#adlibs

This is music.  This is what talent sounds like when you use your first instrument to tell a tale.  Acoustic album, where your talents must shine and you can’t hide.  D.O. you did it your way and I accept it.  The soul in this child’s voice... I am thankful to have you in my life.  Bring on the adlibs, riffs, runs, falsettos...  D.O. your voice is Gorgeous.  I’m Fine has stolen my heart...

March 5, 1971. On this date Stairway to Heaven made its first public debut, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and was performed at every gig thereafter.

To commemorate the occasion, here are some quotes, facts, and audio links featuring unique Stairway moments. Hopefully, you hear something new! <3

Robert came up with the majority of the lyrics off the cuff. “I was holding a pencil and paper, and for some reason, I was in a very bad mood. Then all of a sudden my hand was writing out the words, 'There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold/And she's buying a stairway to heaven...’ I just sat there and looked at the words and then I almost leapt out of my seat.”

But Robert didn't finalize the lyrics until right before his last vocal take. According to engineer Andy Johns: “We’d just about finished everything else, and John Paul had done the recorders... Robert is sitting at the back of the control room, and I said, “Robert, it’s your turn to sing [again].’ ‘Oh, really? Well, I’m not finished with the lyrics.  Can you play it again?’ And he’s scribbling away at this pad. ‘Okay, I’m ready now.’ And I think it was just two takes with one punch somewhere or another, done.”

Roebrt’s ad-libbed lyrics would become a beloved part of the performance for many fans.  The first known occurrence of his “Remember laughter?” adlib was June 14, 1972, at the Nassau Coliseum in Hempstead/Uniondale New York. (The next night, he would describe Stairway as a "real gas, something you never tire of singing.” Oh, the irony!)  Another favorite adlib is the alternative, “Does anyone remember forests?”  On September 14, 1971, Robert treated us to one of the most unique Stairway adlibs, “You are the home of the children of the sun.”

Over time, Stairway would come to be one of the pinnacle moments of Zep’s live show, but it wasn’t always given the respected listening silence it deserved. At Madison Square Garden for TSRTS, Robert introduced Stairway with a polished,  "I think this is a song of hope.”  But the original recording reveals what the film edited out: Robert adding, “ and it's a very quiet song so shut up!"  More politely, Robert ‘shhushes’ the audience before ‘Stairway’ on Burn Like a Candle, the original bootleg recording from the evening better known as How the West Was Won.

Jimmy’s solo, for which he returned to his ‘59 Dragon Telecaster in the studio, took three takes. (Andy Johns accused Page of making him paranoid and vice versa).   Of course for live performances, Jimmy would employ the now-famous Gibson SG double neck.  He said that the O2 Reunion show is the only time he recreated the original album version of the solo, just to prove he could.

Everything about Stairway is so beautifully and intentionally arranged. John Paul Jones decided not to use a bass guitar because it was more of a folk song. Instead, he added a string section and keyboards. He also had th idea for, and played, the wooden recorders in the intro. Bonham’s delayed entrance is one of the most powerful, drums-blazing song entrances in rock history- and absolutely crucial to the arrangement, giving it “that extra kick,” said Jimmy.

“I thought it crystallized the essence of the band. It had everything there and showed us at our best as a band and as a unit... It was a milestone for us. Every musician wants to do something of lasting quality, something that will hold up for a long time, and I guess we did that with Stairway.” - Jimmy Page