bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
I literally never heard of Far Corporation or that version of Stairway until now.
I literally never heard of Far Corporation or that version of Stairway until now.
Good though innit?
...put together by the same producer that gave us Mili Vanili.
I would also like to point out that LZ was a 70's band, not really a 60's band. They have sold over 300,000,000 records worldwide. They were quite literally the biggest band in the world in the mid to late 70's.
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Not in the UK they werent. Although their albums were hits in the UK. It was only 'fans' whoever purchased them because the general public would rarely get to hear them. Mainstream music tv and the main popular music radio channel rarely ever played their music. There were reasons for this.
Far Corporation was a one hit wonder (the hit being a cover) that was put together by the same producer that gave us Mili Vanili.
Led Zeppelin | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company
If you hit the "albums" tab, you will notice how much they actually did chart in the UK.
Now I'm not a big zeppelin fan, but it is hard to deny what they did, especially compared to that goofy version of one of their songs.
Yo Orson...we're on the same page on a lot of things but on this topic we're 180 apart...That "Far Corp" version that you are under the impression gave Zepplin's version wings is just not even close to factual... but you being younger and not into 60's /70"s rock..I can understand the jaded perspective. Zep turbo charged rock n roll, similar to how Van Halen did 10 years later...STH is legendary...
From Wiki HERE
"Stairway to Heaven" is often rated among the greatest rock songs of all time. According to music journalist Stephen Davis, although the song was released in 1971, it took until 1973 before the song's popularity ascended to truly "anthemic" status. As Page recalled, "I knew it was good, but I didn't know it was going to be almost like an anthem ... But I knew it was the gem of the album, sure."
"Stairway to Heaven" continues to top radio lists of the greatest rock songs, including a 2006 Guitar World readers poll of greatest guitar solos.
On the 20th anniversary of the original release of the song, it was announced via U.S. radio sources that the song had logged up an estimated 2,874,000 radio plays.
As of 2000, the song had been broadcast on radio over three million times. In 1990, a St. Petersburg, Florida station kicked off its all-Led Zeppelin format by playing "Stairway to Heaven" for 24 hours straight.
It is also the biggest-selling single piece of sheet music in rock history, clocking up an average of 15,000 copies yearly.[15] In total, over one million copies have been sold.
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine put it at number 31 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
An article from 29 January 2009 Guitar World magazine rated Jimmy Page's guitar solo at number one in the publication's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos in Rock and Roll History.
Just feel like you really have way underestimated how great a song it is in the history and evolution of rock and waaaay overated Far Corp's version and minute influence it had on the originals popularity worldwide...As per my first response on this...several U.S. members here have confirmed your post of Far's version is the first time any of us ever heard it...and it's ok for an 80's disco / electronica era cover version but the original is where the $$$ is.
All that said...I listened to the second version and I liked their interpretation and how they made it work for the musical lane they produced it for..
The singer trying to do Plant's high range vocal parts did an OK job but not even in the same planet of rock screamer that Plant was...and Plant not only sang like a wild man he definitely set the bar of what a cool Rock star looks like...I had a bud who looked a lot like him in the period and it just sucked going anywhere with him because he had the pick of the litter wherever he went....rat bastard!
Frickin chick magnet...shit he's 65 now and the girls still flock to him....