Stairway to Heaven or Bohemian Rhapsody?

Stairway to Rhapsody

Two 70's Rock classics completely out of contest. Both ones will keep on memory throughout countless generations for diverse reasons - my own ones: intense, finely arranged melodic lines .... emanated by groundbreaking guitar riffs or freakin' catchy piano and vocal sections....... literally immortal through every new generation that once upon a time lent an ear to what their parents listened to...... 

iluvmarillion wrote: I don't find anything intellectual about Bohemian Rhapsody. To me it's just doodling on the piano, but each to his/her own I guess.

Zeppelin has many songs way better and more intricate than Stairway too... 

kenethlevine wrote: socrates17 wrote: Neither is ever in heavy rotation on my stereo, but I'm staggered that Bohemian Rhapsody (which I'd thought was popular only due to Wayne's World) is almost tied with a real classic which actually exhibits some dynamic range. hmm one may accuse Bohemian Rhapsody of many things, but it seems like lack of dynamic range need not be one of them

I mean, why did they put that super soft piano part followed by heavy operatic chorus ("He's just a poor boy from a poor family") if not to introduce dynamics...to give just one example from a rollicking ride.

rogerthat wrote: I mean, why did they put that super soft piano part followed by heavy operatic chorus ("He's just a poor boy from a poor family") if not to introduce dynamics...to give just one example from a rollicking ride.

BR has range, but there's nothing natural or 'dynamic' about it; it essentially consists of several brief tracks, utterly unremarkable on their own, artificially stitched together to form the illusion of some masterful whole. Excellent vocal melodies obfuscate a song that otherwise alternates between mundanity to novelty. It's not a bad song, but I generally attribute its popularity to nostalgia and the fact that most listeners never get exposed to genuinely imaginative music. It's a watered-down version of the collage techniques and studio experimentation The Mothers, Soft Machine, and The United States of America had already accomplished in the 60's (among other groups), and what virtually every prog band accomplished in the 70's. Hell, even the Beatles had already done a whole side-length collage of songs years earlier. 

Edited by mechanicalflattery - December 04 2017 at 20:38

Two great classics, but Bogemian Rhapsody gets the edge.

miamiscot wrote: Queen's only good song vs Zeppelin's masterpiece. BR wins.

Perhaps you have never come across a little tune titled Killer Queen. And to call Stairway' 'Zepp's "masterpiece" is slighting all kinds of material by Page and company. I personally can't state what song is.