STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN 12''

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Stairway to Heaven is a single release by American experimental rock artist Frank Zappa. The A-side is of course a cover version of the famous Led Zeppelin song while the B-side is a cover version of Ravel´s Bolero. Both songs are played live and are taken from the The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life (1991) album.

The band that Frank Zappa had put together for his ill-fated 1988 tour ( the tour was cut short because of Frank Zappa´s disagreements with various members), which these recordings are taken from, was simply amazing. There were twelve members in that group which meant that in addition to the more ordinary rock instrumentation there were also a five-piece brass section. That band could do just about anything IMO.

The version of Stairway to Heaven is quite different from the original. First of all the rythm section plays an off-beat reaggae rythm. Secondly there´s lots of brass in the song and of course this version features the distinct vocals by Ike Willis. It actually comes off as a rather beautiful tribute even though the ironic distance and humour is intact ( lots of weird noises in the background).

The version of Ravel´s Bolero is shorter than the original and it´s given a rock twist. But it´s the brass section that steals the picture on this cover song. A great arrangement of a classic composition.

I actually think this single is an excellent release. Both songs are present on the The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life album though and that´s why this is only a 3.5 star rating and not a 4. The material certainly deserves a 4 star rating.