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  1. #1

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    There are people who say that Dolly Parton cannot do anything wrong. This version/re-arrangement of a popular rock song somewhat reinforces that idea and the bluegrass banjo playing is off the charts, too. IMO, of course. Please enjoy it like me if it's your first time hearing it.


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  3. #2

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    Wow I’ve not heard it before. She does a great job with that. And great instrumentals as well.

    Just an observation that the legendary status of the iconic studio version has made the last section a difficult act to pull off. Heck, I don’t even like most of the live Zepp versions I’ve heard.

    I actually played the acoustic section tonight—it’s a fun way to warm up and try out a new guitar—but it’s hard as heck to come up with a good ending without having a backing track and doing a Jimmy Page note-for-note. There’s a Rick Beato video out there where he (and Peter Frampton and a few other guys) play it in different styles. They’re cute, but none of them work, not after the original has been burned into your brain over 50 years.

  4. #3

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    Yeah, she is so good that it almost makes me disregard how bad the lyrics are for that song.

  5. #4

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    Better than I thought it was going to be, but the transition to the rock-out last section feels too contrived, not natural, but the first three-quarters of it are convincing.

  6. #5

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    Besides Dolly's voice, this version is all about the arrangement and the dobro.

  7. #6

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    Yes, on re-listening the dobro work is beautiful, and the choral arrangement ain't too shabby, either!

    I had actually never heard the original by Led Zeppelin all the way through so, I thought I'd check it out. Long-ish story short, the Dolly Parton version came up in YouTube and I far preferred it. I don't habitually listen to either Led Zepp or Dolly, though she is fun in chat shows!

    Rock/pop lyrics are maybe best seen as just part of the general soundscape: "All right now, baby it's all right now"

    I'm glad if people discovered something surpising here. Cheers

  8. #7

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    I'm sure most of y'all have heard this one. I do it on gigs, usually gets a reaction;


  9. #8

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    Dolly is truly Queen Midas -- everything she touches is musical!

    But as for "Stairway" this version remains my favorite:


  10. #9

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    Hey, no fair, that Beatnix take is extremely well done but it's a joke

  11. #10

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    Jazzy version by Mr Boone:


  12. #11

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    In general, I will pay attention to some of the lyrics penned by people like Bob Dylan, Carole King, John Lennon, Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell (all, actually), Neil Young, Elvis Costello ...... Otherwise, pass: if the line fits the hook, good enough.

    So all the more power to Dolly for making those cringeworthy lyrics sound like they mean something!

    Thanks for that invaluable contribution Graham.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
    Dolly is truly Queen Midas -- everything she touches is musical!
    Indeed - even the PMS (blues)

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
    Better than I thought it was going to be, but the transition to the rock-out last section feels too contrived, not natural, but the first three-quarters of it are convincing.
    I have just never heard a good version of that transition to the last section that worked other than the original. The best live Zepp version is on the How the West Was Won album. The Song Remains the Same version is pretty lame compared to that one.

    There’s a Plant/Page show with just Jimmy playing acoustic guitar, and they end it right at the end of the acoustic section. That’s probably for the best, if you don’t have a Gibson double neck or Telecaster and a great sound engineer.

  15. #14

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    Pat Boone in A Metal Mood: "oooo...it makes me wonder".

    No More Mister Nice Guy? Cracked me up! Thanks Graham.

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
    I have just never heard a good version of that transition to the last section that worked other than the original.
    The song (even Dolly's version) always morphs into some other song, probably an EWF one. I wonder if that transition has anything to do with that...

  17. #16

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    Dolly Parton - Stairway To Heaven-waynes-no-stairway-denied-gif

  18. #17

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    My favorite Dolly recordings are with the Trio. I must confess that I much prefer the songs on which Linda Ronstadt has the lead.

  19. #18

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    From Wikipedia List of songs recorded by Dolly Parton - Wikipedia

    American country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton has composed over 5,000 songs throughout her career.[1] The total number of individual song titles she has recorded and released is 956, totaling over 1,100 individual recordings when studio recordings, remixes, and live tracks are combined.

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by sgosnell
    My favorite Dolly recordings are with the Trio. I must confess that I much prefer the songs on which Linda Ronstadt has the lead.
    You'll like this one I guess. This will be the center stage in heaven.


  21. #20

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    And Dolly with Doc...my how sweet they are together.


  22. #21

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    More proof that Dolly is a gift from god…



    She can play BANJO too!?! (Ah those sweet, young ladies…what a time.)

    Is there anything Dolly can’t do? I mean, seriously, lock her in a room with Kim Jung Un, and he’d lay down those nuclear weapons in 30”.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
    I mean, seriously, lock her in a room with Kim Jung Un, and he’d lay down those nuclear weapons in 30”.
    Gee, thanks Doc, now I have one of those images in my head ...

  24. #23

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    I like the tone Dolly's voice, but I can't stand that quivering vibrato.

  25. #24

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    The choral arrangement at the end was kind of lame. I just wanted to hear Dolly blow it up.

    The rest of it worked surprisingly well for me. Dolly's kind of a national treasure...and a good human. And she still has hell of a good control on that voice.

  26. #25

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    Has anyone ever heard a version of Stairway with an ending anything close to what Plant, Page et al put on record? I haven't.

    Even most Led Zepp live recordings don't hold a candle to the studio version, with the possible exception of How the West Was Won.

    It's dang hard to come up with something that builds up to a crescendo and isn't trite and cliche-ridden (of course the original Stairway IS the cliche now, but that's the way these things go).