Just posting this, I love this version of Stairway, thanks in part to the solo. I don't know how much of that he had planned out, but I prefer to think the majority of it is improvised. Either way, the solo is just one of the best I've ever heard.
shareMost of it is improvised, but you can hear hints of it in Led Zeppelin DVD.
shareThe "Stairway" solos in the live recordings I've heard seem to all be improvised, with the exception of the four measures leading into the final verses when Plant sings (clearly a cue to the rest of the band that he was finishing up the jam).
"As god as my witness... I thought turkeys could fly."
i've always been interested in this version of the song, too. it's not exactly "pretty", but it's definetly different. he plays some really odd licks throughout this. when this movie first came out, i sat flabbergasted watching it in the theater, wishing i could play the stuff he was throwing in there. Recently Guitar World magazine published a tab for this version, and i've been working out some of it. but if i ever played it live, i'd want to stick alot closer to the original studio version of the solo.
share