Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell explained

Make a Difference Foundation: Stairway To Heaven/Highway To Hell
Type:compilation
Artist:Various artists
Cover:Stairway to Heaven-Highway to Hell album cover.jpg
Released:November 1989
Recorded:1989
Genre:
Length:45:52
Label:Mercury
Producer:Bruce Fairbairn

Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell was a 1989 compilation album featuring bands that performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival: Bon Jovi,[1] Skid Row, Scorpions,[2] Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Cinderella, and Gorky Park. 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. 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.[3] The album's liner notes include an extensive dedication list of such artists, along with a skeleton playing the guitar.[4]

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."[5] 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,[3] both Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and AC/DC singer Bon Scott had alcohol-related deaths in 1980.[6] [7]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rees, Dafydd . 1991 . Rock Movers & Shakers . ABC-CLIO . 18 . 9780874366617 . Bon Jovi contributes to the hard rock compilation album Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell . 2023-03-19 . 2023-08-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230827005533/https://books.google.com/books?id=t5oYAAAAIAAJ&q=stairway . live .
  2. Book: Sharpe-Young, Gary . 2007 . Metal, The Definitive Guide: Heavy, NWOBH, Progressive, Thrash, Death, Black, Gothic, Doom, Nu . Jawbone Press . 63 . 9781906002015 . 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'. . 2023-03-19 . 2023-08-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230827005554/https://books.google.com/books?id=KNrV3iQ_qrIC . live .
  3. News: ON THE BEAT . Washington Post . January 24, 1990 . May 13, 2023 . November 14, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201114173604/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/01/24/on-the-beat/e1eb4a66-afe1-43cd-a5f5-de0096b05377/ . live .
  4. Web site: Archives . L.A. Times . 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 . December 23, 1989 . May 13, 2023 . May 13, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230513224032/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-12-23-ca-641-story.html . live .
  5. . Album Reviews: New and Noteworthy . Billboard . December 9, 1989 . 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.".
  6. Web site: Coroner rules Bonham death an accident - UPI Archives . UPI . October 7, 1980 . May 13, 2023 . March 25, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230325144612/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/10/07/Coroner-rules-Bonham-death-an-accident/3403339739200/ . live .
  7. Web site: Cheshire . Ben . 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 . May 8, 2022 . May 13, 2023 . May 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230510163006/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-09/fresh-insight-into-death-of-acdcfront-man-bon-scott/100900888 . live .

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