody,

for anyone at all and he chose the stock market. As the song goes, it really makes me wonder.

Alot of zep fans at the time looked down on robert when this came out. Zeppelin was the only band that refused to do interviews with the press. All other bands were chomping at the bit for any press attention, therefore free advertising yet zeppelin pretty much refused to do them. They let their music speak for itself, not alot of hype and press bs. It put them, in yet another way, above and beyond all other rock and roll bands.

Then Zep stops flying and robert goes solo. So, at the time robert it sort of known as a mister mysterious and then - bam. PEPSI which is the ultimate sellout to Popdom.

And going over to Popdom is a sellout to where he came from. Sorry, Robert but that's how many view it.

Also heard rumors that he sold his zep rights and that he needed the bucks, but i never believed that one.

Never knew Robert claimed that the reason he did it was to reach a broader audience. If that was the reason wouldn't he choose a different song than one that sounds alot like his old band?? Interesting. Also everyone at the time knew Led Zeppelin regardless of which music you listened to.

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Then Zep stops flying and robert goes solo. So, at the time robert it sort of known as a mister mysterious and then - bam. PEPSI which is the ultimate sellout to Popdom.

And going over to Popdom is a sellout to where he came from. Sorry, Robert but that's how many view it.

PEPSI? Where? :P

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That commercial sadly confirms that David Coverdale wasn't the biggest Robert Plant clone in the late 80's but Plant himself.

This was a time when Robert was claiming to be fresh, hot, vital, & his musical integrity fully intact moreso than anytime before. Well, watch the commercial & you be the judge. At the time when that commercial was made MTV still played videos, Classic Rock to Classic/Modern Rock stations still existed & were the largest market on radio, & you couldn't get on a cover on most of the respected music magazines if you weren't already well established. A wider audience is what Robert was trying to reach? Lol, yeah right. Older artists do commercials TODAY because of the lack of medium to reach a wider audience. Everyone still watches TV but other outlets are more genre specific which was not the case back then. This was a case of taking the money & running, which I don't have a problem with but call it like it is. Robert at that time was going through some kind of midlife crisis if anyone couldn't tell, constantly congradulateing himself & speaking in terms of youth, slagging off his past anytime a microphone was in reach, & trying to stay current. It was as sad as watching a middle aged guy thinking he was relevant in a college aged bar.

Thankfully he's over that. In the 2000's he is all the things he claimed he was in the late 80's & parts of the 90's while accepting he's not a young man anymore. He's going about his career in a manner that he should be proud of & he's making great music, but that time period... ewwww.

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Hello All!

IMHO, my admiration for them not to move forward without Bonzo spoke of their belief of leaving the Led Zeppelin legacy.

The eighties changed totally from the seventies. Disco was in full bloom. Music was changing drastically and not for the better. Very few great bands came along in the 80's verses the late 60's and 70's.

I personally thought the commercial was good. I didn't feel it was a sell out. Robert has always stated he is about moving forward. If you look at his body of work, he has held his integrity to the blues!

Page and Coverdale, I still think they did a lot of great work together. This is my story and I'm sticking to it :peace:

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I thought that was beyond extreme in the odd category. Jimmy could have played anywhere, with anybody,

for anyone at all and he chose the stock market. As the song goes, it really makes me wonder.

Alot of zep fans at the time looked down on robert when this came out. Zeppelin was the only band that refused to do interviews with the press. All other bands were chomping at the bit for any press attention, therefore free advertising yet zeppelin pretty much refused to do them. They let their music speak for itself, not alot of hype and press bs. It put them, in yet another way, above and beyond all other rock and roll bands.

Then Zep stops flying and robert goes solo. So, at the time robert it sort of known as a mister mysterious and then - bam. PEPSI which is the ultimate sellout to Popdom.

And going over to Popdom is a sellout to where he came from. Sorry, Robert but that's how many view it.

Also heard rumors that he sold his zep rights and that he needed the bucks, but i never believed that one.

Never knew Robert claimed that the reason he did it was to reach a broader audience. If that was the reason wouldn't he choose a different song than one that sounds alot like his old band?? Interesting. Also everyone at the time knew Led Zeppelin regardless of which music you listened to.

That commercial sadly confirms that David Coverdale wasn't the biggest Robert Plant clone in the late 80's but Plant himself.

This was a time when Robert was claiming to be fresh, hot, vital, & his musical integrity fully intact moreso than anytime before. Well, watch the commercial & you be the judge. At the time when that commercial was made MTV still played videos, Classic Rock to Classic/Modern Rock stations still existed & were the largest market on radio, & you couldn't get on a cover on most of the respected music magazines if you weren't already well established. A wider audience is what Robert was trying to reach? Lol, yeah right. Older artists do commercials TODAY because of the lack of medium to reach a wider audience. Everyone still watches TV but other outlets are more genre specific which was not the case back then. This was a case of taking the money & running, which I don't have a problem with but call it like it is. Robert at that time was going through some kind of midlife crisis if anyone couldn't tell, constantly congradulateing himself & speaking in terms of youth, slagging off his past anytime a microphone was in reach, & trying to stay current. It was as sad as watching a middle aged guy thinking he was relevant in a college aged bar.

Thankfully he's over that. In the 2000's he is all the things he claimed he was in the late 80's & parts of the 90's while accepting he's not a young man anymore. He's going about his career in a manner that he should be proud of & he's making great music, but that time period... ewwww.

I hear what both of you are saying but I don't see it that way. Robert himself stated in an MTV interview with Kurt Loder why he did the Coke commercial and he also commented he was well aware of what Neil Young said about selling out and such and my impression was the decision Robert made was not some spur of the moment thing - that he did weigh out both sides of how people would react. BUT - times change. It was the 80s. Music changed and how music was being marketed and utilised was changing. I've read and heard a number of interviews during that period and I don't recall Robert slagging his past off. I think he tried to divert the discussion because he was re-establishing himself as a solo artist and focusing on the past wasn't necessary. Robert has always been immensely proud of his work in Zep but why he's faulted because he wanted to explore different musical directions post Zep is beyond me. Should he have just churned out Zep sounding material with various back up bands for the last 30 years? I dunno, not caring for what he's done is one thing but to actually trash the guy because of his choices is beyond my understanding.

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This was a case of taking the money & running, which I don't have a problem with but call it like it is.

I'll call it like it is - he was attempting to resurrect his solo career after the commercial disaster called 'Shaken n' Stirred'.

Television commercials airing in prime time give an artist incredible exposure they can't get elsewhere. Love it or hate

it, that ad showed prospective album buyers - and more importantly potential concert ticket buyers - that the Robert Plant they either knew and loved from Led Zeppelin (or had only heard of) was back in a big way and showcasing classic

rock songs as well as his newest hit single.

He was trying to get across to college students/younger listeners in particular because generally speaking their level of enthusiasm for fresh new music is far greater than his contemporaries. He surrounded himself with young musicians and a more youthful sound to appeal to this demographic.

It wasn't about the money, which undoubtedly was a pittance compared against the tens of millions of dollars he has consistently walked away from by refusing to tour with a reformed Led Zeppelin.

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I'll call it like it is - he was attempting to resurrect his solo career after the commercial disaster called 'Shaken n' Stirred'.

Television commercials airing in prime time give an artist incredible exposure they can't get elsewhere. Love it or hate

it, that ad showed prospective album buyers - and more importantly potential concert ticket buyers - that the Robert Plant they either knew and loved from Led Zeppelin (or had only heard of) was back in a big way and showcasing classic

rock songs as well as his newest hit single.

He was trying to get across to college students/younger listeners in particular because generally speaking their level of enthusiasm for fresh new music is far greater than his contemporaries. He surrounded himself with young musicians and a more youthful sound to appeal to this demographic.

It wasn't about the money, which undoubtedly was a pittance compared against the tens of millions of dollars he has consistently walked away from by refusing to tour with a reformed Led Zeppelin.

I'm sure there are those who would agree with you. There is always another impressionable, young person somewhere in the world who will regard him as awesome. They're easier to play than a piano. He makes the most of his career opportunities. So predictable; first, he wanted to escape the Midlands, now he wants to escape the oldies.

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I'll call it like it is - he was attempting to resurrect his solo career after the commercial disaster called 'Shaken n' Stirred'.

Television commercials airing in prime time give an artist incredible exposure they can't get elsewhere. Love it or hate

it, that ad showed prospective album buyers - and more importantly potential concert ticket buyers - that the Robert Plant they either knew and loved from Led Zeppelin (or had only heard of) was back in a big way and showcasing classic

rock songs as well as his newest hit single.

He was trying to get across to college students/younger listeners in particular because generally speaking their level of enthusiasm for fresh new music is far greater than his contemporaries. He surrounded himself with young musicians and a more youthful sound to appeal to this demographic.

It wasn't about the money, which undoubtedly was a pittance compared against the tens of millions of dollars he has consistently walked away from by refusing to tour with a reformed Led Zeppelin.

Robert Plant being interviewed in Musician June 1990:

Charles M. Young - "Given your hippie values and concern for preserving the integrity of rock 'n' roll, why did you endorse Coca Cola and allow "Tall Cool One" from Now And Zen to be used as a jingle?"

Robert Plant: Plant issues a long sigh "I know," he says. "I know is all I can say."

CMY: "It was dismaying to see you equating the burn with soda pop."

RP: "I know. I don't know why I did it. I just thought - and it sounds so inappropriate now - I just wanted to get across to the guys who watch ballgames. I wanted to get across to people who don't care about music. There are a lot of people who reach a certain point in life and they switch the radio off. They might still pay to see Eric Clapton, but they will not listen to anything new. My plan was to rampage and scavenge through their heads while they were waiting for the Giants or the Rams. Probably wasn't clever."

CMY: "Do you think it worked?"

RP: "I don't know. When I go to a ballgame and stand in front of people to see if they recognize me, they yell at me to sit down. So obviously it didn't have the greatest impact. I shan't be doing it again. The problem is, on the last tour the adverts often had a sponsor without me having anything to do with it. Some deal between the sponsor and the promoter. I was furious. I concluded that Neil Young was right in 'This Note's For You'."

Love it or hate it - it was selling out for THAT time. Speaking for myself, I was 14 at that time so I appealed to his youth target with that commercial, I was already a Zep & Plant solo fan so he didn't have to work on me there at least(I bought the earlier "Shaken 'N' Stirred" & loved it without the benefit of a soda commercial), & when I saw the commercial I was not impressed but I did tape it( I still bust it out occassionally for a laugh). As a Robert Plant fan I already owned "Now And Zen"(I didn't like it then & still don't regardless of the commercial) & strictly speaking as a 14 year old I was embarressed for him because he looked ridiculous. It was the furthest thing in my mind as to being cool. REM, The Cure, & The Replacements didn't do commercials & sure as shit their fans would cry heresy if those bands did, & ideally Plant wanted that audience as he thought they were hip cutting edge bands. Those college rock fans would laugh at his commercial & I'm sure they did. In fact I know they did. Guns N Roses, Metallica, & Slayer were the other end of the youth rock audience of the time & they didn't do commercials & their fans would have burned them at the stake if they did, but Plant even then was trying to distance himself from his former hard rock past & not necessarily trying to appeal to that audience. That leaves the Hair bands & Hip Hop audience. To Hair Metal fans David Lee Roth was old, much less Robert Plant & the Hip Hop audience... do I really need to go there. They weren't fans & weren't going to be. Trust me, "Walk This Way" did not pick up any Hip Hop fans for Aerosmith, it just let their old fans know that they were alive. I went to an "urban" school... with members of the Wu-Tang oddly enough but that's another story.

The most infuriating thing was that he used "Tall Cool One" for his commercial & not the lead single "Heaven Knows". Yup, it was just a coincidence that Jimmy Page riffs were used to shill Coca Cola even though it's solo Robert Plant. Nice loophole Planty. A classic example of late 80's Robert Plant.

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Robert Plant being interviewed in Musician June 1990:

Charles M. Young - "Given your hippie values and concern for preserving the integrity of rock 'n' roll, why did you endorse Coca Cola and allow "Tall Cool One" from Now And Zen to be used as a jingle?"

Robert Plant: Plant issues a long sigh "I know," he says. "I know is all I can say."

CMY: "It was dismaying to see you equating the burn with soda pop."

RP: "I know. I don't know why I did it. I just thought - and it sounds so inappropriate now - I just wanted to get across to the guys who watch ballgames. I wanted to get across to people who don't care about music. There are a lot of people who reach a certain point in life and they switch the radio off. They might still pay to see Eric Clapton, but they will not listen to anything new. My plan was to rampage and scavenge through their heads while they were waiting for the Giants or the Rams. Probably wasn't clever."

CMY: "Do you think it worked?"

RP: "I don't know. When I go to a ballgame and stand in front of people to see if they recognize me, they yell at me to sit down. So obviously it didn't have the greatest impact. I shan't be doing it again. The problem is, on the last tour the adverts often had a sponsor without me having anything to do with it. Some deal between the sponsor and the promoter. I was furious. I concluded that Neil Young was right in 'This Note's For You'."

Love it or hate it - it was selling out for THAT time. Speaking for myself, I was 14 at that time so I appealed to his youth target with that commercial, I was already a Zep & Plant solo fan so he didn't have to work on me there at least(I bought the earlier "Shaken 'N' Stirred" & loved it without the benefit of a soda commercial), & when I saw the commercial I was not impressed but I did tape it( I still bust it out occassionally for a laugh). As a Robert Plant fan I already owned "Now And Zen"(I didn't like it then & still don't regardless of the commercial) & strictly speaking as a 14 year old I was embarressed for him because he looked ridiculous. It was the furthest thing in my mind as to being cool. REM, The Cure, & The Replacements didn't do commercials & sure as shit their fans would cry heresy if those bands did, & ideally Plant wanted that audience as he thought they were hip cutting edge bands. Those college rock fans would laugh at his commercial & I'm sure they did. In fact I know they did. Guns N Roses, Metallica, & Slayer were the other end of the youth rock audience of the time & they didn't do commercials & their fans would have burned them at the stake if they did, but Plant even then was trying to distance himself from his former hard rock past & not necessarily trying to appeal to that audience. That leaves the Hair bands & Hip Hop audience. To Hair Metal fans David Lee Roth was old, much less Robert Plant & the Hip Hop audience... do I really need to go there. They weren't fans & weren't going to be. Trust me, "Walk This Way" did not pick up any Hip Hop fans for Aerosmith, it just let their old fans know that they were alive. I went to an "urban" school... with members of the Wu-Tang oddly enough but that's another story.

The most infuriating thing was that he used "Tall Cool One" for his commercial & not the lead single "Heaven Knows". Yup, it was just a coincidence that Jimmy Page riffs were used to shill Coca Cola even though it's solo Robert Plant. Nice loophole Planty. A classic example of late 80's Robert Plant.

No. They are still waiting for the Giants or the Rams or the Saints or the Pats... The only difference now is that they do really bad imitations of Robert Plant.

Basically, he sold his soul to the devil so he could remain in the spotlight with the next generation of football fans. Like they care about anything but football, duh. And in the world of football, women still retain the basic status they hold in the Islamic world, that is, they are worthwhile as pretty playthings to wreck and disgard later on when boredom sets in or an impulsive whim strikes. So I can see how football would naturally attract him.

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Sorry, I was 16 in 1988. I was stuck on when "Shaken N Stirred" came out, then I was 14.

And I printed that bit from Musician because he obviously knew it was mistake & was embarressed by it. I don't by his "football fan" explanation in the least. In America the average white football fan in his 20's - early 40's wasn't aware of Robert Plant in 1988. Uh huh. That demographic would not have been Classic Rock or Hard Rock fans. Mmmm hmmm. As I was one I feel I can say college rock (pre-alternative term) fans usually didn't follow sports in general. They were intense for their love of their favorite bands & other arty type things whether it was comic books, movies, etc.. Sport fans in America typically weren't musing over Morrissey lyrics but they did love their Ted Nugent.

I wouldn't have a problem with him if he did a commercial recently as it's a different climate now. Hell he could have done one with Allison Krauss pre - big Grammy win. How the hell else would people know he did a bluegrass record as there are virtually no widespread bluesgrass outlets. Again, a different scenario.

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Sorry, I was 16 in 1988. I was stuck on when "Shaken N Stirred" came out, then I was 14.

And I printed that bit from Musician because he obviously knew it was mistake & was embarressed by it. I don't by his "football fan" explanation in the least. In America the average white football fan in his 20's - early 40's wasn't aware of Robert Plant in 1988. Uh huh. That demographic would not have been Classic Rock or Hard Rock fans. Mmmm hmmm. As I was one I feel I can say college rock (pre-alternative term) fans usually didn't follow sports in general. They were intense for their love of their favorite bands & other arty type things whether it was comic books, movies, etc.. Sport fans in America typically weren't musing over Morrissey lyrics but they did love their Ted Nugent.

I wouldn't have a problem with him if he did a commercial recently as it's a different climate now. Hell he could have done one with Allison Krauss pre - big Grammy win. How the hell else would people know he did a bluegrass record as there are virtually no widespread bluesgrass outlets. Again, a different scenario.

"Killing the Blues" was used in a JC Penny commercial. I still don't get how that is a different scenario just because the music is a different genre.

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"Killing the Blues" was used in a JC Penny commercial. I still don't get how that is a different scenario just because the music is a different genre.

When MTV did play videos can you name one that was ever a bluegrass song? No. Neither can I. Have bluegrass stations now or at least since The Great Depression been a huge radio market? No. Are there big media outlets for bluegrass? No. What's left of the almost dead rock radio, do any of it's stations play bluegrass outside of the odd Grateful Dead song that may have a hint of influence of bluegrass? No. Does country radio play bluegrass? Not unless you consider the Dixie Chick's "Goodbye Earl" bluegrass.

In 1988 did Robert Plant get video's played on MTV. Yes. Were rock stations the biggest market in the US in 1988? Yes. Was Robert Plant considered almost God like on rock radio in 1988 before & after his dopey commercial? Yes. Was Robert Plant on the cover of every important music magazine & metal rag in the US in 1988? Outside of Spin, yes. Was Plant doing interviews in mainstream media like Good Morning America & Live At Five? Yes. With all that media coverage he already had achieved that year did he have to do a cheesy commercial to reach a wider audience just in case you blinked or suffered momentary deafness? No. Was it fast money he could get on his own terms without touring with two other guys he didn't want to tour with while somewhat exploiting that legacy? I'll leave that one open.

If you don't see the difference then you never will.

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When MTV did play videos can you name one that was ever a bluegrass song? No. Neither can I. Have bluegrass stations now or at least since The Great Depression been a huge radio market? No. Are there big media outlets for bluegrass? No. What's left of the almost dead rock radio, do any of it's stations play bluegrass outside of the odd Grateful Dead song that may have a hint of influence of bluegrass? No. Does country radio play bluegrass? Not unless you consider the Dixie Chick's "Goodbye Earl" bluegrass.

In 1988 did Robert Plant get video's played on MTV. Yes. Were rock stations the biggest market in the US in 1988? Yes. Was Robert Plant considered almost God like on rock radio in 1988 before & after his dopey commercial? Yes. Was Robert Plant on the cover of every important music magazine & metal rag in the US in 1988? Outside of Spin, yes. Was Plant doing interviews in mainstream media like Good Morning America & Live At Five? Yes. With all that media coverage he already had achieved that year did he have to do a cheesy commercial to reach a wider audience just in case you blinked or suffered momentary deafness? No. Was it fast money he could get on his own terms without touring with two other guys he didn't want to tour with while somewhat exploiting that legacy? I'll leave that one open.

If you don't see the difference then you never will.

I don't see your point and I further don't need you talking to me like I have no clue about how music was back then and you have all the answers. It's your opinion and I disagree :rolleyes:

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I don't see your point and I further don't need you talking to me like I have no clue about how music was back then and you have all the answers. It's your opinion and I disagree :rolleyes:

Actually it cracks me up that some people say Robert Plant's solo career was shit at that moment so he needed the commercial and some other people say Robert's status was god-like at the time so why the fuck did he make the commercial...

:P

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I don't see your point and I further don't need you talking to me like I have no clue about how music was back then and you have all the answers. It's your opinion and I disagree :rolleyes:

You addressed me & said you didn't see how it was a different scenario. I addressed you back & explained how it was in fact a different scenario. I never said I had all the answers, I just stated my case as I remember that period quite well. It is my opinion & you disagree. I could speculate as to why for both seperate views, but I think we both know the answer to that one.

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Sorry, I was 16 in 1988. I was stuck on when "Shaken N Stirred" came out, then I was 14.

And I printed that bit from Musician because he obviously knew it was mistake & was embarressed by it. I don't by his "football fan" explanation in the least. In America the average white football fan in his 20's - early 40's wasn't aware of Robert Plant in 1988. Uh huh. That demographic would not have been Classic Rock or Hard Rock fans. Mmmm hmmm. As I was one I feel I can say college rock (pre-alternative term) fans usually didn't follow sports in general. They were intense for their love of their favorite bands & other arty type things whether it was comic books, movies, etc.. Sport fans in America typically weren't musing over Morrissey lyrics but they did love their Ted Nugent.

I wouldn't have a problem with him if he did a commercial recently as it's a different climate now. Hell he could have done one with Allison Krauss pre - big Grammy win. How the hell else would people know he did a bluegrass record as there are virtually no widespread bluesgrass outlets. Again, a different scenario.

They loved anything that came with beer and hot dogs.

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Actually it cracks me up that some people say Robert Plant's solo career was shit at that moment so he needed the commercial and some other people say Robert's status was god-like at the time so why the fuck did he make the commercial...

:P

His career was far from shit. 1988 was the biggest year for the former members of Led Zeppelin without there being a Led Zeppelin. Gee, the Coke commercial must have worked!

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Would that be a small or large Coke with your order?

Yes, in fact I would. I'd like the fries white, clean, and neat and... can you make sure the coke is a tall cool one. Thanks, you're a doll. If I catch the game ball in the stands it's yours.

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