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Studio Guitar Solo of Stairway To Heaven


bolowyn

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Holy shit! It´s ROD STEWART???!!!!!???!!! :blink:

For the record, Jimmy Page is my favourite guitarist. He's all about feeling and emotion, not technique. I held onto that modus operandi from the early stages of my guitar playing. Too many guitarists these days sound like machine guns going off, there's no contrast, no killer note, nothing that makes you go...aaaaaahhhh! Perfect! Page had that in spades, and still has a lot in reserve.

Me and my mate were not pissed.

You are entitled to your opinion. And I am to mine. For what it's worth, for years I had heard that a late cousin of mine had been to the Dublin gig, and along with a friend, had recorded it. Independently of those whose recording forms the basis of the only known recording out there. In doing some research about my late cousin, I tracked down some of his friends. And one of them said he was the one who taped it. My heart started thumping. Did he have the tape, did he have the tape. We're talking here about another source of this legendary gig. No, it disappeared last year - 2007 - 36 years after it was recorded. I always knew I'd get to the truth about that tape. I nearly made it. I was a year late. Out of 37 years. Not bad. :o I feel the same about this STH solo thing. Maybe I'm not articulating it right, like you rightly point out. I too am dubious about the likes of "so and so said this and so and so said that". I've been around the block enough to take all that with a pinch of salt. But I've been carrying this doubt for many years. And then this bloke appears on youtube and I stumble upon it during a routine search of anything related to my favourite band of all time. You say I'm disrespectful to Zepp. Well sorry if that comes across. Disappointed in some of their live stuff then, yes, and maybe I came across as bitter, my apologies, not least of all to the band. :(

Who is this Randolph bloke anyway? Just another nutter?

BTW, I play and compose and play out regularly, which, agreed, is the only way to do it. You take the knocks as well as the praise. You're right, youtube is for the most part about posers shredding this and copying that and jackingoff looking at themselves on the "tv".

I'd like to put this to rest now, if I may. It's been one hell of a ride. I got no work done the last few days! You guys sure know your Zepp. Great to know you and sorry if I pissed anyone off.

Bolowyn Mc'Grath :rolleyes:

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For the record, Jimmy Page is my favourite guitarist. He's all about feeling and emotion, not technique. I held onto that modus operandi from the early stages of my guitar playing. Too many guitarists these days sound like machine guns going off, there's no contrast, no killer note, nothing that makes you go...aaaaaahhhh! Perfect! Page had that in spades, and still has a lot in reserve.

Me and my mate were not pissed.

You are entitled to your opinion. And I am to mine. For what it's worth, for years I had heard that a late cousin of mine had been to the Dublin gig, and along with a friend, had recorded it. Independently of those whose recording forms the basis of the only known recording out there. In doing some research about my late cousin, I tracked down some of his friends. And one of them said he was the one who taped it. My heart started thumping. Did he have the tape, did he have the tape. We're talking here about another source of this legendary gig. No, it disappeared last year - 2007 - 36 years after it was recorded. I always knew I'd get to the truth about that tape. I nearly made it. I was a year late. Out of 37 years. Not bad. :o I feel the same about this STH solo thing. Maybe I'm not articulating it right, like you rightly point out. I too am dubious about the likes of "so and so said this and so and so said that". I've been around the block enough to take all that with a pinch of salt. But I've been carrying this doubt for many years. And then this bloke appears on youtube and I stumble upon it during a routine search of anything related to my favourite band of all time. You say I'm disrespectful to Zepp. Well sorry if that comes across. Disappointed in some of their live stuff then, yes, and maybe I came across as bitter, my apologies, not least of all to the band. :(

Who is this Randolph bloke anyway? Just another nutter?

BTW, I play and compose and play out regularly, which, agreed, is the only way to do it. You take the knocks as well as the praise. You're right, youtube is for the most part about posers shredding this and copying that and jackingoff looking at themselves on the "tv".

I'd like to put this to rest now, if I may. It's been one hell of a ride. I got no work done the last few days! You guys sure know your Zepp. Great to know you and sorry if I pissed anyone off.

Bolowyn Mc'Grath :rolleyes:

Hi. I listened to STH live and studio and it's the same person playing the solos. His name is Jimmy Page. The End! - Kate

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Finally a coherent post!

I feel the same about this STH solo thing. Maybe I'm not articulating it right, like you rightly point out. I too am dubious about the likes of "so and so said this and so and so said that". I've been around the block enough to take all that with a pinch of salt. But I've been carrying this doubt for many years.

You say I'm disrespectful to Zepp. Well sorry if that comes across. Disappointed in some of their live stuff then, yes, and maybe I came across as bitter, my apologies, not least of all to the band. :(

I think most of the people who have responded here have done so in the spirit of finding the truth. If what you say has some merit to it, then it should be investigated. Unfortunately there are a few holes in the story which need to be filled for it to be believable. I am glad that you finally admit that the 'friend of a friend' thing is a problem. I'm not calling anyone a liar, but the more steps away from the source, the more opportunity for exaggerations and inaccuracies to creep in - chinese whispers.

I am not sure where to go from here in terms of investigating it further. If the claim is true, most people connected with the band would have a vested interest in keeping it a secret. I guess the only real way we would ever find out is to go back to the masters and listen to the other attempts at a solo. As I have said before, you would assume Page would try many times before giving up and bringing in someone else, so that should be there. Otherwise you would find 3 solos on the tape, and the other 2 should shed some light on whether or not it was Page who played them.

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A few observations:

What live solo has Page ever done that WAS lick-for-lick exactly like the studio?

None I've heard/seen.

Page couldn't play the solo?

So he got a BETTER guitarist to play it for him? Who was that, God?

Just because YOU think the live versions aren't as good - and I was initially shocked when I heard Stairway on TSRTS ("OMG! It's not note-for-note the same as IV, I think I'm gonna hurl! Life as we know it is over!") - doesn't mean Page thinks the same. He's always shown a distinct tendency to tweak, fiddle and progress, much as LZ as a whole did from release to release. Hell, the solo on Dazed isn't the same either - must not be Page on THAT one too.

Give it a break already - you've established your credentials as an incredible guitarist, you just seem to have a defective bullshit detector.

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A few observations:

What live solo has Page ever done that WAS lick-for-lick exactly like the studio?

None I've heard/seen.

"What is and what should never be, Celepbration Day" to name but two."

Page couldn't play the solo?

So he got a BETTER guitarist to play it for him? Who was that, God?

Just because YOU think the live versions aren't as good - and I was initially shocked when I heard Stairway on TSRTS ("OMG! It's not note-for-note the same as IV, I think I'm gonna hurl! Life as we know it is over!") - doesn't mean Page thinks the same. He's always shown a distinct tendency to tweak, fiddle and progress, much as LZ as a whole did from release to release. Hell, the solo on Dazed isn't the same either - must not be Page on THAT one too.

Give it a break already - you've established your credentials as an incredible guitarist, you just seem to have a defective bullshit detector.

"Me an incredible guitarist? Like, so, man you're thinking I'm an incredible guitarist (your words, thanks!), on the basis of my saying tha tpeople think I'm a good one, but you're dismissing, albeit with some argument, what I've reported in this thread. See, that's where the laws of reason and choice, if there are laws, fall on shaky ground. We believe what we choose to believe, that's it. And, for the record, I was only pissed once in the last 48 hours or so and I posted during that bout, shouldn't have. Fell off the wagon so to speak, and I'm not talking about my girlfriend. LMFAO.....!!! Hey, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was shocked on first hearing the live STH... I thought...too slow....shit vocals....where's the acoustic....why is the solo late and how come the solo sounds so crap....where's the outro.... and why do the drums sound like Im sitting in front of the drumkit ". After 28 years, I've come to love the whole package - that's what it is, and I truly beieve that TSRTS version is awesome. The solo, in particular, has some fabulous twists and turns to it. Later, dudes"

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He plays it on the Raving Arizona DVD from the Mesa concert for Outrider, the same as he does in SRTS. Of course it's him playing!

Jesus, I've just watched that Outrider version from the Arizona DVD. I downloaded it a while back but didn't get around to it. Until now. One word for the guitar solo - crap. :rant:

Another word, ok 2 words, unbelievable bad. :boohoo:

I challenge anyone to say that this is a good guitar performance. And none of the usual excuses, like, oh, well, Jimmy was battling with his demons, or he had an off night.

Looking forward to any opinions you may have on this one folks. :watchingyou:

BMG

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  • 2 weeks later...

Page played it.

Took 3 passes at it on his Tele. Used the first and best one.

The version that's on BBC Sessions is almost identical, or very similar at least.

I'm not saying anybody is f'in stupid, unless you believed it.

It's so obvious it's Page, I dunno who else coulda played.

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Any good musician will NEVER play a solo the same way twice. A solo is a moment of expression and improvisation. To replicate a solo note for note is pointless and emotionless. Music is always about the moment. Why are ZEP boots so popular? Why are Grateful Dead boots so popular? People love to hear a song in a new shade of light. Any band that plays the same way night after night will not have a following and will end up just going through the motions. A solo spot is a chance to hear a player take chances and make mistakes. How a player corrects from a mistake is what makes a musician special. I love to hear Page fumbling for the right feel, emotion, and notes. It is what makes music special. Most non-musicians do not understand this concept. BTW..I think the person who started this post is just attempting to be controversial for the sake of being controversial. If you use your ears you can cleary hear it is Page playing.

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I guess now is the time to come clean.

It was me. I recorded the guitar solo as well as snuck into the studio with a squeaky hinge during the recording of SIBLY. I also flew the airplane while they were recording parts of Physical Graffiti.

I apologize for all the pain and suffering I've inflicted all these years.

I'm also D. B. Cooper.

NO!! I'm Brian and so's my wife..... :D

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Hey, I just spotted this on youtube. Some Munich-based guitar guy claiming that Page didn't play on Stairway. What the f**k!! Like, this is my favourite piece of music in all human history. But it's not the first time I've heard this claim. My drinking buddy wasn't surprised, he said he's *known* all along, says all you have to do is listen to the live versions and you can tell that it isn't the same guitarist. But his real source is supposed to be Tim Martin who was Page's guitar tech. Apparently, Martin told a friend of HIS way back that he was there when it was being laid down and it wasn't Page. Now this brings me back to the time I first heard the live solo on TSRTS, to be honest I was shocked at the difference, having gotten to know every intricacy of the IV version. I now love the TSRTS version, and many other boot versions even more (notably the one off Going To California).

What do you think people? Has anyone else heard anything about this? Wouldn't this shake the very foundations of rock music itself?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M1mol3Zo4w

hahahah

sad...

who does HE think wrote the solo?

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Trolls! Trolls! Trolls!

Dave Gilmour never played Comfortably Numb's solo note-for-note live..

So it must be Neil Young who'd played it on The Wall!

It's called improvisation, a basic thing in music. If you can't improvise on stage, you're dull.

Why can't you face the truth like a man? You're wrong and your drinking chum is too... And so is the other drunken master that told him this nonsense.

and what the fuck is that video supposed to prove, anyway?

That because some computerized guitar slinger can play 95% of the solo right, Pagey didn't play it?

I need facts. REAL FACTS. Evidence. Not some pub chitty-chatting.

and a last question, boy:

Don't you believe in progress?

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  • 2 weeks later...

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

The idea of somebody other than Jimmy Page playing the "Stairway" solo is as ridiculous of an urban legend as the one about some session drummer -Bernard Purdie I believe is the name- being the real studio drummer in The Beatles, not Ringo. You can tell it's Ringo on the skins and you can tell it's Page playing the solo. What next? "Robert Plant lip-synched on stage!"..."They used pre recorded drum tracks live!!"...give me a break.

Don't get me wrong...conspiracy theories are a hobby of mine, but THIS one is as outlandish as the "No planes hit the World Trade Center" bullshit regarding 9/11...

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i didn't read all the replies. so this may be a repeat. it's my understanding that jimmy played a few solos for the song . couldn't decide which he liked best. someone had the great

idea of combining the best parts of each or from a couple of them into one solo edit.

it was a tape splice job.

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I'm suprised anybody would doubt it. If you play guitar you know the STH solo isn't difficult to pull off, head to youtube and there will be 10 yr old kids doing it. I don't mean to imply its not a great solo, it is, it just isn't difficult to play. A big reason he plays it different live is the neck of the EDS-1275 joins the body at the 15th fret and you can't get to many of the notes he plays at the end of the studio solo. I'm surprised nobody touched on that yet, if it was mentioned I missed it.

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I agree with Danelectro but there's one more thing even if you're not a musician but have hears you can tell by his tone.

True, he did switch to Les Pauls from Tele's after the first album, but by ITTOD he mainly played Tele's on that album & after. Listen to the tone on the "Stairway" solo & it's almost the same as the tone on "Im Gonna Crawl", which Im not saying is as memorable a solo, but the tone is similar. The slide parts on the "Stairway" have the same tone as The Honeydrippers "Sea Of Love" solo which Page also did the solo for.

"Stairway" is an ambitious song, but later songs like "Ten Years Gone" & "Achilles" have far more guitar parts but he also didn't play them exactly the same live. The reason is that's a hell of alot of multitasking for one guitar player. He often combined small sections of those songs into one piece, & he would do it differently almost every night. Those numbers were also tighter pieces than "Stairway", which on "Stairway" he had more leeway to stretch out the solo. Would the arguement be made that he didn't play on "Ten Years" Gone" or "Achilles"? That would be more drunken bar talk.

Anyway as a drinking buddy of mine in the bar once said to me about something that had something to with something else... Oh, I forget but he's no bullshitter, so whatever it was must be true!

Jackass :P

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Jimmy Page is alive and lives in Germany. He still play guitar solo, but not so fast. You aint nothing but hound dog lying all the time. It true, he play it in the potries.

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why would would jimmy page need someone to play the solo? jimmys the man. even if someone else played it jimmy still would have wrote it. the solo page plays live is awesome. i like how it goes on forever. i wish the solo on the studio version of stairway could have been longer, and plant should have songs a few more lines. in stairway to heaven just as the songs starting to take off it ends too quickly. other than that the song is perfect. has anyone seen stairway to heaven on the dvd thats just called led zeppelin? during the solo plant looks really unco when hes hitting the tamborine and he has a funny look on his face. that always cracks me up i thought he must have been stoned or something. :lol:

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Hey, I just spotted this on youtube. Some Munich-based guitar guy claiming that Page didn't play on Stairway. What the f**k!! Like, this is my favourite piece of music in all human history. But it's not the first time I've heard this claim. My drinking buddy wasn't surprised, he said he's *known* all along, says all you have to do is listen to the live versions and you can tell that it isn't the same guitarist. But his real source is supposed to be Tim Martin who was Page's guitar tech. Apparently, Martin told a friend of HIS way back that he was there when it was being laid down and it wasn't Page. Now this brings me back to the time I first heard the live solo on TSRTS, to be honest I was shocked at the difference, having gotten to know every intricacy of the IV version. I now love the TSRTS version, and many other boot versions even more (notably the one off Going To California).

What do you think people? Has anyone else heard anything about this? Wouldn't this shake the very foundations of rock music itself?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M1mol3Zo4w

It must of been a anti-ZEPP fan that told your friend this. I have never heard this story nor do I believe it is true for one minute. Read the books such as Hammer Of The Gods by Stephen Davis, Led Zeppelin by Ritchie Yorke, Led Zeppelin, The Book by Chris Welch and even Stairway To Heaven, Led Zeppelin Uncensored by Richard Cole. Not one of these books state or even mention that anyone else other than Robert, Jimmy, John Paul and John played on Stairway To Heaven. ROCK ON!

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