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July 27, 2006

Wolfgang's Vault

Thanks Rachel from Scenestars for pointing me to this video about Bill Graham's unearthed rock 'n' roll treasure trove.

Collectors will have a blast looking through Wolfgang's Vault. Don't forget to stop by the gift shop for a Huey Lewis polo shirt! (The apparel prices may seem steep, but they actually sell this stuff for 3x more money at vintage stores in the Village.)

Of course WV has a blog too, where I learned some fun facts about "Stairway To Heaven"...

There are those who would argue that "Stairway to Heaven" is the finest musical achievement of the past 700 years. This is questionable, particularly since it is only the third best song on Led Zeppelin IV. In fact, it has been my experience that most Americans secretly loathe this song and will do anything to avoid remembering it; this probably caused the drastic lineup change of Kingdom Come in 1989. The problem, it seems, is that modern listeners can no longer separate the sonic experience of "Stairway to Heaven" from the mythology that surrounds it, which is as follows:
1. Many say that the opening bars of "Stairway to Heaven" were blatantly lifted from the instrumental track "Taurus" by Spirit, a group Zeppelin opened for in 1968. (This is almost certainly true.)

2. Robert Plant wrote the lyrics to "Stairway to Heaven" while sitting on a log near a fire, attempting to find enlightenment. The ephemeral image of a gnome emerged from those flames and entered Plant's body through his nose and mouth; Plant then scribbled the 341 words in a dream-state rush. (This could be partly true).

3. Though never released as a single, "Stairway to Heaven" is the most requested song in FM radio history. (This is false).

Read the rest here.

Posted at 2:42 PM




11 Comments

isn't the zeppelin post taken from a chuck klosterman piece? i know i've read that before.

Posted by: nicholas at 07/27/06 2:58 PM  | Reply
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I certainly hate that song with a passion. Smug, pretentious, only mildly-rocking, and profoundly gay (and not in a good way).

Posted by: David at 07/27/06 3:09 PM  | Reply
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I love that parody record "Stairway to Gilligan's Island." Too bad Zep's lawyers sued it off the market...

Posted by: James at 07/27/06 4:06 PM  | Reply
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definitely klosterman.

Posted by: spo. at 07/27/06 4:25 PM  | Reply
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They credited it to someone else. Are you sure? If so, that's lame and they should stick to selling overpriced posters.

Posted by: scott at 07/27/06 4:33 PM  | Reply
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an article or book from klosterman?

Posted by: Julio Enriquez at 07/27/06 6:23 PM  | Reply
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the coolset thing i ever saw done with the song was by Drivin' and Cryin' where they did a cover of Stairway to heaven and Freebird (at the same time), BUT during Stairway they sang the lyrics to Freebird and vice versa when playing Freebird.

it was both hilarious and lighter worthy.

(wolfgang is right is saying that is the worst song on the album give me When The Levee Breaks any day!)

Posted by: seamus at 07/27/06 8:04 PM  | Reply
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yep, it's from the may '06 issue of spin.

Posted by: nicholas at 07/27/06 10:56 PM  | Reply
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Reminds me of the southern rockabilly band Dash Rip Rock's parody, Stairway to Freebird. Now THAT's earth-shaking!

Posted by: gene at 07/28/06 10:07 AM  | Reply
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The apparel is cool (and expensive) at WB, but the best part of the site is the radio station, which plays unreleased performances from various Graham shows going back to the sixties.

Posted by: Ken at 07/28/06 11:09 AM  | Reply
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The apparel is cool (and expensive) at WV, but the best part of the site is the radio station, which plays unreleased performances from various Graham shows going back to the sixties.

Posted by: Ken at 07/28/06 11:10 AM  | Reply
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