Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell
| Make a Difference Foundation: Stairway To Heaven/Highway To Hell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by Various artists | |
| Released | November 1989 |
| Recorded | 1989 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 45:52 |
| Label | Mercury |
| Producer | Bruce Fairbairn |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell was a 1989 compilation album featuring bands that performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival: Bon Jovi,[2] Skid Row, Scorpions,[3] Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Cinderella, and Gorky Park.[4] The album closes with a few collaborative efforts including a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick" and a live medley of songs from Elvis Presley and Led Zeppelin.
The album was released by the Make a Difference Foundation, a nonprofit group formed by executive producer Doc McGhee, which fought youth alcohol and drug abuse.[4][5] Album proceeds were split between Make a Difference and the Soviet Union's All-Union Society for Sobriety. Each song is a cover of a famous solo artist or rock band who had suffered a drug- or alcohol-related death.[4] The album's liner notes include an extensive dedication list of such artists, along with a skeleton playing the guitar.[5]
Billboard magazine cited the album as "New and Noteworthy" after its release, describing it as, "Glittering array of headbangers assemble for one of the must-have collections of the season."[6]
The album title meshes the song titles of "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin and "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC. Although neither track appears on the album,[4] both Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and AC/DC singer Bon Scott had alcohol-related deaths in 1980.[7][8]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Generation" (Gorky Park) | Pete Townshend | The Who | 4:46 |
| 2. | "Holidays in the Sun" (Skid Row) | Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Johnny Rotten | Sex Pistols | 3:35 |
| 3. | "I Can't Explain" (Scorpions) | Pete Townshend | The Who | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Purple Haze" (Ozzy Osbourne) | Jimi Hendrix | The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 4:21 |
| 5. | "Teaser" (Mötley Crüe) | Tommy Bolin, Jeff Cook | Tommy Bolin | 5:18 |
| 6. | "The Boys Are Back in Town" (Bon Jovi) | Phil Lynott | Thin Lizzy | 4:03 |
| 7. | "Move Over" (Cinderella) | Janis Joplin | Janis Joplin | 3:24 |
| 8. | "Moby Dick" (Drum Madness) | John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page | Led Zeppelin | 5:54 |
| 9. | "Hound Dog" | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | Big Mama Thornton | 3:19 |
| 10. | "Long Tall Sally/Blue Suede Shoes" | Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, Richard Penniman/Carl Perkins | Little Richard/Carl Perkins | 3:02 |
| 11. | "Rock & Roll" | John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | Led Zeppelin | 4:49 |
| Total length: | 45:52 | |||
References[edit]
- ^ Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell at AllMusic. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ Rees, Dafydd (1991). Rock Movers & Shakers. ABC-CLIO. p. 18. ISBN 9780874366617. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
Bon Jovi contributes to the hard rock compilation album Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell
- ^ Sharpe-Young, Gary (2007). Metal, The Definitive Guide: Heavy, NWOBH, Progressive, Thrash, Death, Black, Gothic, Doom, Nu. Jawbone Press. p. 63. ISBN 9781906002015. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
The Scorpions would also contribute to the album Stairway To Heaven – Highway To Hell with a sterling cover of The Who's 'I Can't Explain'.
- ^ a b c d "ON THE BEAT". Washington Post. January 24, 1990. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Archives, L.A. Times (December 23, 1989). "Rockers on an Anti-Drug 'Stairway' : Pop music: New album features contemporary versions of songs associated with artists whose deaths were believed to have been linked to drug abuse". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^
"Album Reviews: New and Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. December 9, 1989. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
Glittering array of headbangers assemble for one of the must-have collections of the season. Featuring stellar performances by Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, and Motley Crue, among others, the set boasts new recordings of eight classic songs written or performed by artists whose lives have been touched by drugs and/or alcohol. Also included are three all-star jams taken from the Moscow Music Peace Festival held last August. Profits will benefit the Make A Difference Foundation.
- ^ "Coroner rules Bonham death an accident - UPI Archives". UPI. October 7, 1980. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ Cheshire, Ben (May 8, 2022). "AC/DC frontman Bon Scott led a high-voltage life. But his friends say the singer's unglamorous death at age 33 was not a surprise - ABC News". ABC. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
