10 Fascinating Covers Of Led Zeppelin Classics

The Café del Mar resort in Ibiza and its accompanying series of chill-out records might not seem like an obvious route to any Led Zeppelin cover, but Jose Padilla, a mercurial Spanish DJ/Producer who has long been associated with that establishment, created a track of enduring appeal with his cover of Stairway To Heaven, arguably Led Zeppelin's most well-known song.

Born in Barcelona, Padilla, who sadly passed in 2020, took up the Café del Mar residency in 1991, personally selecting the tracks for the fist six releases in the album series. He also has several notable solo records to his name, securing a Latin-Grammy nomination for 2001s Navigator.

Stairway To Heaven, which regularly polls highly in any "greatest rock song" list, is a song so indelibly linked to Led Zeppelin that it takes something special to make a cover version worthwhile, but that is exactly what we get here. Originally composed by Page and Plant for Led Zeppelin IV during a moment of spontaneous inspiration while recording at Headley Grange, this song is as close as the band would ever get to a progressive rock sound. Padilla's version brings a nuanced delicacy to the track, fluttering with popping beats, wordless vocals and ambient sounds. This deserves to be more widely heard.