Fifty years ago, in November 1971, Led Zeppelin unleashed one of the biggest rock songs of all time, Stairway to Heaven on their monolithic fourth album, Led Zeppelin IV.
When Led Zeppelin first exploded on the scene in the late 60s, the was little to compare them to. They introduced a whole new level of heaviness to rock with the thunderous rhythm section of John Bonham and John Paul Jones, matched in intensity by the wild wizardry of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.
READ MORE: 'LED ZEPPELIN IV' CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
By 1971, four albums deep, the band had crafted their collective sorcery into some of rock's most iconic hits, including Black Dog, Rock and Roll and, of course, the anthemic Stairway to Heaven – which proved that behind all that power, they could also deliver one of the most enduring ballads of all time.
In November 1994, about to embark on a world tour together, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant decided to break out a rare acoustic arrangement of the iconic number while promoting the dates. Watch below to see them perform a mesmerizing rendition of the track, rich in dynamic and texture, on Japanese TV in 1994.
Jimmy Page & Robert Plant | ‘Stairway To Heaven’ [Japan, 1994]
And, while we’re here, let’s enjoy one of those legendary stadium-sized renditions from the 1970s below!
Led Zeppelin | ‘Stairway to Heaven’
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