Led Zeppelin wins plagiarism suit....even though they probably should have lost......

The Internet · Jun 24, 2016

Item! Led Zeppelin wins plagiarism lawsuit, a jury has found that they did NOT rip off the Spirit song "Taurus" in the writing of "Stairway To Heaven". You can hear the sigh of relief across the music business that the cash cow that is "Stairway To Heaven" is safe.

I like Zeppelin. I even love Zeppelin. "Song Remains The Same", "That's The Way", "Good Times, Bad Times" etc etc...some of the best songs ever. "Houses Of The Holy" is a perfect album. "Led Zeppelin IV" too. And III for that matter.

But Zeppelin, more than most other bands, had a habit of "nicking" stuff. They got off yesterday on ripping off the riff to "Stairway To Heaven", but they shouldn't have. Because my whole life, I knew that Spirit song and always recognized the similarity, since I was a wee lad.

Jimmy Page says he wasn't familiar with the Spirit song, even though he owned a copy of their album. He also toured with them, as a member of the Yardbirds. Zeppelin even covered other Spirit tunes on their first tour! So.....maybe it was unconscious plagiarism, which happens sometimes.....you write something and then you go back and realize, oh my god.....that melody....it's that old Alka Seltzer commercial! lol

It's not the only song Zeppelin appropriated and passed as their own, taking the songwriter credits, and all the royalties.

Check this one out, this Muddy Waters song, "You Need Love"...and make sure you get the last verse, which starts at 1:57.....and you tell me which Zeppelin song this is:

Muddy Waters: You Need Love

I mean really. But go look at the songwriter credits on the Zeppelin song....you won't find anyone else other than members of Zep.

I can't NOT appreciate Zeppelin! I have always given Zeppelin A+ for execution, and B+ for originality. I have always found Zeppelin's importance slightly overstated. (I look forward to debating this!) They won their plagiarism suit but the truth is.....the chord progression for the classic opening riff to "Stairway To Heaven" is exactly the same as the Spirit song. It's voiced different, played different, but it's the same progression (but resolves differently). It's hard to explain and make non-musicians understand that, and that's probably why the jury found in favor of Zeppelin.

But those kooky bastards DID rip it off, 😛

Spirit: Taurus

A hilarious and easy-to-follow breakdown of virtually the entire first Zeppelin album and the songs they appropriated....

I don't agree with the "Communication Breakdown" rip off....all the others though....lol

or if you prefer it without the Howie....also different songs including "Since You've Been Gone" ripping off Moby Grape's "Never":

Sorry Zep fans (i'm a fan too). I'll say this: in virtually all of these cases: they improved on what they were ripping off! As I said, execution A++!

Bohemianne · Jun 24, 2016

"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso

Is there anyone who can really claim to have done an original piece of work? No modest person can.

Even if Led Zep drop all the lyrics, content, and cosmic impact, just give me some 5 minutes of Jimmy Page's death-defying riff of "Since I've Been loving You" and/or some of Bonham's stupendous rimshot (say specifically... at that concert at Madison square -- well, I got the dvd) is more than enough to cover for hullabaloos of all sort. They are gods of their own craft and I LOVE them!

In this world, no one gets out alive. But some can kick ass... indefinitely. Some die with no.....

The Internet · Jun 24, 2016

Bohemianne said:
"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso

Is there anyone who can really claim to have done an original piece of work? No modest person can.

Even if Led Zep drop all the lyrics, content, and cosmic impact, just give me some 5 minutes of Jimmy Page's death-defying riff of "Since I've Been loving You" and/or some of Bonham's stupendous rimshot (say specifically... at that concert at Madison square -- well, I got the dvd) is more than enough to cover for hullabaloos of all sort. They are gods of their own craft and I LOVE them!

In this world, no one gets out alive. But some can kick ass... indefinitely. Some die with no.....

So far total agreement. lol. I got the DVD too, by the way lol.

I'm not saying stop listening to Zeppelin! Those records are golden! And if they're someone's favorite band - and that's many people - that shouldn't and won't change that!

BUT...there is a line that can be crossed into stealing other people's work, and I feel Zep did it on occasion, as many others did (beatles included, bob dylan too), but i feel like they did it ALOT. And in some cases, multiple cases, they put their names on songs they simply didn't write, "Dazed And Confused", "Black Mountain Side", "Baby I'm Gonna Leave You" as three examples. Denying those artists the money due to them. Plain and simple. Others are so close that you can't hear original without hearing Zeppelin (Moby Grape's "Never" for instance, go listen to that, and then go listen to "Since You've Been Gone" "Since You've Been Gone" kicks ass over "Never"! But it's a direct rip-off of it, right down to the production! And so, for me, "Since You've Been Gone" gets an asterik next to it's name, no matter how much I love it, even though it's one of my absolute top-favorite Zeppelin songs!)

I might add, they have been forced to change the songwriter credits on multiple songs, more than any other band I can think of. The Stones had to do it a couple of times ("Love In Vain", "That's No Way To Get Along") but other than that, I can't think of any where they actually had to change the songwriter credits on the album cover.

But as I said.....A++ for execution. And B+ - which is still very good! - for originality, which is I value. Everything you just said: it's all in the execution. And, like every band, they are "gods of their own craft", and them moreso than most. Plus....they wrote some fantastic songs that they didn't rip off so....ok, it's 6:30 in the morning, good night TMF! xoxoxox

PS: if you want to hear someone rip off Zeppelin, go listen to my Song of the Day today, super-Zep influenced! Also I posted a song by 5ive Style in the 90s thread, they're totally doing Zep during the "b-section". 😉

Bugman · Jun 24, 2016

Was never much of a Zeppelin fan myself, but yeah its just wrong when any artist is deprived of due credit and royalties. And I have a hard time swallowing what Page said, given his history with the band. Guess someone just slipped that album into his collection when he wasn't looking.

rdhd · Jun 24, 2016

Thing is, Randy California, the band's frontsman, never pursued any lawsuit. Maybe he thought he could never win, or maybe he just didn't care. Note that it is others that pursued the lawsuit.

Bator · Jun 25, 2016

The Internet · Jun 25, 2016

rdhd said:
Thing is, Randy California, the band's frontsman, never pursued any lawsuit. Maybe he thought he could never win, or maybe he just didn't care. Note that it is others that pursued the lawsuit.

Randy California's been dead for a long time, his family were the ones who were suing, and this is just the latest in a series of lawuits that have been going on since the 1980s. That's why the songwriter credits on so many Zeppelin songs have been changed on the album covers.

In fact he didn't care. Songwriters know that that happens sometimes: go listen to Jethro Tull's "We Used To Know" and then go listen to "Hotel California". Bob Dylan ripped off the melodies of "Bottle of Wine" for his song "Bucket of Rain" and ripped off the melody for "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" from another folk singer in the Village. No lawsuits there. But they are ripoffs. They may be improvements on what they ripped off, but it's still a rip off.

When Jake Holmes (rightfully) won HIS lawsuit, and now when you look at the credits for "Dazed And Confused" it says Jake Holmes on it instead of Page/Plant, and Bonnie Weedon, and Willie Dixon, they did the same thing, had the same success.... after that....the estate decided to sue.

Let your ears do the talking. You're telling me that when you play "Taurus" and that guitar part comes in, you DON'T hear "Stairway To Heaven"? If you write it out in tab, it's identical.